Dog Speak!

9/19/10 How to turn your husband into an animal lover

2011-07-16T15:51:00.002-04:00

How to turn your husband into an animal lover

Okay, so the title is misleading. The truth is, I’ve been married for over 22 years now and when we first got married my husband was a farm boy. He was strictly “no animals in the house” and I was raised that way too. Our dogs lived outside, but had a barn and dog houses to stay in. We didn’t tie them up, they were able to roam, but that has its consequences too. One of our dogs was hit by a car. I look back at those days and think how stupid we were.
Now we have 3 dogs, 2 cats and a rabbit living inside the house. Acting as throw rugs to walk over, and they are our constant companions. So what snapped in him? What made him go from farm boy, no critters in the house to this? Well, honestly, it wasn’t him that changed, it was me.
Most men like to put on the tough guy image, they like animals, but they don’t normally show how much they like them. Or maybe that’s the farm boy mentality. Once a dog or cat is in your house, you can’t ignore them. They are there, looking at you. It’s only natural to reach out and pet them as you are relaxing, watching TV. Most animals will not allow you to ignore them. I know mine won’t. You will get a little nudge to your hand, or Dolly will lay her head on your lap and look at you with a pitiful expression. That look will melt anyone.
The trick is you start out slow, gently allowing your mate to get used to having a furry friend in the house. Always be sure to bring in the pet cleaned up and smelling good. While some dogs can be very rambunctious at first in the house, they quickly realize that this is a calm place to be and love it! All kenneled or tied up animals will be a little hyperactive at first; after all it’s their first taste of freedom! Who could blame them?
Normally I advise doing this while your spouse is at work, so the newness of the dog being inside wears off by the time “Daddy” gets home. Of course, seeing your spouse will get Fido acting a little hyper and happy, and he may be a little too eager to greet dear old Dad.
Be sure to “puppy proof” the house beforehand and get down on your hands and knees and be on the look out for anything dangerous to your pet! You’d be surprised at what they can get into to get hurt, or destroy things you never thought they would. My rule is if you want to keep it, you better put it away. If the dog eats it, it’s not the dog’s fault; it’s yours for not putting it up.
Pay attention to your pet! If you see him circling or sniffing around, chances are he needs to go out. Take him out on a leash, let him do his business and then praise him! Make sure you stay out long enough for #1 and #2. Don’t make the mistake of giving him a treat for going potty after he goes, because that treat will trigger the urge for #2 again!
Now the next part is the tough part. However, if you are over 30 years old, you may not find it hard at all. You IGNORE all negative words that come out of your spouse’s mouth. You simply think to yourself, this is my house too and I’m keeping the dog inside! Eventually the turbulence will subside, and you will catch your mate petting the dog when he thinks you aren’t looking. Soon, he’ll be sharing tidbits with him, and you may even find him talking to the dog when he thinks you aren’t around.
It’s a pretty interesting metamorphosis when you change your husband from a farm boy who thinks all furry things are livestock, into a caring human being who actually enjoys the company of your dog!
A little guilt never hurts either. Once when I rescued a collie (we already had one) he asked me, “Who does the dog belong to?” I said, “What dog?” hoping he would mistake him for our dog Brittany. Okay, so trying to trick him into double vision didn’t work so well, but when he yelled at me to get the dog out of bathroom when he went to shower, I scolded him and told him that the dog had been abused by a man and did NOT need to hear him yelling! It was a little white lie, but it worked. He quieted down, and petted the dog on the head.
It also never hurts to remind them of the truth. After that little run in, I reminded him that you’d think after 17 years of me bringing critters home, and knowing that they will live with us, that he’d learn that I always get my way, and to just pipe down and deal with it. I haven’t heard a peep out of him since.
So you see, it wasn’t really him that changed, but it was me who went from a meek and mild, obedient wife, to an independent woman who knew what she wanted and how to get it. Now I get to see him enjoy holding the dogs’ leashes and walking them when we go to shows, and happily telling people all about them at rest areas and gas stations. He doesn’t fool me. I know he loves the attention they bring him too.

Movies

2010-10-17T18:08:00.000-04:00

7/16/10 The Problem with Cats

2010-07-29T22:42:00.000-04:00

The problem with cats

Wow, it’s been a busy few weeks at my house. We survived the fair, rescued some puppies, and found them homes. We even rescued some birds, and have seen some animal neglect cases that I hope get prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Just today a man visited me with a sibling to the puppies we rescued; he is also looking for a home for her. These puppies are adorable! They appear to be Chihuahua and Beagle mixes or possibly a little Italian Greyhound too. I’m working hard to help them find her a forever home.
After seeing the sheer volume of unwanted pets in town alone, I’m convinced we need more education on spaying and neutering. Money shouldn’t be the issue because there are many low cost spay and neuter options. In fact, there was just a “Tom cat special” offered for only $15 through North Central Indiana Spay and Neuter located near Battleground. Even local vets are known to give a good deal on the feral cats. There is also the FACE clinic in Indianapolis, I’ve used them before, and they are awesome, their website is www.facespayneuter.org and you can call them at (317)638-3223
There are TNR (trap, neuter, return) programs out there for feral cats, to fix them so they don’t reproduce anymore, but release them back where they came from. The other thing that TNR does is, with “fixed” animals, you won’t have the problem with spraying territory from tom cats, you won’t be hearing the caterwauling from females in heat, you won’t have your heart torn out trying to find homes for kittens, or watching them die. You won’t hear the cat fights from tom cats shredding each other over territory, and watching the loser of the fight die
You can contact Tri-county TNR to schedule spay/neuter appt. for feral cats call (765) 491-0930 or email nlallen48@hotmail.com
Neutering and spaying works great for barn cats! In fact, I recommend it for all farms with barn cats, because it will keep the kitties near the barn and not give them an urge to roam and disappear or be eaten by coyotes. Also, if the feral cats are infected with diseases like feline leukemia or feline AIDS, they won’t be passing it on to their offspring, and they will be much less likely to fight and pass it along to other cats. If you need barn cats, there is no shortage of cats needing a home. Contact your local pound and tell them how many you can take, before it’s too late. Cats don’t stand much of a chance for adoption when we have the numbers of feral or wild cats that we have now.
Spaying and neutering won’t rid the town of the unwanted pets we currently have but it will GREATLY reduce future numbers.
For instance,
The Prolific Cat 1st year x 3 litters = 12 offspring (oftentimes they have more) and if those kittens aren’t spayed or neutered…
2nd year = 144 offspring and if those kittens are also not spayed and neutered….
3rd year = 1,728 offspring etc.
4th year = 10,736 offspring etc.
7th year = 370,192
Do you see the problem folks?

The Prolific Dog 1st year = 4 offspring with 2 females (again many times there are more, big dogs = big litters) and if those puppies aren’t spayed or neutered…
2nd year = 12 offspring and if those puppies aren’t spayed or neutered…
3rd year = 36 offspring etc.
5th year = 324 offspring
In my experience, these numbers are very conservative.

Now I realize that feral cats and cats in general who roam outdoors are a nuisance animal to many gardeners, and uncovered sandboxes. There are some products you can apply to your flower beds to deter them from using them as a restroom, as well as motion activated sprinklers which will scare the cats away from a garden area. I realize not many people are cat lovers, or even likers for that matter, but not all cats are wild, some are just pets that get out.
I’ve heard the old redneck saying “a .22 slug is cheaper” to fix the feral cat problem but what if it was your pet? How would you and your kids feel if the neighbor killed your cat or dog? What if your cat was trapped and taken to the pound, and by the time you figured out who to call to see if they had seen it, it was too late?
But the current thinking is to trap and euthanize as many as possible to thin them out. My thoughts are, that’s only a very temporary solution because they breed like rabbits! Soon we will be back at square one again. Even if it was required for all pet owners to spay and neuter all pets, we would still be overrun with cats, due to the heavy feral population which just keeps growing. Statistics prove that TNR programs do work, and reduce feral cat colonies in no time.
Part of the problem is feeding them because after all they need to eat, who can watch a kitty starve even if it is too wild to touch? Many well-meaning people put out food for the feral kitties and don’t consider them their pets. One problem, if you are feeding them, guess what…they ARE considered your pets. If you feed them, fix them!
In many cities there are ordinances that require a leash law for cats as well. This would pose a huge problem for me personally, because I have a cat that goes through my dog door. I can’t keep him in. I’ve looked at the electronic dog doors that open only when the dog who wears a transmitter around their neck gets near it, but the problem is, I’ve seen my cat dart through the dog’s legs as they are going through the dog door.
I’m looking into netting to put at the top of the fenced in area. There are companies that carry it online. I’m getting prices from “Affordable Fence” at www.catfence.com. I’ve already put up a “Fido Shock” electric fence around the bottom of my fence to keep the dogs from digging out, I could put one at the top, and hope it zaps the cat and he goes back inside, but I am a little hesitant to do that, he would probably hit it and rocket himself over the fence and never come back.
So how do you identify your pet cat from a feral cat? Collars with I.D. tags on cats work until they get it caught on something and it breaks away or falls off. My other cat who doesn’t go out wears one, just in case. For the “Houdini” cat, I plan to have him micro-chipped but at the present time, our own animal control doesn’t have a scanner, so if your pet is chipped, nobody will know. (Don’t worry, folks, I’m working on them about that!) The good news is he is already neutered, so he won’t be helping produce more “Houdini” cats.

7-5-2010 Neglect and Abandonment

2010-07-02T00:36:00.000-04:00

Neglect and Abandonment

I received the following ad found on craigslist in the Chicago area, that I thought was very appropriate, and something I’ve thought to myself I should write often:

You aren't looking for them, but I found your 2 dogs
Date: 2010-06-02, 11:47AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sigh. No one is looking for these guys. And I see why.
They hump everything in sight, try to dominate our old doggies, try to
eat our cats and pee on everything and bark at everything. Neurotic,
lick constantly. They know no commands, either in English or Spanish.
They are aggressive and most likely lived in a puppy mill.
You dumped them, probably, and we picked them up before they were killed
by traffic. Unneutered, no tags, two small males under a year old.
I hate you, person who dumped these dogs.
There are no lost ads on phone poles, no lost ad on Craig's list, no
lost ad in the paper.
We put signs up all over, put a found notice in at the local pounds. If
you were looking for these filthy little ragamuffins, you would have
found them.
We are afraid to take them to the pound because under stress, your dogs
were snappy and horribly afraid, and dogs are judged by temperament for
adoption placement. They would not have passed that test.
However...
They are, under their filth, mats and horrible habits, adorable.
They have learned "Quiet," "Come," "Sit."
They have stopped being so neurotic and we have broken most of their bad
habits in just a few days.
They are smart and sweet and are looking for guidance and WANT to be
good little dogs.
One is a purebred little white and buff guy with an under bite, the
other is a brown little dog that looks almost exactly like a miniature
version of a larger breed dog. They know each other and were obviously
(by the same bad habits) raised (poorly) together.
We will get them neutered, train them and get them into a good, loving
home with people who use the brains God gave them.
If these are your dogs, come on by. Not so you can have them back.
So I can kick your ---.
……………………………………………………………………….
This has been an eventful week for me as well. My kids found a couple of puppies who followed them home. Word on the street says they were dumped off. The puppies were so covered in fleas; I’m surprised they were still alive. I got rid of the fleas and fed them and that helped with the anemia. Sweet as pie, they surely belonged to someone at some time. They were very used to humans and very loving. I took them to the vet to deal with their bloody diarrhea which I feared was parvo, but luckily for them, it was hookworm and whipworm. I took care of the worms, vaccinated them and they soon became the bouncy puppies they should be. I found a foster home for them who called me today to tell me they are 99% sure they want to adopt them. I’m so glad!
I’ve also received an email from Carthage, IL about two kittens found in the Mississippi River. They were caught on a fishing net, and one kitten was hooked by its ear. Luckily somebody saw them and rescued them. One kitten’s foot was swollen and feared broken but while at the vet they discovered that it was infected and full of maggots, and not broken. I wonder if there were more kittens that weren’t lucky enough to get caught on a fishing net.
Why are people so evil? What makes someone hate an animal so much they will throw it in a river instead of finding someone to give it a home instead? What makes someone dump off puppies full of fleas and parasites instead of find it a home or spay their mother? I know that times are hard and rescues are full but there are people to help. Dumping them off is not the way to do this. Call a vet, a groomer, a rescue group, a pound, a human society or anybody! Put an absolutely free ad in the paper. Put up a poster at the grocery store. There are a million things you can do instead of just dumping them off, hoping some animal loving person will take them in and care for them, even when they don’t have the time, or money themselves to do it.
I have to say I was not happy to see these little pups show up but my son reminded me, “Well Mom, what would you do? They had fleas so bad, somebody had to do something!” so they brought them to me to do something. Sometimes I feel like my kids are the pied pipers of Attica, but instead of leading the critters out of town, they lead them to our house. While I love puppies as much as anyone, I know the work they require and the time commitment and I am just not set up to deal with puppies. I’m glad I was able to help them though. They are sweet loving little pups who deserve a chance at a forever home, and I think they got one.
I’ve also done some favors for our dog pound on behalf of the animals. Some of the cases they deal with are horrifying. I’m glad I was here to help. Do I have extra time to do this? No, but I do it because somebody has to. It seems to be my lot in life.
I was chatting with a client about rescue and needing foster homes and volunteers, and they were genuinely interested in helping! It doesn’t mean you have to foster dogs, or adopt dogs or give money. Oftentimes, just taking a dog to Petsmart for an adopt-a-thon and sitting there chatting with people about them, and giving the dogs exposure will help find them a forever home. If you can do more, great! There is always something to do to help in rescue. One of the rescues I’m working with is called “We Care Animal Rescue” and we are most grateful for any volunteers. If you are interested in helping you can call 765 491-8860 or visit their website at www.wecarerescue.org and find out ways you can help.
If we all do a little, we can help a lot.

6-19-2010 In the Public Eye

2010-07-02T00:35:00.000-04:00

In the Public Eye

After my television debut on ABC’s “Nightline” last week, I guess I was right about my luck with the media. A Nightline reporter followed us all around for three days, sitting through creative grooming seminars, watching us prep our pooches and seeing how much we all love and cherish our pets, and then they did what I feared they would. They called the piece, “Really, would you do this to your dog?”
Naturally that title alone conjures up images of abuse. Their facebook page started immediately getting comments even before it aired, after just showing a few photos. Most of the emails were from people who thought this was above and beyond animal abuse. Of course, I immediately responded and told ABC how disappointed I was that they would do this. ABC responded to me by telling me to “wait until it airs, then see what you think”. So I stayed up late, it was put off due to a ball game and came on after midnight.
We were shown first, followed by all the other creative grooms, and then they turned the conversation to “What about the physical and mental well being of the animals?” and showed a close up of my dogs looking sad. They were actually bored, because they were waiting for their turn for presentation, and they were chilling out. Then they managed to find one groomer in New York who apparently doesn’t go to grooming shows, otherwise she would know what this is. She thinks this is, in her words “disgusting”.
They showed her their clips and she heard that some of the grooms take 30 hours to do. She assumed that was 30 straight hours! We like to eat, sleep and take breaks too. Standing up for 30 hours straight would be inhumane for us, let alone a dog! You see, they didn’t bother to tell her that we work on these designs weekly, as we bathe them. Just a little bit at a time. Then when we groom them at the show, it’s a quick 2 hour contest, the dogs are already washed and dried, and we just cut the hair and add decorations and a little more color. The dogs are usually pre-dyed. No different that a regular groom for a client really, but a little more “exciting”.
Then she saw the clip of a zebra looking dog lying on the table, and relaxing. She took that to mean the dog was exhausted and depressed. Actually it was lying down so the groomer could reach the top of the neck. I put Jasmine on the floor to do her back so I could see it better, since the tables they provided us with don’t move up and down like the one I have at home.
She thought that since the zebra dog was only a year old, it was too calm for a young dog, and something was obviously wrong. What was “wrong” was only the dog is well trained, and used to being groomed weekly. In fact, Pickles (the dog’s name) is a therapy dog and goes to visit autistic children in schools. A therapy dog must be calm.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, when the other groomers were on the Today show, Martha Stewart cornered one of the groomers and told her she thought that it was cruel to do this! Of course, that didn’t make it on the air. Oh Martha, you are a sly one behind the scenes!
This makes me want to mail Martha a “gift” from my dog, all glittered up and pretty! Maybe she can make a lovely centerpiece out of it! I get so tired of all the negative comments from people like this. They just don’t have a clue. Meanwhile some of the groomers are getting phone calls with people cursing them out, and thinking creative grooming is a terrible thing, and we are awful people. Who knows what some over zealous, insane person would do in the name of animal rights? Guess it’s a good thing we have our dogs as body guards.
This is the problem with the media. You can’t believe even a reputable news show to give you the whole truth. They take bits and pieces, and when they put it all together, it will skew anyone’s opinion. If it gets your riled up, then they get ratings. It has made me rethink everything on the news lately.
The good news is the TLC show “Extreme Poodles” didn’t stoop to that level, and actually showed the groomers and their dogs having fun and made it very clear these dogs were well loved, and enjoyed a great life. This is a fact, because I know some of these dogs personally. Whether “Extreme Poodles” becomes a series or not, remains to be seen. I hope they make more shows and help show the public that we are not monsters, even if we may make our dogs look like monsters, or camels, lions and Clydesdales.

6-5-2010 Obese Dogs

2010-07-02T00:32:00.000-04:00

Obese Dogs

I just had a conversation with a groomer friend, Linda in Wisconsin who called me up complaining of her aches and pains from her day of grooming. The cause of the aches and pains was a golden retriever client that she hadn’t seen in two years. Back in 2008, this golden retriever tipped the scales at a whopping 260 lbs! She measured his waist and it was a huge 40” around. A 40” waist may not be so bad if you are human but if you are supposed to be a normal sized 60 lb. dog, that’s extreme!
She warned them in 2008 of the health risks associated with their dog’s obesity, and tried to convince them to put him on a diet. Apparently, they didn’t listen. Which leads me to the question, why did she book the dog for grooming again?
Well I can answer that one. It stems from hormones and childbirth. When you want to have a child, there is an overwhelming urge and your biological clock begins ticking. Once you become pregnant, as happy as you are to be pregnant, the morning sickness hits you, and even though you are indeed glad to be pregnant, the side effects can be awful. Along towards the end of your pregnancy journey, the feet and ankle swelling begins, along with the general aches and pains, and restlessness. Sleeping in a bed is no longer comfortable; you opt for the recliner instead. Then labor hits. You may have decided to be a “he-woman” and not take any drugs for the pain. Although this is what your Lamaze coach recommends, all you need for pain is to focus on an object and breathe…once you are actually in labor, you discover that you not only can’t focus on anything except for the pain, but breathing has also become hard to do! What were you thinking?
They say you never forget the pain of childbirth, this is true but then those darned hormones hit and you get that overwhelming urge in a couple of years to have a second child, and it isn’t until you are pregnant again that you remember how bad it was the first time.
That must be what she did. She just forgot how bad it was the first time, or maybe she thought she had actually gotten through to her clients and they took her advice and put their dog on a diet. Well when she opened the door today, she found out that the dog had gained an additional 30 lbs. in the past two years, and his waist size has ballooned to a whopping 53 and a half inches around! A 290 lb. golden retriever! Now that has got to be some kind of a record.
Why is this dog so overweight? Does he have some kind of thyroid imbalance or immune disorder which is making him gain? Well, we just don’t know because the owners never took him to the vet to find out. It seems they live on a farm and he eats the grain that the cows eat along with 4 cups a day of his dog food, and eats the barn cats’ food, and whatever else he can get into. I’m pretty sure a vet would’ve read them the riot act over letting this dog get so heavy.
At his enormous weight, the dog is having difficulty walking; his hocks are breaking down from carrying the immense weight. I know that his heart has to be working on overload, along with his other vital organs. The dog is getting pressure sores on his body from lying down, and of course he was a mess from not being groomed in two years.
I’ve seen clients kill their dogs with kindness by over-feeding them. Just because he’s giving you those “doggy eyes” doesn’t mean you have to give in and feed him more. On every bag of dog food you’ll find a chart on how much to feed a dog that weighs x amount of lbs. Now, you are supposed to feed the amount for what the dog SHOULD weigh, not what he currently weighs. If your dog weighs 50 lbs, and should weigh 30 lbs, then you need to feed him what a 30 lb. dog should eat daily. Measure it with a REAL measuring cup, not the extra large cup your coke came in from McDonalds. There is a difference!
My friend Linda told her clients after she had completed the grooming that unless he lost weight, she would not groom him again. The clients were shocked and confused as to why she would say such a thing. Then she felt bad later. I told her not to feel bad because she had to protect her own body. None of us are getting any younger, and nobody can afford to hurt their back or shoulder etc. She took some pain relievers and hot bath and hopefully with some luck, she will get out of bed tomorrow and face another day of grooming. Unless you’ve been a groomer, or done some of your own dogs’ grooming it’s hard to understand how physical this job is.
I only hope her clients see the light and take some action to get their dog to the vet, and put him on a strict diet and confine him so he can’t get into the other livestock’s feed. It won’t be long until he does collapse and they will not be able to pick him up and take him to the vet. The one who ultimately suffers is the dog.
Don’t kill your dog with kindness, be loving but firm, food and treats don’t equal love and attention.

5/24/10 I have ARRIVED!

2010-05-25T11:39:00.002-04:00

I have ARRIVED!

You know you are a creative groomer when photos of your creations stir up people and they feel the need to tell you how you are abusing your dog and being cruel. I’ve seen comments on creative grooming from some very uninformed people who think that coloring and cutting designs in the dog’s hair is the epitome of animal abuse. Nothing could be further from the truth of course, but how can we change the public’s perspective and let them see how very loved and pampered our dogs are?

TLC has made a pilot of a new show called Extreme Poodles that will air June 13th. It features some of the top creative groomers. I am hoping that this show, instead of sensationalizing and dramatizing our art, shows that we do love our dogs and we most certainly are not abusing them. I’m a little skeptical, only because the only run-ins I’ve had with the media have been the opposite. If it’s not exciting enough, they’ll make it exciting. The media likes to cut out the boring truthful messages, and highlight the controversy. I guess that’s what sells and pays the bills.

I am friends with many of the creative groomers that I compete with and one lady in particular, Sandy Hartness whose creations are probably more well known has received death threats by some over zealous animal rights enthusiasts who think what she does is wrong. My question is which is worse, a dog neglected, tied out on a chain that gets no attention or a pampered poodle who happily enjoys grooming and showing off?

The people who are sending the hate messages seem to think that we don’t allow our dogs to be dogs. All they see are the photos. They have no idea how or where this animal lives, or how it spends the rest of its non-creative life back at home. Somehow I think their minds may change if they would only listen. But you can’t make people listen.

Sandy Hartness tells me that it’s official, I am now a member of “the club” since I received my hate mail. “Yes! I’ve arrived!” I told her, because she tells me you have to be good to get people to do this. One of the “greats” in creative grooming thinks I’m “good”. Wow, that is the biggest compliment I can receive!

Due to the new TLC show about creative grooming, of course there are others who are airing their take on it. For instance, at the Knoxville show I just attended, ABC’s “Nightline” was there filming our competition. I’m anxious to see how they view it, or if their story will only stir up more controversy. If you see a couple of cute dogs who look like Clydesdales pulling a “Pupweiser” cart on “Nightline”, that would be us. We took second place in our division. The “Today” show will also have a couple of competitors on their show in the near future.

The funny thing is, creative grooming has been around since 1900 when a groomer first started carving designs into the hair of the dogs he groomed. It may go back earlier than that. I have seen photos of his work and considering no electric clippers back then? AMAZING! I’m actually proud to be part of this elite club of artists, so I’ll take my hate mail as a compliment, and smile knowing that my dogs don’t hate me, and because of what I do, they are living a good life, anyone who knows me can testify to that.

5/6/10 Green Hair!

2010-05-25T11:38:00.000-04:00

“Green” Hair?

I found out something interesting that is being done to help with oil spills in the Gulf. There is a group that makes oil absorbing mats and booms out of human and pet hair!
The idea is that hair absorbs oil, and they weave all the hair into mats or stuff it into nylon hosiery and float it on the water, and it actually does work! Now that’s a way to be “green” that I never thought of! You can go to this website, www.MatterofTrust.org to sign up, and they will take donations of hair, hosiery, pet hair or sheep’s wool and you’ll be matched up by state and told where to send your donation. I’m presently awaiting an e-mail to tell me where to send my pet hair. Meanwhile, I will be bagging it up and putting it aside. Who knew there was another use for cut hair? This is great for all beauticians and pet groomers, sheep farmers, as well as anyone who wants to bag up and save any amount of hair. Think of the space we’ll save in the landfills, now that’s some creative recycling!
The entire operation of how they make the hair mats and booms is on that site, and it’s fascinating! They accept donations all year round, not just for major disasters that we hear about on the news. From the website:

DID YOU KNOW?

Every year, an estimated 706 million gallons of oil enter our planet's oceans:
By far the greatest source of spilled oil is households. We can make a difference, according to the Smithsonian Institution and the Environment Protection Agency:

Used Motor Oil - accounts for 363 million gallons in our oceans!
50% of Americans change their own motor oil, but only 1/3 of that oil is collected and recycled.
2/3 are dumped down drains or spilled on driveways and onto streets. One typical 5 quart oil change improperly dumped can contaminate millions of gallons of freshwater.

Routine ship maintenance and washing containers - account for 137 million gallons of oil in our oceans.

From air pollution - 92 million gallons

Natural seepage of oil bubbling up from the sea bottom - 62 million gallons

Large Spill Accidents - 37 million gallons

Offshore drilling - 15 million gallons

Wow, those are scary statistics! It’s nice to know someone is out there doing something about it and we can all help in some way. This group is hopeful that they can bring the textile industry back to the United States, since China has the lion’s share of it. Wouldn’t THAT be nice! Just think, it all started with a haircut, or a pet groom. Who would’ve thought hair could save the world? I’ve seen some pretty interesting things done with hair, heck I do some of them, but I do love minds that think outside the box.

All of this is making me feel very guilty about the way I deal with garbage, and recycling. I’m not exactly a “tree-hugger”. I think there’s still hope for me though.
So now every time you brush your pet, get your own hair cut, get your pet’s hair cut, or sweep up hair dust bunnies you can think, wow, this could save a fish, or seal or bird or some kind of wildlife, and of course, it can save us. The great circle of life ends with us and “green” hair.

4/23/10 Politics, religion and dog food.

2010-05-25T11:34:00.000-04:00

Politics, Religion and Dog Food

Recently on my online groomers group, we had a discussion about pet foods and which brands are better than others, which companies are “safe” and so on. Of course it started a heated debate, much like discussions about religion or politics. There were those of us with personal stories of what we have seen and experienced, vs. those who are staunch proponents of their brand of xyz dog food, with only information given to them by the maker, not necessarily the truth. No matter how hard we tried to convince them to look further into the brand and see exactly where their ingredients came from and what the ingredients mean and include, they wouldn’t listen, they only defended their brand and lumped the rest of us into a “new age tree hugger group”. I find that happens with many people and vets that have been educated by companies about products but don’t have a clue what the ingredients mean.
Face it, when it comes to OUR food, most of us don’t read labels and have no clue what all the ingredients are, especially when you add preservatives we can’t pronounce let alone define. So I’m not surprised when people think they are feeding great food to their pets with all the commercials that say how wonderful and happy your dog will be if they eat xyz brand dog food, or that the food is veterinarian recommended, which would be great if it the vet wasn’t only educated by the company itself, with little to no education on what each ingredient was or where it came from. That’s one-sided and biased. I have a problem with that.
I’ll admit it, I’m a grudge holder. I may forgive but I will never forget. I have a tough time putting faith in any of the companies that were involved in the recall, even thought they claim they have better testing now in place. Just when I think oh that company has come out with a healthier formula, something else happens and kills that trust.
When we had the great pet food recall of 2007, I personally know 3 dogs that died from the tainted food. At the time, they didn’t link it to the food; they died shortly before the recall. But after seeing their brand was in the recall, their pet was already buried and had the same symptoms as the pets that ate tainted food; it was pretty clear what had happened. There were thousands of pets that died, but so many died before the recall, that nobody suspected the food, and now it’s too late.
I recently found on truthaboutpetfood.com something they call “vindication” which is a permanent memorial to the pets that died or remain ill due to the contaminated food that was recalled. While it won’t bring them back, and it’s not a lawsuit and no compensation is made to those owners, it will be a reminder that those pets mattered to us. If you lost a pet to the recall, please get online and put in your pets name so a permanent memorial can be made and your pet can also be included in “vindication”. See below for details.

If a pet food has ever sickened or killed a Pet of yours, a friends,
or a family members… please read and share with others.
Losing your dog or cat because a pet food was contaminated is one of the worst experiences a Pet Owner can endure. You feel guilty. You feel taken advantage of. You feel alone. Saying good-bye to your dear friend, BECAUSE OF A PET FOOD, is the worst emotional roller coaster ride imaginable.
From the 2007 melamine pet food recall alone, some estimates are as high as 300,000 U.S. and Canadian Pets became sick, died, or are still fighting kidney disease. Countless thousands more pets have become sick from recalls or silent recalls of tainted pet food since.
They all mattered to someone;
They all matter in Vindication.
Vindication will Never Forget Them;
Nor why They Died.
Vindication is five acres of land at Keystone Lake, Tulsa, OK donated to Pet Owners.
Vindication will provide a permanent memorial to Pets that have died or remains ill due to a poisoned/contaminated pet food. Vindication is being groomed into gardens with cascading pathways lined with handmade stones; each stone bears the name of a Pet that has died or remains ill due to a pet food. For the first time in history, there will be a visual count of the deadly effects of tainted pet foods. The land, the garden, the handmade stones are provided by an anonymous Pet Family whose lives where shattered by a poisoned pet food. The five acres of Vindication will remain in trust to Pets and Pet Owners.
No laws have changed, no lawsuits have been settled, none responsible have been jailed. No one has told us how many died or remains sick; no one tells us how many continue to become sick and/or die from new recalls. Countless thousands of Pet Owners have felt they had no ground to stand on, they have been abandoned by the pet food manufacturer and the FDA, alone with the memory of their beloved friend…until now.
Vindication will be an emotional visual display of how deadly pet food has been. The demand for safe pet food will not be denied with these thousands of Pets as our foundation.
If your Pet has become sick or died due to a pet food, please include them at Vindication.
Go to www.TruthaboutPetFood.com click on the Vindication banner on the right.
There is no charge to any Pet Owner to include their Pet in Vindication.
Each Pet that has died or remains ill because of a pet food deeply mattered to someone…Each Pet matters in Vindication.

March 29, 2010 Hello Dolly

2010-03-25T19:57:00.001-04:00

Hello Dolly!

We have a new family member home now. Dolly the standard poodle has been living with us for a couple of weeks now. She fits in great! She gets along with the other dogs and cats and all humans and is as sweet as pie! I don’t think I’ve ever had a dog that has cost me so much money right off the bat. Her adoption fee was only $135.00 which is relatively cheap. After all she came with all shots, freshly spayed, and you can’t get that done for $135.00. Gasoline to go get her in Detroit was about $120.00. She had contracted kennel cough from the kennel cough vaccine. What is wrong with this picture? I’ve now heard from several other rescues and individuals who tell me that most of their dogs that get the kennel cough vaccine come down with it within the week it’s given. Um, call me crazy but then WHY do they continue to give the vaccine? Don’t you think that would be a big red flag? Guess I’ll have to find out who makes the vaccine and ask them what the deal is. From what I understand, it’s sort of like a flu vaccine. Some people get the flu from the vaccine. When I had a flu shot many years ago, I didn’t get the flu but I caught every bug under the sun that year. I won’t get a flu shot again.
So before she even got to come home she spent three weeks at the vet in isolation recovering from kennel cough. I had to make sure she was no longer contagious before I brought her home. I don’t want to give my clients dogs kennel cough. Vet bill for that was $300.00.
The next problem was that the eye goo she had running from her eyes wasn’t just from having kennel cough, it seems she also had entropion, which is when the eyelashes roll inwards and rub on the eye irritating them. Surgery is the best way to fix that. Well as long as she was under anesthesia, may as well have those dew claws removed too. Normally in poodles, they are removed shortly after birth and it’s not a big deal. But wait much longer and you have a major surgery. So I asked the vet to take those off. In long haired dogs, dew claws get in the way and can accidentally be cut when you are grooming them. I figured it was better to lose them now. After surgeries, medicines and etc. another $450.00.
If that wasn’t bad enough, after a week of healing from the dew claw removal, the stitches began to itch. I had a soft e-collar on her to prevent her from chewing on her legs, but no such luck. She has long legs and a long neck and she managed to tear off her bandages and unravel her stitches. I called the vet, and it didn’t look that bad, so over the phone she advised me what to do. I rewrapped her legs, and even put some nasty tasting stuff all over the bandages to discourage her from chewing on them. I thought it was working until the next morning when I woke up and saw that she had the bandages off, and a big hole in her leg where she had opened up her stitches! Off to the vet we went again this time for staples, more stitches and more bandages. This time we bought a cone type e-collar. Like in the movie “UP”, we call it the cone of shame. She does a great impression of a lamp now. But at least with this cone, she can’t chew out the stitches again. Luckily the vet felt sorry for me and I only had to pay for the antibiotics this time and not the re-suturing. Whew!
Dolly has become a very expensive dog. I’m used to vet bills, just not so much before I’ve even had the dog a week. Yikes! I’m thinking we should call her Gucci or Versace since she’s so expensive. Too bad she knows her name so well already or I’d be tempted to change it.
The goal of course, is that I can do some creative grooming with her and Jasmine and win back a little of the money I’ve spent on her so far. I have a great idea for the next show, and Jasmine’s hair is already carved in, problem is I need Dolly to match her and she came to me rather naked. She was matted when they got her in Detroit so she had a very short buzz. It’s growing in but not as fast as I’d like. I think I’m really going to have to get creative with her. Guess I’m going to have to learn how to do a weave.
The best part is that Dolly does fit her name, she is a doll! She is as wonderful and sweet as Jasmine but also reminds me of my dearly departed Katy. She has traits of both and she is wonderful!

March 19, 2010 Things that make you go GRRRR!!!

2010-03-20T15:00:00.001-04:00

Things that make you go GRRRRR!!!!

I am not a member of any animal rights groups, but after lobbying last year at the statehouse, I have gotten to know some members of the Humane Society of The United States, and Anne Sterling, the Indiana director of HSUS. Mainly what the HSUS does is they lobby to change laws to protect animals. It is nothing that is too over the top in my eyes. Most of it is common sense, but if you know anything about government, you realize common sense is rarely seen…
Here is part of the email I received from Anne this past week:
House Bill 1258, the animal fighting and pet store bill, cleared the House of Representatives the week of February 1st with a strong bipartisan vote of 71-26.
Introduced by Rep. Linda Lawson, the bill would make it a felony to be a spectator at an animal fight, would add animal fighting to the list of crimes in the state RICO statute, would require pet stores to provide consumers with information on the origin of their puppies prior to purchase, and would require people who own horses to provide them with shelter that is free of standing water.

Nothing too outrageous about that seems pretty sensible to me. Later in the week, I received another email from Anne, which read:

Hello! I hope this email finds everyone well!

I’m very sorry to report that our bill, or language, technically, died Wednesday night when the Senator Brent Steele refused to allow his caucus to sign the conference committee report.

To recap: the bill, HB 1258, would have required people to provide their horses with shelter, required pet store disclosure & would have made it a felony to attend an animal fight. The bill itself officially died several weeks ago, when the chair of the Senate Committee (again, Senator Steele) to which it was assigned, failed to schedule it for a hearing. The deadline for a hearing came & went & the bill was officially dead.

However, because the language passed one chamber (the House of Representatives, with a vote of 71-26) it was eligible to be amended into another bill, so we still had some options. The legislature is scheduled to end this week & we had already tried amending another bill, to no avail. In a final attempt, we tried to amend just the animal fighting language into a bill yesterday & 3 of the 4 conferees from the conference committee were ready to sign the committee report, to allow it to move forward, when Senator Steele objected & refused to allow the Republican Senator assigned to the committee to sign the report. If all 4 conferees do not sign the conference committee report, the bill is dead.

It’s obviously incredibly unfortunate that not even the animal fighting language made it through this year, due to the objections of essentially one legislator. This is particularly frustrating in light of the August 2009 dog fighting raid in Orange County, Indiana, in which 109 dogs were seized from deplorable & inhumane conditions.

As always, Representative Linda Lawson, the sponsor of the bill, was a true advocate for the animals in Indiana and did absolutely everything she could to try and get this through. Please take a moment to contact her and thank her for her tireless efforts to protect the animals Indiana. She can be reached via email at: h1@in.gov or via phone at: 1-800-382-9842.

If you would like, you can also take a moment to call or email Senator Steele’s Office & voice your displeasure with him for killing, for the 5th time, a provision that would have made it a felony to attend an animal fight in Indiana. With his refusal to support this common-sense legislation, he is consistent in his support of those who participate in the blood sport of animal fighting, and has secured yet another win for the dogfighters in Indiana. Senator Steele can be reached via email at: s44@in.gov or via phone at: (317) 232-9814.

On a happier note, Representative Lawson also introduced a resolution to declare October 1st ‘Adopt a Shelter Pet Day’ in Indiana. Thankfully, this resolution passed overwhelmingly.

The last paragraph was what really irked me, our state senators will not protect dogs from dog fighting and make it a felony to attend these illegal fights, but they will make another “Hallmark” holiday? What is wrong with this picture? Big deal, so we have a day that says it’s adopt a shelter pet day, do you honestly think that means more people will go out and adopt a shelter pet? I mean, its not as if we get another paid holiday off or anything, it’s just a nice way of saying, we like animals enough to add them to our calendar.

Frankly I’m floored at the stupidity of our government. I know others feel the same way for other reasons. We have a whole lot of reasons frankly to not like our government. I guess being the blue collar person that I am, I don’t “get” people in offices of power who fail to understand common sense! I’m sure that’s part of the problem of government in general, they don’t seem to understand the real world. We elect them to represent “us” the people, the real working people of the world who help make their lives cushier, and they spend their time, instead of working on real problems, they unanimously vote to make a cutesy holiday that will do NOTHING to help the problems. (Slams head into wall)

Who is this senator Brent Steele anyway? Is he a personal friend of Michael Vick? Does he put down some big bucks on dog fighting? So it’s ok to attend a dog fight, and we all know if you are watching, you are betting….yet betting on the Super bowl, which doesn’t hurt animals and is done EVERYWHERE…is a huge problem. Hmmmm…..
Does anyone besides me see the irony of this? It’s no wonder they need secret service and bodyguards for political figures.

3-1-10 Establishing the Pecking Order

2010-03-01T18:55:00.000-05:00

Establishing the Pecking Order

Fans of “The Dog Whisper” will be saddened to learn that Daddy the pit-bull has passed away at the ripe old age of 16 years. Daddy was a constant companion of Cesar Millan and helped him to rehabilitate hundreds of dogs over the years with his calm demeanor.
That’s the wonderful thing about calm, older dogs; they are great teachers to younger dogs. I know that my older dogs have taught each of my younger dogs I’ve brought home, or that are clients proper behavior.
Some people may think that an older dog that growls at a younger one is bad, but really it isn’t. Older dogs have established the pecking order and younger ones tend to test that line that we humans may not understand.
It is “human” of us, to bring home a new dog and shower it with attention and unknowingly ignore the other members of the pack. That can backfire and cause a real problem. We may perceive the other dogs behavior as jealousy, but really what we did by accident is mess up the pecking order. Your dog, who may growl or press you for more attention when the newbie arrives is just telling the newbie “This is my place, I was here first, and I outrank you, so listen to me and don’t get pushy with me or we are going to tangle”. You shouldn’t interfere unless it gets ugly.
When you bring a new dog home, remember to keep the pecking order as it was, feed the older pack members first. Give them attention first, (only if they are behaving, don’t reward bad behavior by giving attention) and let the dogs work it out in dog speak.
For instance, when I had Katy and brought Jasmine home, a client came in and Jasmine being young and exuberant jumped up on the lady. Katy leapt into action, growled at her, pinned her to the ground and had one paw on her neck looking her into the eyes and growled. She was telling her, “Jumping on people is a dominant behavior, I am the top dog and I don’t do that, neither will you.” Jasmine gave a little “yip!” and that was it. She never jumped on people again. I didn’t interfere. I knew what Katy was doing, and all my animals know that “I” am the top dog period. Now, how they figure out pecking order below me is up to them to work out normally. I don’t interfere unless I have to change a bad behavior.
Pecking order in EVERY household should always be humans first, then animals. Not because we don’t love them like our children because we do, but because when you put an animal in a pack leader position, ahead of the humans, you will create an animal with behavior problems, anxieties, and possibly aggression. You must set boundaries and rules with your pets just like your kids. If you let your kids do whatever they want and give them whatever they want, you will create a “brat”. Nobody likes bratty kids anymore than they like bratty dogs.
You don’t have to be a control freak, but you do have to do things in language that your dog understands. Body language is what dogs read. Quit talking, and show your dog in your body language that you are serious. Stand firmly, feet apart, hands on hips to show your position. Look your dog in the eyes and stand firm when you are trying to stop a bad behavior. You’ll be surprised how fast your dog catches on.
If you are trying to stop a dog from darting out the door every time you open it, first you have to claim the space around the door. Have someone come to the door and knock on it or ring the bell, your dog will go to the door. Before you open it, first get in between the dog and the door, turn and look at your dog and take a step towards him, your dog will take a step backwards. Do this until your dog is several feet away from the door, then open it. If your dog starts towards the door, close the door and repeat the process until your dog is several feet away and has calmed down and stays put. Do this consistently and you will no longer have a door darter.
Remember, you pay the mortgage or rent at your house, your dog does not own your house. He’s just a guest and should act like a guest. Never let your dog go out the door before you do, not even just to let him out to potty! Put your dog on a leash, or do the door darter exercise, and make your dog sit several feet away from the door. Open the door, and YOU take the first step out, turn around, look at your dog and say “Okay” and then allow your dog out. Do the same thing going back inside. You go in the door first, make your dog wait a few seconds then tell him “Okay” and let him in.
Little actions like these will make you the pack leader in your dog’s eyes and will greatly improve his behavior.

2-15-10 Adoption Hoops

2010-02-15T18:52:00.000-05:00

Adoption Hoops

You know, I’m all about adopting pets. Everyone in this house is a rescue and the adoption bug has hit me again in my search for another white standard poodle. I want to get another one because the boys and I share Jasmine for 4H, and inevitably a grooming show pops up that I’m not ready for due to having to keep her hair a little shorter for summer time activities in 4H.

I applied to a few rescue groups on petfinder.com when I found some dogs that I thought would work out. I have to tell you, when you use a reputable group, it’s probably worse than adopting a child. They have several pages of questions on their applications, and they want not just vet references but personal references as well. Then they call and check out all your references. You may get a home visit as well to make sure YOU are the right home for the dog. Some of the requirements for different groups may be must have a fenced yard or no homes with small children. They ask you about your current pets, what are they, what pets have you had in the past? Have you ever given away a pet? Have you even taken a dog to a shelter? Most of these very thorough groups I really appreciate because they want the best home for the dog. I can live with that.

My references called me to tell me that they were contacted about the dog. They were surprised not only because I didn’t warn them they’d be getting a call, but because some of the questions were pretty over the top and frankly hit me the wrong way.
My neighbor and another friend told me that they were asked if they had ever witnessed me “over correcting” my children or my dogs. I have NEVER had that question asked. I understand that they don’t want to put the dog into an abusive situation, but after hearing the glowing reports of my references, checking out my records with the vet, and speaking with me for an hour on the phone, I was a little shocked to hear they asked that! I told my neighbor she should have told them that no I don’t have to over correct my kids because I keep them in cages! PULEEZE! What’s next? Fingerprints and an FBI background check?

What about letting me meet the dog? When do we get to do that? How will I know if it’s the dog for me if I don’t ever meet it? I’m jumping through hoops for them, yet nothing is said about the dog in question to see if it’s the dog for my family. No meeting will be arranged until said dog goes through all of its health checks at the vet, etc. Then WHY is the dog listed on petfinder.com if it’s not already vetted and ready to go?
The road goes both ways.

I contacted another group in Chicago but they have strict limits. They will not adopt any animal out unless it’s within a 60 mile radius of them. I thought, well surely they would make an exception for “me” after all, I’m a groomer with a long history of adoption, and I have impeccable references, and several from Chicago, but they could only be contacted via email. So I emailed them and asked them if they would call me or give me a number to call them so I can ask some questions about the dog. The email I got back said, “How far are you from Chicago?” so I told them I’m about 3 hours South but I have Chicago references and I filled out and included their 4 page application. I never heard back from them.

My problem with all of this is, there actually ARE good homes out there in the world, but they may not be within a 60 mile radius of your rescue. It’s not that I’m not willing to travel to meet the dog, I am. In fact, when I adopted Katy my first standard poodle several years ago, they didn’t do out of state adoptions, but after speaking with me on the phone, they made an exception and I drove to Texas to get her! I still keep in touch with her rescue.

Which brings me to another dog I found, actually the link to this rescue was actually given to me by Katy’s old foster Mom in Texas. This dog is in Michigan, near Detroit but it’s not a rescue so much but an animal shelter. Shelters usually don’t have such strict adoption rules. This dog is a 5 year old female white standard poodle named Dolly. She is already spayed and vaccinations were given. In her photos she looks pretty scared. I spoke with them on the phone and they told me that she is very sweet and friendly, but I could hear the dogs barking in the background so I can understand why she was nervous looking in her photos. Shelters aren’t usually the most calming place for a dog that is suddenly given up, away from its home. Who can blame any dog for being a nervous wreck?

Well today they emailed me and told me that Dolly has come down with kennel cough. I had planned to go there tomorrow and get her but now she has to be isolated for a couple of weeks. I told my vet and she told me she would keep her in isolation for me. I can’t bring home kennel cough to my house. So the trip is back on. It’s a 6 hour journey for us to get there one way. Now there is no way for her to meet my dogs first, since she’s sick now, but at least she will be at my vet in very good hands. I know she will get better a lot faster in my vets care, than she will at the shelter in isolation rooms. I’m a sucker for a sob story. There is something about this dogs face, a look, she actually looks rather pitiful. I remember that look when I found Katy, she was so depressed looking in her photos, nothing a little love couldn’t fix. So I’m hopeful Dolly will end up as great as Katy was. Jasmine needs a buddy to play with; Dreamer just likes to bark at her. He’s getting elderly now, and not in the mood to play. So I should have “bookends” soon. Wish me luck!

2-1-10 In loving memory of Bogey

2010-02-01T17:16:00.001-05:00

In loving memory of Bogey

It has been such a tough year last year, and this year has gotten off to a rocky start as well. A few weeks ago, we lost Bogey, our 15 ½ year old Bichon. He was really a permanent foster dog for us, because he belonged to Libby Barnhart, who had to find him a new home due to her moving and health. She felt it was for his benefit to go to a home that could care for him better than she could at the time. She reluctantly found a new home for him, but about a year later, they too couldn't care for them as their health declined. I had heard about her needing to find him a home, and I had someone in mind, but when she called them, they didn't feel they could devote the time to him he deserved. So I volunteered, at the time he was 13 years old.

Bogey fit in from the start. He became best buddies with Jasmine and Dreamer, and was really no trouble at all. He was adorable with his sitting up and begging, and I dearly love older dogs. He was very happy here and even managed to find a few girlfriend dogs in some of my clients. He was quite the flirt, and would sit and watch me groom the object of his affections.

Bogey was well known in Attica when Libby lived here. She would walk him down the street and her friends would visit him when they came over to her home. He never met anyone he didn't like. He charmed everyone.

Bogey even got in the creative grooming fun when I made him into a football and turned Jasmine into a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader when we went to Dallas a couple of years ago. He was a great sport and everyone fell in love with the “little football”.

Libby came to visit him occasionally and he enjoyed his outings with her. He was a great traveler, and enjoyed trips to the ice cream parlor especially! He was a sweet little “old man” and I and many of my clients will miss him.

It’s never easy to say goodbye to a special pet, but it was especially hard to say goodbye to Bogey. I had done all that I could do to keep him happy and comfortable but ultimately, he told me when it was “time to go”. I recognized the look in his eyes. I was his groomer for a few years before he came to live with me, so the two and a half years he spent as a member of my family seemed longer.

Libby handled the news well under the circumstances, and I delivered his ashes to her and a few keepsakes last week. Most dogs are lucky enough to be loved by one family, but Bogey had at least two. He left paw prints on our hearts. I know I we were blessed to have him here.

1-18-10 Updates for the New Year

2010-01-18T17:36:00.000-05:00

Updates for the New Year

I got another call from Nancy Glass Productions this morning. They have decided that they will feature all the contestants that plan to attend the show in California, but paying for me to get there is not going to work and they said that when other shows closer to me happen then they will feature me. I can live with that. I’m expecting Hershey, Pennsylvania in September to be the next show to shoot for.

I guess paying for 4 plane tickets for us, plus one for the dog on a dog airline, since they don’t fly large dogs in the cabin (there is no way I’m sticking her in the luggage area) is a bit of a stretch. I suppose chartering a Lear jet was out of the question. I wasn’t up to driving 4 days in a car with everyone one way to do this show. I know there are those who do that, but I made that trip every year when I was a kid, before we had to wear seatbelts or be in car seats and it was hard on me then. I can’t put us through that. I know a few who will drive all the way across the country to do this show, and for them, it may be worth it, but not for me. My creative grooming television debut will have to come later on. I wished the other gals good luck in the competition and can’t wait to watch it on TV!
That said, she did mention how impressed they were with the videos I sent them and all the work I’ve done so far. (She let me down easy.)

Meanwhile, I’m finding out that I have some wonderful clients and friends out there that really care about me and all that I’ve been through lately. The New Year has not gotten off to a great start yet, but it’s nice to know I have so many wonderful people in my life who understand and support me. I’m starting to feel like a jinx lately, but from what I hear, it’s happening to a lot of people. We have some bad juju in the stars I guess.

I am currently taking an online course in cats through the Nash academy, and I’m learning some fascinating things about cats I didn’t know.
For instance, (and if THIS doesn’t make you want to run out and SPAY your female cat, nothing will); I found out that the male cat has barbs on his uh… personal parts and that when they mate; the PAIN of the mating is what makes her release her eggs. OUCH! Okay ladies, time to call up the vet NOW to make your spay appointment for your kitty! Just the thought of that makes me cringe! That explains the reason why the female cat will attack the male after mating. Men may not understand this, but trust me all the women reading this will run to their phone and call their vet immediately!

Also I found out that if a female doesn’t get bred when she’s in heat, she will come in heat again within 2 days to 2 weeks UNTIL she does get bred! Holy screaming cats! Another great reason to get her fixed, no more midnight serenades! I also learned that some cats can go into heat at only 3 to 4 months old! I know some vets that will not spay until 6 months old and that may be too late! We really do have a huge cat over-population problem, and Hoofstock Veterinary Service in Pine Village is VERY reasonable on their cat spays and neuters. I know that they will do early spays and neuters, as will North Central Indiana Spay and Neuter in Battleground, and also The Neuter Scooter Mobile Clinic who travels all around Indiana and only does cats. Worth kidnapping a stray cat – and/or an entire litter and spaying and neutering to stop the madness! Many vets will offer a stray cat spay or neuter deal if you just ask them. Don’t be shy, and if it’s not affordable for you, call around! It’s not something they normally advertise, but they are all willing to help stop the over-population problem.
Alright, before you erase that horrible mental image I gave you from above, get on the phone, call the vet and make an appointment NOW! I will never look at cats the same way again, and now neither will you.

1-4-10 Happy New Year

2010-01-04T17:35:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

Another year is again upon us, wow, where did the time go? 2009 was not the greatest year for us, and many people I know. Financially it was hard, though we've fared better than many have. Emotionally though, it was very difficult. I've lost more dear friends, clients and pets this year and it’s been hard. Here’s hoping 2010 is much kinder to us all.

Now for resolutions…

2009 was the year for miscommunication!

I almost lost an opportunity of a lifetime just this week when I was called by Nancy Glass Productions about a new show they are making a pilot for in February in California about creative grooming! Why? Because I didn't check my voicemail! Half the time I can't get to the phone, find the phone in time or hear the phone ring due to the noise of drying dogs, or barking dogs etc. I am rarely away from the house, but it never fails, the minute I step outside the door the phone rings. Or when I'm on the phone with a client, call waiting always comes in. I can't switch over, most of the time I won't because I think it’s rude, but why does the phone ONLY ring when I'm already on it?

Another pet peeve about phones is caller ID. This does no good when it’s a cell phone. If it’s in another area code, is it a telemarketer, or a client? I know of many people with out of state numbers on their cell phones. So the only logical thing to do is answer all the calls and hang up on the telemarketers. Caller ID has become pointless.

Remembering to check voicemail after you get the client’s dogs groomed, feed the family and do the home-schooling and housework is the hard part. Then by the time I manage to get to the voicemail, oops it’s too late to call anyone back! UGH! I need a secretary!

So now I'm up to making a video interview for them, and it needs to be to them by Monday, January 4th, no pressure! I hope get picked to go to California in February. If not, they plan on going to other shows later on so there’s always hope. I am from California and still have friends there that I can stay with so a reunion with old friends is REALLY the reason behind wanting to go on this trip. They haven't met my kids; it’s been a really LONG time since we've been together in person, although we regularly e-mail each other and keep in touch, a free flight for the family and dog would be a wonderful way to get my year off to a fantastic start!

So for 2010 I am VOWING to do much better to check voice mails, and e-mails and get back to people quicker.

Organization is also high on my list of resolutions. I have to get it together! (When I do I'll probably forget where I put it.) I preach it, but I'm bad at doing it. Better communication and more organization is my plan to get the New Year started off right. Is there hope for the chronically disorganized? It’s not so much getting organized as it is keeping it organized. Putting things back where they belong is a big one I'm trying to change.

Weight loss? Puleeze! I won't even go there! I will not beat myself up over that issue. I am what I am like it or not. Okay so I'm not perfect, nobody is. We all have things we'd like to change about ourselves or our lives. My pets love me the way I am, so that’s good enough for me. They also have the good manners not to point out any of my many shortcomings, which most humans don't have. Next time you are feeling a little bit down on yourself, go hug your pets and remember what is really important, and let’s all be glad that 2009 is OVER and we can start fresh once again!

12-18-09 Reach out and touch

2009-12-18T17:08:00.000-05:00

Reach out and touch

Has Christmas snuck up on you this year? I’m told it’s a sign of aging when the months go by so fast you can’t keep up. It’s been an emotional year. I’ve attended more funerals than ever, and lost so many dear ones to me I’m still in shock. Maybe that is why Christmas is so hard for me to get into the spirit of this year. I’ve never been good at sending Christmas cards, if you get a Christmas e-mail from me, consider yourself lucky!
Last night I started having dreams of clients that have moved away, and then I received a nice Christmas card today from one who moved to Texas. I think of them whenever I see a Yorkie, and they think of me whenever they get their dogs groomed.
This must be a “sign” to get back in touch with those we’ve lost touch with. Of course that is going to be one of my resolutions this year. I’m thankful for the “facebook” website and being able to see what everyone is up to on there. If they don’t have a computer, well then it’s going to be a little bit harder for me. I am bad about writing letters, sending cards and returning phone calls. It’s not that I don’t want to, but I’m easily distracted and time runs away from me faster than I can keep up, and by the time I look at the clock, it’s too late to return calls. Okay, so I’ll call it what it is. I don’t MAKE time to do those things. It’s a bad habit I’m trying to break. Unfortunately, I have a lot of bad habits I want to break.
I know I’m not alone, lots of people want to make their lives a little less chaotic and hectic, and change is usually a good thing. This year has been very hard on so many people and their pets. The number of pets coming into shelters and rescue is steadily rising and it’s harder than ever to find good homes for the pets that need one. People have lost jobs and homes and the family pet usually gets the brunt of it.
So if you are among the fortunate, and you have a secure job or income, and your home isn’t in jeopardy, consider adopting an older pet this year. Puppies are wonderful of course, but everyone wants puppies and kittens and once they are grown, nobody seems to want them. No pet will love you like a rescued pet. I speak from experience. Every rescued animal I’ve ever had has been the best behaved, easiest to deal with pet. Once they are mature, you don’t have the usual puppy issues of chewing up your stuff, or potty training. A pet that has been in a reputable rescue has been in foster care and they can tell you all about their temperament and quirks. Most rescues, the vet work has already been done so you won’t have the expenses of spaying and neutering, vaccinations and heartworm testing. The best Christmas gift you can give is the gift of a loving secure home to an animal in need, and there are so many in need!
If you can’t make room at your Inn, consider helping a neighbor or relative with their pet. Offer to walk their dog for them, run to the grocery store or feed store for pet food, and check up on them. Elderly folks rarely have a lot of family and friends to look in on them. Be a Christmas angel to them and reach out and offer your help. Little things mean so much. Go on and be brave, knock on their door and ask them if you can run an errand for them or help them out in any way. They will appreciate that someone cared enough to ask, and the feeling you will get from truly giving of yourself is amazing.

12-7-09 Life and Loss

2009-12-04T01:44:00.001-05:00

Life and Loss

Just when I thought life couldn’t throw me any more curves, it does. My cat Dixie passed away, thankfully in the loving arms of her vet Dr. Cathy Alinovi on Thanksgiving Day. It was unexpected, and a huge shock to me. I hadn’t planned on her dying, I fully expected her to rally and come home. We still don’t know exactly what the cause was, she was in renal failure but she didn’t seem to be having any real trouble with it. I figured I’d have at least a couple more years. She was only 10.
Of all the pets I’ve lost, this one seems to have hit me the hardest. Maybe it’s because of all the build up of stress, or just that it was such a shock but I really took it hard. I’m still in a funk and can’t seem to get myself back on track. This is also the first pet I have had an individual cremation for. I’ve always either buried my pets or had a group cremation at the vet for them, but I couldn’t seem to do either of those, so I opted for an individual cremation.
I didn’t know what to expect, since I haven’t had any experience with it before, so I called on some friends of mine who have been there and had it done, and got their opinions. I was glad they were able to ease my mind a bit, and convince me that it’s normal to feel the way I do. They explained to me how they had several little boxes and urns around their own home of pets they’ve lost before. Funny, I guess I hadn’t really noticed it before.
I had a lot of silly questions, for instance in my house what “if” one of the other pets would knock off the box of ashes? What then? Do you sweep it up; toss it out with the dirt you swept up with it? I could see all sorts of horrible scenarios happening. Well I found out the ashes are sealed up in a bag inside the box, so that alleviated some anxiety.
I’ve always thought that when you sprinkle someone’s ashes in their favorite spots, it was a sweet and memorable gesture, the problem is Dixie’s favorite spot was my lap. That didn’t sound like such a good idea. I guess if you grow up unaccustomed to cremation, you tend to let your imagination get out of hand.
So what’s the first step? Well for me, since I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with her, I called up Bob Maus who was kind enough to walk me through the process, and in fact, is gracious enough to handle pet cremations through Hippensteel funeral home in Lafayette. He went to the vet, picked up Dixie for me, and took her into Hippensteel’s for me. He also goes back and returns her ashes to me. They come in a beautiful carved wooden box. Bob went over and above for me as well, and at my request clipped a little fur for me to keep. I would’ve clipped it myself, but he was kind enough to know that I really didn’t want to see her that way as my last memory, and he offered to do it for me.
I learned there is cremation jewelry too, little necklaces and trinkets to keep a smidgen of hair or ashes in for lasting “close to the heart” memories, to help you heal. I learned that there are all sorts of memorial things you can do with ashes, for instance there are places that can turn ashes into diamonds! Yes, it’s expensive, but wow what a neat lasting memorial that would be. There are artists that will incorporate ashes into paint and paint a memorial for you. There are artists that will incorporate ashes into clay and make pots out of them. It may sound kind of strange to some people, but I can see why that makes sense, and can bring peace, from ashes to art. Not such a bad idea. Of course I had to order a memorial stone from Nathan Maus, who has a wonderful line of pet memorial markers he can make for a very reasonable price.
I’ve drawn a picture of her; made a “you tube” video of her photos, ordered a wooden cut out painting of her, and cried my eyes out almost daily since Thanksgiving. Then I felt guilty I didn’t do that much for the other pets I’ve lost. I loved them too! I think when you lose a pet unexpectedly it hits your harder. When they are older or sick, your mind has more time to process it. You will still grieve, but it seems like when you aren’t expecting it, you are really thrown for a loop. The kids had a hard time with it, simply because they didn’t get to say goodbye.
I also know that the grief process is different for everyone, and we all deal with it in our own time and ways. While some people hardly act affected when their pet dies, others fall apart and into a deep lasting depression, completely unable to function. Then they feel guilty that they are so deeply mourning a pet and didn’t mourn the humans in their life so badly. I think that’s because pets are like children to us, they depend on us, don’t talk back to us, and give us unconditional love. They don’t hurt our feelings like humans do; they just want to be there in your presence. When we hurt, they don’t tell us to just “get over it”, they come up to us, concerned, they lay with us and give us the sad, understanding eyes when we are full of sorrow and a little kiss to make it all better. I think that is what I’ll miss most about Dixie, she was my little lap magnet, if I sat down she was on my lap, as if to say, finally you’ve slowed down and rested, let me keep you here a while.
I’m not in the market to replace her; I have plenty of critters to deal with now as it is. But there will be a deep hole in my heart just for her, and with all the billions of cats in the world, there was only one Dixie, and for that I’m grateful I’ve shared the last 6 years with her.

In loving memory of Dixie

2009-11-27T21:53:00.004-05:00

November 10, 2009 Feasting on Thanksgiving

2009-11-19T23:36:00.001-05:00

Feasting on Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving! What a wonderful holiday! It brings to mind all of our blessings and that which we are thankful for. The feast of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie! My mouth is watering just writing this! If your pets are anything like mine, and you are having Thanksgiving at your house, you may want to take a few precautions.
If you are having company and your pet isn’t really comfortable with company, please give them a space of their own, in a room of their own or in their crate where they can feel safe from the noise and activity going on. Nervous dogs and noisy crowds aren’t good combinations.
The smell of food is so tempting for your pet; you know they are bound to be underfoot waiting for you to drop a few morsels for them. Make sure your pet isn’t in your way while you are cooking or serving, nothing like tripping over the dog and dumping the turkey platter on the floor to make you re-think your blessings. Put your pet in a safe place away from the kitchen and dining areas until you are finished. Then you can share a few leftovers with them.
Here is what is normally okay to share with your pet, turkey, potatoes, veggies, but not in huge quantities. Most pets will gorge themselves if you let them on the good stuff. What is NOT okay to share with your pets are cooked turkey bones, or any cooked bone for that matter, cooked bones tend to splinter and your dog may not be lucky enough to pass them easily. You also don’t want to have to rush your pet to the emergency vet on Thanksgiving. Raw bones, oddly enough don’t splinter and if your dog can chew it, those aren’t so bad. Also on the no-no list are grapes, raisins, onions, garlic and chocolate. Those foods can be toxic and deadly to your pet!
Which brings me to my next point, large dogs, agile smaller dogs and cats are experts at getting to your food no matter how high you think it is safe from them. We have learned at our house, that as soon as you cook a meal, you better put it in the microwave or oven until you are all done otherwise you will have critters getting at it!
Jasmine is an expert at opening things and getting high enough to reach whatever she wants. It’s hard to break a bad habit when you aren’t in the room to catch them. She would never do these things in my presence, but if I go to answer the phone, or leave the room however briefly, she will go for it.
Luckily pumpkin pie isn’t toxic to dogs, that I know of, because just a couple of weeks ago, my husband, so happy from his trip to the IGA to get some food, got a hankering for pumpkin pie and bought one and baked it. The smell of the pie swirled around the room and I remember warning him when he took the pie out of the oven and put it up on the stove, that isn’t a good place for the pie. He of course scoffed at me, saying there was no place else to put a pie to cool, it would be fine.
I was envisioning kitty cat paw prints going through the pie since cats can jump up on counters. Luckily the cats were busy doing other things and didn’t go near the kitchen. The phone rang and I went to answer it, it was my mother long-distance and I sat down to chat with her and we were having a great conversation when I heard the yelling; “Mom! Jasmine got into the pumpkin pie!” and then heard my husband yelling and doors being slammed, chaos had erupted. So much for a lovely Sunday meal, half the pie was gone, the other half now in the trash, sigh. I told him that wasn’t a good idea. One day he’ll learn to listen to me.
I can’t wait until someone invents a pet proof kitchen. Until then, like I’ve always said, dogs are like children. Just like a 2-year-old child but FOREVER! You cannot leave them outside on their own, or with tempting things in their sight. They are bound to get into things just like kids. You have to watch them, or put them someplace safe until you are done. We have lots of places to put the dogs with gates to keep them out of rooms, but nobody did it. I can’t blame the dog for doing what she did, she’s a “toddler” but if the person supervising the toddler doesn’t make sure the toddler doesn’t get into things, then whose fault is it?
This dog is amazingly smart, and cunning! She can open cabinets and eat the food in them that are in boxes. She can open the refrigerator too, and pulls out leftovers and shares them with the other pets. She can open the trash cabinet too, and has been known to close it after the cat has jumped in to feast on the garbage, trapping the cat inside it.
I’ve actually installed cabinet locks and alarms for the fridge to scare her away from it. So much for tossing out the baby-proofing items from the kids, now I have to get more. I was so glad when the toddler years were over, sigh.
Here is another suggestion, one I should heed. Exercise your dog thoroughly before you have company or plan a large meal. A tired dog is a good dog! I’m not talking a little walk. I mean RUN that dog, wear them out! Make them so exhausted that all they can do is collapse on the living room floor when you get home. Enlist the aid of the younger members of your family to wear Fido out. I’m sure that would help out Jasmine and her antics. Like I tell her, “good thing you’re cute”.
I am still thankful I have a smart dog, albeit too smart at times. .
So count your blessings this year, for they are many, and keep an eye out for your pets, no matter how mad you get, you are still thankful for their company.

October 31, 2009 When It Rains, It Pours

2009-11-19T12:40:00.000-05:00

When it rains, it pours.

I don’t know what it is about bad news, but as they say it always happens in three’s, well the past couple of weeks have been rough, I lost a dear friend, one of my friends lost a sister, and one of the sweetest dogs in the world died. I’ve been very depressed.

Then I have had clients with bad news, missing dogs, lost dogs, and a lost cat all in one day! I put out an S.O.S. to all the rescues and contacts in the areas the pets were missing in hoping somebody might spot them. So far, I haven’t heard much.

Now you all may think I’m crazy, (and some of you can confirm it) but I have met a person who is a “Natural Health Consultant for Body, Mind and Spirit” She specializes in herbology, kinesiology, body work and flower essences. Her name is Stacy Lowe and she lives in the Greencastle area, but comes to Waveland on Wednesdays. The amazing thing about Stacy is that she has a gift, she is an animal communicator. What that means is that she is sort of a psychic for animals and can give a reading on what is going on with them emotionally and even physically.

I’ve seen her work on animals and I am of course, ever the skeptic, but willing to keep an open mind. She did readings on my animals and although I didn’t find out anything really earth shattering, what she told me made perfect sense and I took it to heart. I’ve seen her do some work on animals that were suffering and she eased their pain. She does everything “prayerfully” and gives God credit for her gifts, and encourages her clients to pray and have faith as well.

Well, one of my clients who has 2 dogs missing called her to see if Stacy could help her find her dogs, Stacy told her the dog was 1 ½ miles northwest of her house, gave her some identifying markers and my client looked there and she found one of them! She was exactly where Stacy told her! Even my client’s husband was impressed! (You know men, if their wife calls an animal communicator to find a missing dog; he thinks his wife is off her rocker). Imagine the surprise when it worked! The other dog at this time is still missing but Stacy keeps “seeing” her within ¼ mile of the house. So I’m sure as I write this my client is busy searching that area.

The amazing thing is that all of this was done over the phone and she read through my clients vibes. She didn’t have a photo to look at, and Stacy can do readings by looking at your pet’s photo, so they can be emailed to her and phone readings are possible.

After hearing about her success in finding one dog it made any skepticism I had before go away. I am impressed!

I know there are psychics out there and many are truly gifted, I’ve had one give me a reading that was so right on it was scary! I myself have had some “visions” myself before that were after the fact, but amazingly accurate. I think most people have a little psychic ability but it’s not usually tapped into.

Stacy also does a lot of work with flower essences, which I am just learning about the benefits of and intend to have her work on me soon. There is just a big world out there with things that can help us we’ve never heard of and I’m always ready to learn.

So if you want to learn more about herbology, flower essences or are in need of an animal psychic, give Stacy Lowe a call at (317) 919-7262 or email her at stacyr@ccrtc.com

October 9, 2009 Service Dogs

2009-11-19T12:36:00.000-05:00

Service Dogs

It never ceases to amaze me the talents of dogs. Many people have heard of Seeing Eye dogs, but I recently talked to a lady who told me about her son’s service dog. A Standard Poodle for her son who has juvenile diabetes and has Down’s syndrome. Jazz is a male standard poodle. He came from Missouri, he was a Seeing Eye Dog School drop out because he was too “in tuned” to everything going on around him. The people training him noticed he was very close to children and if they were crying he was right there. So he became a service dog for autistic children. Christie Vandivier and her son Josh age 8 found Jazz this past summer. Jazz was the perfect dog for them because if Josh is moving, so is Jazz. He stays with him constantly and comforts Josh during a meltdown. They also found that Jazz will smell her son’s face and starts licking his hand to alert that he needs to check his blood sugar. He wasn’t trained to do that but they found it’s one of his hidden talents.

When they visited Christie’s sister Angie who is pregnant, Jazz came up to her and started licking her hand. It was then that Angie found out she had gestational diabetes.

If a dog has a temperament for a service dog, but doesn’t have the skills for one area, they are tested in other areas.

I have a friend who is a groomer in southern Indiana who has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to her former job as a mail carrier in Chicago. She was attacked from behind twice in her career and as a result, can’t stand for anyone to be behind her. Her service dog Sophie will lie down in the aisle at a store and keep other shoppers several feet away from her. When the disgruntled shoppers say, “Hey lady, your dog is in the way”, she simply says, “She’s working” and goes on about her shopping.

There are many kinds of jobs that service dogs can do, and many family pets have been known to alert their owners when something is wrong. Sometimes you just have to know what they are trying to tell you.

I know of one man whose 9 week old puppy woke him up as he was having a heart attack in his sleep. There are other dogs that can be trained to pick up objects and open things for different disabilities. There are even emotional disabilities such as bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder that can have service dogs trained for them. There are dogs that can alert to cancer! Seizure alert dogs come in very handy for those with seizure disorders so they can alert the person one is coming on and to get on the floor so they don’t fall and hurt themselves, and can be trained to go get help as well.

While visiting public places, many proprietors may ask a person with a service dog to show proof their dog is indeed a service dog, it’s actually against the Americans with Disabilities Act to ask for it. According to the Delta Society www.deltasociety.org what a proprietor may ask is:

Ask the handler, “Is this a service dog?” You may also ask what tasks the dog has been trained to do for the handler. A service dog can be any breed or size.

There is no Federal requirement that the dog wear any special gear or identification. Also, there is no requirement that the handler carry any certification papers showing that the dog has been trained as a service dog. You may not ask the person about the nature or extent of his or her disability.

However many of those with service dogs choose to put a vest on their dog to identify it as a service dog just to keep questions to a minimum.

Service dogs are allowed everywhere, and cannot be denied access to restaurants or any other building, however if the dog isn’t well behaved or poses a problem they can be asked to leave.

Remember, if you meet someone with a service dog; do not just automatically try to pet the dog. Many dogs have specialized tasks and they are working, so petting a service dog may be strictly off limits. Always ask the person if you may pet their dog first. They may tell you “No, he’s working”. Please respect their wishes. No matter how well trained a service dog is, it’s not fair to tempt them to get off task. Please be respectful.

Dogs are just such amazing creatures, they can hear for us, see for us, open and close things for us, and help us to walk, help us to balance, help us to get control of ourselves, help us for any number of medical problems. I don’t believe there is a task out there that a service dog cannot be trained to do. No wonder to me that dog is just God spelled backwards.

September 28, 2009 Oh those raging hormones!

2009-09-26T10:32:00.001-04:00

Oh those raging hormones!

I am the mother of a twelve year old boy.. Any parent of a “tween” can tell you that’s when the fun begins, the sassing, and the pain in the you-know-what behavior that will drive a parent mad. Well now I get to inform you that this is the SAME behavior your dog will exhibit when leaving the cute butterball puppylike stage, just as hormones hit and he grows up to be a “big dog”. Pups in this stage of life, usually 6 to 18 months of age start to develop “attitude” and drive their owners nuts! This is also the stage where most dogs are given away or taken to the pound. Check any animal shelter statistics, the vast majority of dogs relinquished are less than 2 years old, and mostly due to behavior problems.

This is the time to really be the pack leader in your dog’s eyes. Cesar Milan “the Dog Whisperer” is one of my heroes when it comes to training dogs. Dogs want a leader truly, just as children really want limits, contrary to what they tell you. If there is no pack leader in the house guess what, your dog has to take on that role. It’s simply survival of the fittest and the bottom line is lead, follow or get out of the way. Easy ways to be a pack leader in your dog’s eyes are to make your dog wait at the door and you take the first step out, and then invite your dog out. Yes, even when it’s just to let him outside to go potty, same way coming back inside, make him wait at the door as you open it…pause and then say “ok, come in” and this means you “own” the door. Bolting out of it is no longer an option as that is disrespectful in dog speak. You are the leader and it’s up to YOU to set the boundaries.

This is the BEST time to squelch bad behaviors that used to be considered “cute” by you.

You know what I mean; jumping up on you as a 7 lb. puppy was cute, but now that we are 70 lbs, not so cute anymore. Jumping up on everyone else and knocking them down is also no longer cute. You need to think like a dog and discipline accordingly. Less talk and more action are needed. More body language and less treats to get him to comply. Quit bribing your dog and just be a leader to him. Watch “the Dog Whisperer” on National Geographic channel, if you don't get it in your cable or dish package, order it! It’s worth it!

The other thing that will help some of the problem behaviors is simply spaying and neutering your dog at that stage of life, but it’s never too late to do it. Hormones are what guides the behavior, lose the hormones and there’s nothing to fight about, run away for, and you are truly stopping some forms of cancer in it’s tracks if you don't allow your pet to have heat cycles and breed... Even male dogs can get tumors that cause anal sac problems and all sorts of issues as they age if they are never neutered. Males also smell better if they are neutered, intact males have an odor about them that you can't wash away, hormones. They will also be less likely to “mark” your house with urine, declaring their territory if you have them neutered young and reinforce your pack leader position.

I spoke with a client today who told me about her daughter’s 15 year old Labrador female who recently became very sick and lethargic, and when she went to the vet, they discovered a pyometra, or infected uterus in her. If the uterus had ruptured the dog would become septic and die. Luckily they caught it in time, and she was spayed and the entire infected organ was removed. The dog is now happy and perky at age 15!

I've seen intact female dogs that end up with breast cancer later in life, huge tumors that could've been prevented had they spent just a little money and spayed the dog early in life. Even if they don't have regular heat cycles, that’s hormonal. The very best thing you can do for your dog is have a little operation that will keep your dog free of breast cancer, and no unwanted puppies. There is really no puppy shortage, go to any animal shelter and they'll show you. Maybe you can even get them to give you statistics of how many dogs they had to euthanize due to lack of homes.

See, it’s really not as bad as it seems a little snip, snip and learn to be a pack leader and you will end up with a wonderful companion for a long time! The good news is puberty in dogs lasts about a year tops; in kids, several years. If only it were so easy to get through the hormonal changes of humans! You can't spay or neuter them and you can't give them away to a pound. Child protective services would also frown on putting them in a kennel or crate too or leading them around with a collar and leash. Sigh, they sure don’t make a parent’s job easy do they? No wonder dogs behave better than “tweenagers”!

Adventures in Hershey, PA

2009-09-21T14:15:00.014-04:00

Hello all! Back from Hershey and wanted to give you a LONG but interesting account of the happenings that I went there for. I did not compete this time (I'm so not worthy of this group!) but I went to watch it and see how it's done Hershey style.
So we started out on my birthday, September 17th...a lovely EARLY morning...those of you who know me well, know how much of a morning person I am....

So this is what they call sunrise? Highly overrated!

Beautiful Pennsylvania countryside...at a more decent hour.

We arrived Thursday evening and intended to do the town Hershey and visit the Chocolate World etc. On Friday. When we got to Chocolate World on Friday, we were greeted by the security guard telling us that Chocolate World and Hershey Park were CLOSED due to a power failure, this was the 2nd day. AAAGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!
11 hours we drove, and this brings back memories of our other infamous vacations ala the Griswold family from Chevy Chase's vacation movies! Lol!
Ok so plan B, we went to check out groom expo and shop! Not a bad plan B if you ask me.
The family was not so happy.
But Friday thankfully Hershey's Chocolate world was up and running and we had a ball!!!
I highly recommend this tour and the trolley tour if you've never taken it, it's an awesome history of a man that was truly a saint and worked hard for the welfare of children when he made the Hershey school and I even met a present student and her family who were staying at our hotel there. She had a family weekend. Really cool story (and everybody has one don't we?, more on mine later....)

Trolley tour of the Hershey school...fountain in front of it.
Seriously awesome place! All marble!

Then it was off to Chocolate world where we took in a 3D show which was wonderful! A chocolate "tasting" educational about chocolate, where it comes from, how it's used etc. Fascinating! A wonderful homeschooling subject for the day!

Lane and Drew in front of the Reece's race car.

Then we had some more time to kill that afternoon so we went on a cave tour nearby...

Again more educational stuff for their little heads...gotta love educational vacations!
Ok ok I know I'm keeping you in suspense, you want to see pictures of creative right????
First they had the model dog contest, and I only managed to get one photo...what a crowd!
But our Kathleen Putman recreated her carousel horse she did in creative years ago with a model dog! AWESOME!

Bear with me, not all the photos are wonderful, but it was seriously crowded and getting photos was like becoming a contortionist, I'm sorry if I don't have flattering shots of all you lovely people.

Anatomy of dog entry

This was a favorite of mine, it's NOT a poodle!!! A Great Pyranees made into a cow...
She even did a milking demo, a baby bottle hidden behind the dog and squeezed...lol!
This entry got 2nd place! Hard to do competing with poodles! I loved it! She did a great job capturing the poll on the head, the square butt of a cow etc. And of course the udder.
I thought it was wonderful!

A dolphindoodle...I liked this one! Beautiful!

a lab! Made into a sort of harry potter creature..
Sorry I'm not up on my harry potter.

Vikings!

Mardi Gras, one side..

And the other side.

A rainbow colored crayoodle! Taking a break...

This was nicely done! Legs were crayons...I loved the rainbow hair on his head
Reminded me of those clown wigs...very nice coloring!

Hidden from view, her props always over the top, ya gotta love Angela Kumpe

Her peacock!

Not sure if the dog or her outfits were more impressive lol!A beautiful job, took 3rd place!

Poodles were born to be wild!

The winner of peoples choice AND first place a total of $5,500 went to Lori Craig! I got a second to talk with her before the contest, she's very sweet and down to earth! I really LIKE HER!!!
Of course she did this and took first in Atlanta, told me she did very well in Dallas, don't know what placing that means...
And first in Hershey...I took several pics of her, I was in AWE!

Me thinks Lori needs some anti-monkey butt powder!
Lol! Do do do do...the lion sleeps tonight.....

She did an entire opening scene of the Lion King, she was the baboon and
Held up the lion baby to Mufasa!
She had gazelles, cheetahs etc it was WONDERFUL!!!
Seriously, you could make a play from this...she did awesome!

Lion attack?
Congrats to ALL the contestants they ALL did a wonderful job!!!

Alegheny mountains...

Ahh sunset! That's more my speed!

Goodbye beautiful Pennsylvania....

Then back towards home, but first a pit stop in West Virginia to meet the woman who was "almost" my birth mom. When I was looking for my birth family back in 1992, I ran across a woman the same name, age, area etc. But was the wrong person, however we chatted and kept in touch and she told me, you could've been mine, in 1968 I had a miscarriage, and she has always considered herself my "other" mother. I found my birth mom the next year
Meet Kathy Dunlap, my other mom and my sister from another mother Kathanna and girls...

Me and my hubby and other mom.
All in all a pretty good trip considering how it started off!
But on the way home Drew did manage to get sick in the car...too much mcdonalds grease I'm sure...bleegh.
I guess we can't get in a vacation without some vile thing happening to us...lol!
Some of you remember my trip to Florida several years ago when we all got the flu...jeeze that was bad!
So there you have it! Enjoy your day!
Love,

Sandy

Sandy Blackburn
The Groom Room Pet Spa
1205 S. Brady St.
Attica, IN 47918
(765) 764-4330
www.groomroompetspa.com

http://groomroompetspa.blogspot.com/

2009-09-11T12:08:00.004-04:00

Local Groomer Places 3rd in Runway Show

Local pet groomer Sandy Blackburn owner of The Groom Room Pet Spa in Attica participated in Chicago's All American Grooming Show August 14-16 and placed third in the "Abstract Runway Design" category.
This contest was a runway fashion show with the dog being showcased as the fashion and the groomer dressed in complementary clothing. The groomer was to put a unique haircut on the dog with little to no color, but something that could be done in a day at your salon that you could even do for a client.
Blackburn put a spiral design on her dog with a hibiscus flower cut into the design on the dogs hip. There were seven contestants from all around the United States participating. There were designs from leopard spots dyed into the dogs fur, to diamond shapes cut into the fur, there was even a Persian cat in the contest with a unique design carved into its fur.
The contest was judged by Jorge Bendersky of New York, he was a contestant last year on Animal Planet's show "Groomer Has It". When Bendersky was asked about what he looks for in a creative runway design he said, " I see it as a sculpture, pay attention to technique, and how it looks from all angles and from all distances, I imagine that dog in a open space as a piece of Art, it was a great line up, very close".
Bendersky was also the judge of the regular creative grooming class the next day and Blackburn did something that no other groomer has ever done, she used the same dog in that contest only 18 hours later transforming her spiral design into a rattlesnake!
"Jasmine was a terrific sport for the entire weekend." stated Blackburn. "Abstract Runway Design was on Saturday night at 9 pm and we got to bed around midnight, then the next day we started in around 10 am and the contest began at 3pm." However, the real test to see who was the most creative was when Blackburn arrived at the hotel in Chicago and discovered she has left the box with all of her grooming supplies, color blo-pens and glitter at home. "I was shocked! I thought my family had packed it, they thought I had packed it and the truth is, I moved it out of the way the day before we left and didn't see it, so I assumed it was packed. We spent the entire day Friday hunting for supplies and borrowing things from other groomers to get by. One thing I am thankful for is that the groomers I compete with are the most generous, wonderful people in the world. They offered me their supplies, knowing I would be competing against them but wanting to help out a fellow groomer in need".
Blackburn didn't place in the regular creative class but was still proud of her accomplishment.
"I may not be the most creative groomer, but using the same dog in two contests less than a day apart and with no supplies certainly makes me the most resourceful groomer!"

August 31, 2009 About Creative Grooming….

2009-09-11T12:08:00.001-04:00

You know, I've had people who've seen my dog’s hair dyed and carved who love it and look forward to each new design, and I've had others who liken it to animal cruelty. I just want to clear a few things up for the naysayers. First of all, nothing harmful is ever used on the dogs. If it’s not safe for them, there is no way we would ever use it. We use things like food color, chalk, colored hair sprays, non-toxic blo-pens, animal safe dyes, and yes even human semi-permanent hair dyes, but nothing with any potential for a problem.
I've also heard people say that the animals must be ashamed of themselves or how they look, but it’s just the opposite! I know Jasmine is very happy to be “in color” so to speak because that automatically makes her a magnet for attention! Since she’s an attention hog anyway, this is right up her alley! In fact, although after our contest she was “dog tired” and I do mean TIRED! When we went to the area for the photographer this dog came to life instantly and LEAPED onto the table ready to have her picture taken! She’s also quite the camera hog, and most nights, a bed hog.
I've heard some people say the animals don't like it. Well if they didn't like it, I can assure you we wouldn't be able to do it very easily. In fact, the creative groomers I've met would never be able to use a dog that didn't like being groomed.
Those that think it’s torture for the dogs to be groomed need to be aware of a few things, first of all, we are groomers and although we sometimes require the dogs to stand for a while, no dogs that are old, in pain or have issues would ever be permitted to be in the contests. In fact, no dog over 10 years old is allowed to compete in any grooming contest.
Now my dogs are not fond of baths in general, is yours? However they tolerate them well enough to get to the fun part, getting up on the table and being dried and fussed with which is their favorite! Jasmine will also jump up on my table without commands, just to get to the good stuff! If she gets tired, we stop and take a break. After all, she has the easy part, standing or lying on the table. I am the one doing all the work!
I think my favorite comment was someone saying the dogs should be “natural” like they are shown at the Westminster dog show. Here’s a little secret, there is not much natural about dogs at dogs shows. I've seen more dyes and “make-up” applied to even beagles there that the word “natural” and “dog shows” just doesn't make a lot of sense. It may not make it “right” or “fair”, but it’s reality. In essence, it’s a beauty contest and flaws are covered. More time is spent “grooming” a natural looking breed such as a boxer at a dog show than your groomer spends on your not so natural looking poodle.
So what is really the harm in a little color on your pooch? As long as it’s safe for the dog, and the dog and the owner enjoy it, why should it be considered wrong? Groomers who do creative grooming have the most pampered and loved dogs in the world, far better than someone who neglects grooming entirely on their pet and lets them suffer. Creative grooming is artistic expression and it’s fun for dogs, owners and groomers. It’s worth it for me to see the smiles on people’s faces, and the look of joy on my dog’s face when she receives extra attention for her “look” and she’s not complaining.

August 17, 2009 Pondering's

2009-09-11T12:06:00.000-04:00

Life is so ironic. It brings to mind all the little things about animals that perplex me. For instance, why is it that the dog that is impossible to give a pill to, no matter what you hide it in or mix it with, they find it and spit it out, or if you try to stuff it down them they manage to regurgitate it back up, will find human medication on the floor and gulp it down with enthusiasm, thus requiring a trip to the vet?

Why do cats get picky about the brand of cat litter you choose? When you buy the best and most expensive kind, they suddenly change their mind and decide to use your laundry for a litter box instead.

Why do we long for a “smart” dog, and when we have one, they are so smart they teach themselves how to open the refrigerator and help themselves to the leftovers?

Why are dogs so addicted to garbage? I've seen teamwork in action! I now have a cabinet to put the trash can in but before that I used to set it up on top of the kitchen island at night, out of reach of the dogs. Then my “smart” cat would get up on the island and hurl herself at the top of the trash can, tipping it over and spilling the contents on the floor for the dogs and cat to eat.

Why do dogs that love to swim in ponds hate to have baths? Why do they go out and roll in something disgusting after you've spent 2 hours washing them and making them pretty?

Why do dogs that bark and growl at people who are harmless, suddenly turn into quivering masses of jelly when it’s a REAL bad guy at the door? Some watchdog!

Then I'm reminded of why after dealing with all the headaches pets can cause, we still love them so much.

Nobody greets you like a dog! You could simply step outside for a minute to get the mail and when you come back inside; your dog greets you with such enthusiasm! Wow! You're back! I've missed you! Wag, wag, wag!

When you are down, there’s always a cold nose nuzzling you and licking away your tears. If you are sick they will lay beside you or on top of you, keeping you warm, unlike the rest of the humans in the house who don't want to get your germs.

There is no such thing as an empty lap at my house. Somebody is going to come and fill it up. If you are visiting and you aren't particularly fond of animals, no worries, they will come directly to you and work hard to change your mind by pestering you the most.

Nobody loves you like your pets do. They may not be able to tell you in words, but they show it in ways we take for granted every single day. They don't yell or complain, they don't gripe about your housekeeping or what you made for dinner. They are satisfied with any little crumbs of affection you share with them. They look at you with adoration in their eyes, happy to just be in the same room as you. No human does all that.

Pets are a source of comfort and love; they give us companionship, lower our blood pressure, and listen to us when we've had a bad day. They make us laugh, keep us young, and give us a purpose for being when we just can't seem to find any other reason.

In the end, I guess it really doesn't matter that there is extra cleaning up to do around here. The love we receive in return is worth it. Excuse me, but I feel the need to go hug some 4-legged members of my family right now. I hope you do too.

August 3, 2009 12 Step Programs for Groomers

2009-09-11T12:01:00.000-04:00

Well it’s that time of year again for me. Time to head to Chicago for the All American Grooming Show and stock up on grooming supplies and brute for punishment that I am, I bit the bullet and yes, registered to compete in not one, but two creative grooming shows being held there this year.

The first show will be held August 15th and it’s a new one they are having called “Abstract Runway Design” it will be at 9 p.m. That evening and they are looking for a unique trim with little to no color, and a complimentary outfit on the groomer. This is sort of a “modeling” bit for groomers to show off their talents and look like models strutting their stuff and walking their dog down a runway. Since the bar is being raised so high that regular creative grooming is really getting out of my range of capabilities I thought this may be more to my liking. After a little encouragement from friends, I entered online. Then it happened…

The competition bug bit me and I thought about what I could do for the runway design, a spiral trim with just a hint of color, but oh no, that wasn't good enough. The wheels in my head started turning and I thought, I could turn that spiral trim into a rattlesnake design I had planned on doing one day. Sure! Why not! The creative show isn't until 3pm the next day, I could re-do the spiral design, color the spirals into a snake, carve out a little more hair and snag two contests with ONE dog! Unheard of!

Surely THIS would make me the most creative groomer wouldn't it? I found myself checking boxes on the online registration form for both contests! Before I had time to think about the repercussions of what I had done, it was too late. I had already hit the enter button and it was over with. I spent the rest of the night sketching my designs on paper and perfecting it in my head.

The next day Jerry Schinberg called me from the All American Grooming Show because he was confused about my registration form.

“Hiya Sandy, it’s Jerry Schinberg, I see that you are entering contests and I just wanted to clarify some things”

“Sure Jerry, how can I help?”

“You have both the abstract runway design and regular creative grooming checked, which one are you entering?”

“Both of them” I replied.

“I see, you will have two dogs then”

“No, just one dog” I replied.

“Uh, ok, so you are entering both contests and using a different dog in each one correct?”

“No Jerry, I’m using the same dog for both contests” I replied.

“But if you do that you have to make each trim SIGNIFICANTLY different” Jerry warns.

“Oh, they WILL be different, no worries there!” I reassure him.

I asked him if I could tell him what I'm doing, or if that’s a no-no, but he told me it was ok. So I explained my ideas to him and said, “Now Jerry, you gotta admit, that using the same dog, making two completely different designs in two different contests that are only 18 hours apart is pretty darned creative!”

“It'll be fine if you can pull it off.” He replied and we ended our conversation.

It was a little while later the gravity of what I had done hit me, and how HARD this was going to be.

What was I thinking? Am I that wrapped up in competition that it’s not good enough to enter just one thing, but both? Good Lord, why do I do this to myself! It was only four months ago that I went to the Nashville show and turned Jasmine into a “corn dog”. After that it was 4H dog obedience and agility for her and the boys, and now its back to grooming shows again. Is there a 12-step program for this type of addiction? When will I be satisfied? Every time I think that’s the best I can do, I gave it my best shot, and vow to never enter again, the competition bug bites me and I fall victim to it.

Worse yet, my husband has the bug too, and for some odd reason after 21 years of marriage, he is suddenly interested in my hobbies. I only planned to go to buy grooming supplies and not compete. I even waited until the last day to register. Then he asked me if I had booked the room yet. He is genuinely interested in this competition and really standing behind me in this madness! I think that makes him an “enabler” doesn't it?

I was planning on just going alone, staying with a friend, getting my stuff and going home but oh no, now it’s a family affair! And so, now I have to get some costumes for me and the boys ready, Tim decided that watching the show was good enough, he didn't want to be one of the props.

He is even toying with the idea of buying a 4-door full sized truck to haul our stuff around in! Even “I” don’t have the bug that bad! I’m trying to talk him out of that, just what we need, a gas guzzling truck. The gas guzzling S10 blazer is bad enough thanks. If you can’t haul your stuff dear “downsize”. It’s only 2 shows, maybe 3 a year. Is it really worth spending the money on a truck? Please someone shake some sense into us! Is there a creative grooming show anonymous meeting anyplace out there? Perhaps there’s one in Hershey, Pennsylvania next month at their grooming show, I hear it’s the show to end all shows! You know I just HAVE to go there!

July 20, 2009 Being the Middleman

2009-07-20T22:35:00.000-04:00

Being the “Middleman”

Maybe it’s just my personality, perhaps it’s my birth order, or maybe it’s just karma but I’m always in the middle of things. If someone has a problem, yep, I’m the “go to” gal with the answers and I end up putting them in touch with someone to help.
I know Attica is a small town, and knowing several people as I do, the odds are good that there will come a time when I am in the middle of just about any situation. This month I’ve been in the middle of at least three dilemmas involving animals and I have several phone calls to return that I’m sure will put me in the middle of more of them.
I’m really not complaining, I am here to help people out. It’s always been my intention to pass along any knowledge I have to help someone. But I’m starting to have trouble remembering who or what I’m talking about and it’s getting a little overwhelming.
I am glad that I have the knowledge to put people in touch. I’ve always thought I’d make a great investigator. I’ve become a great researcher of facts. I have a way of weaseling information out of people that nobody else can crack. It’s become a talent in a way.
I think it started when I was searching for my birth mother. I’m adopted and although my adoptive parents tried to help me find her, when you have a closed adoption it becomes impossible. After my parents passed away, I felt like the last dinosaur on earth, and the drive to find out where I came from was eating at me so I began investigating and getting in touch with other people (and this was all before the internet) and one day I received a phone call from my birth mom. We have a good relationship now and visit and talk often.
This is when I found out my birth order was a middle child, even though I was raised as the youngest and pretty much the only child in the house, all my adoptive brothers and sisters were much older than I was and on their own.
I find myself being the person to “mediate” things between people, and also tend to be the one who seeks attention (hence the youngest or only child). The problem is, because I’m in the “middle”, I get a little too personally involved at times. I try hard to stay neutral and keep out of things, but somehow I get dragged into it no matter what.
I asked someone once “why me?”…the reply was “why not you?” I guess maybe that is my lot in life, I guess someone has to be in the middle or there would never be any resolutions to any problems. I am the listening ear for friends and sometimes complete strangers but I don’t mind.
Even my dog is in the middle of things. Jasmine loves other dogs and likes to play with them but Bogey because he is elderly, isn’t so fond of rambunctious dogs. When he is feeling a little overwhelmed, Jasmine senses that and immediately comes to his rescue, and gets between them, protecting her “little brother”. She even protects our cat Dixie from our other cat Butterscotch. Butterscotch is a young cat, and being young and kittenish, she loves to play attack the old cat which sends Dixie into a rage of howling, hissing, cat fits. Jasmine to the rescue again, getting between the cats, giving a growl to say “okay, that’s enough!” and peace and order are soon restored.
Dreamer, my sheltie barks at my boys when they are fussing at each other. “He’s telling on you again,” I yell to my boys as they ignore his ever so loud and annoying barks. That is usually enough to break any tension and get things restored to near normalcy.
So I guess I’m not alone in my “middleman” role in life. I just hope that peace and order are soon restored in our world as we all deal with the daily turmoil of life.

July 6, 2009 Hot Weather and Your Pet

2009-07-06T13:48:00.000-04:00

Hot Weather and Your Pet

Summer is in full swing and this is the time of year that pets can suffer from heat related problems such as heat stroke. Heat stroke results when your pet has extremely high body temperature, 105 to 110 degrees. Symptoms of heat stroke in its early stages are:

• Heavy panting.
• Rapid breathing.
• Excessive drooling.
• Bright red gums and tongue.
• Standing 4-square, posting or spreading out in an attempt to maintain balance.

Advanced stages of heatstroke:

• White or blue gums.
• Lethargy, unwillingness to move.
• Uncontrollable urination or defecation.
• Labored, noisy breathing.
• Shock.

Abnormally high body temperature (also called hyperthermia) develops after increased muscular activity with impaired ability to give off heat, due to high heat and humidity or respiratory obstruction. The elevation in body temperature stimulates your dog's body to release substances that activate inflammation. At temperatures greater than 109 degrees, failure of vital organs, and consequently death, can occur.

Allowing a dog to remain in a car with closed windows on a hot summer day is probably the most common cause of heat stroke. NEVER EVER leave your dog inside a hot car! Not for 20 minutes, not for 2 minutes. There is no excuse. If it is hot outside, don’t take your dog with you unless you are able to stay in the car with him and keep the air conditioner running.
People forget how quickly a car heats up and a dog’s body temperature is higher than ours is and the only way they can cool off is by panting. Cracking windows open is not good enough to cool off the inside of a car on a hot day.

So how can you prevent heatstroke in your pet?

1. Exercise your dog gradually and don't over do it. Don't go for a five-mile run on the first nice day of the season. This is especially true if your dog is older, obese or has a heart or lung problem.

2. If it is hot and your dog is panting hard - stop what you are doing. Allow him to cool down and stop panting before continuing.

3. ALWAYS make sure your dog has plenty of fresh clean water.

4. If you leave your dog in the yard, make sure he has both water AND shade!

Remember - if you are uncomfortable, your pet probably is, too.

If your pet is exhibiting signs of heatstroke you should immediately try to cool the dog down by:

• Apply rubbing alcohol to the dog's paw pads.
• Apply ice packs to the groin area.
• Hose down with water.
• Allow the dog to lick ice chips or drink a small amount of water, not too much and not ice water as this could lead to over drinking and cause bloat or twisting of the stomach.
• Offer Pedialyte to restore electrolytes.

One other thing I’d like to mention is that while shaving the dog short for the summer is often requested to keep the dog cooler, double coated breeds such as huskies or malamutes, collies, shelties, golden retrievers etc. benefit from simply brushing out the undercoat, not shaving it off. If the hair is not matted and the undercoat is kept brushed out, the dog will stay cool. Shaving it off can often lead to skin problems. If the hair is matted, you may not have a choice, matted hair pulls on skin and often causes sores underneath the mats, and open sores can lead to maggots! If air can’t get to the skin the dog is more apt to suffer heatstroke. A good brushing and combing weekly will help keep your pet looking and feeling great this summer.

June 20, 2009 Ears to you!

2009-06-20T22:39:00.000-04:00

Ears to You!

What a week! It’s hot and all the dogs are blowing coat so I’ve been up to my elbows in dog hair. Yesterday, my son Drew who is my right arm in grooming, broke his right arm! This is going to put a little kink in our summer. He is unfortunately like his mother. He’s right handed, very right handed. In other words, if it wasn’t for our left sides holding us up, there would be no other use for the left side. I’m anxious to see how we compensate for that little fault.
Our Sheltie Dreamer came down with a ruptured ear drum for some unknown reason that stumps even the vet, and we are doctoring him and trying to keep him comfy too. It is his right ear also. Hmmm, makes me why everything “right” has suddenly gone wrong.
This brings me to the reason for this column, your dogs ears. This is another place few people venture to look. Signs of an ear infection are lots of dark smelly debris in the ear, head tilting, scratching at the ears, shaking the head and pain upon touching the ears.
What causes ear problems? Well that can be just about anything honestly. In Jasmine, my standard poodle, eating anything with wheat in it, will cause her ears to become filled with black gook and itchy. This is a very good reason to read your dog food labels, some dogs are very allergic to wheat, corn and soy and ears are one way they show allergy.
Polyps in the ear can cause ear problems, and you can’t see them, they are way down inside the ear, only your vet can tell.
Too much hair inside the ear canal can act as a wick for bacteria and also impedes air flow to the ear canal. This is why some dogs have to have their ear hair plucked by the groomer or vet. I know it sounds painful but unless the ear has a problem it really isn’t. But this too can be a double edge sword, Bogey my Bichon is a dog with ear hair but if you pluck it, then he will begin to shake his head and scratch. So for him, plucking is not a good thing. We just keep his ears as clean as possible and pluck when absolutely necessary.
Dogs with droopy hanging ears tend to have more ear problems due to lack of air flow so those dogs tend to have dark moist ear canals and if you aren’t keeping them clean, they will begin to have an odor that many people mistake for simple “he needs a bath” odor. Nope, it’s his ears.
Foreign objects inside the ears can cause problems too, ticks, weed seeds, foxtail you name it, I’ve seen it inside ears. You really need to be aware of what’s inside your dog’s ears, dogs are like kids, they get into everything!
Ear mites are another cause for infection; those blood sucking little parasites are very common in cats and can be passed from one animal to another. It looks like your pet has coffee grounds inside his ears. That’s one symptom of ear mites.
If you have ever had an ear infection, you know how painful it is and how miserable you feel. Young children and babies are prone to ear infections. What do you do when your child has an ear infection? You go to the doctor and get some medicine. After all you don’t want your baby to lose his hearing right? So why is it that people have such a terrible time going to the veterinarian when their 4-legged baby has an ear infection? Animals can lose their hearing too!
Now one thing I want to add is this. If the groomer gets water in your pets ears that is NOT why he got an ear infection! I swear if I hear that old wives tale one more time… I heard it on the animal planet show last year “Groomer Has It” from the vet judge on the show. Her words were “if you get one drop of water into the dog’s ears you’ll cause an infection.” I have to tell you the groomers of the internet and vets in the know all came unglued at that comment! Water does NOT cause infection. How does your vet clean out the animal’s ears when they put them under anesthesia? They flush the ears out with a steady fast stream of WATER! Many vets use a water pik® for doing this. Dogs that swim can get “swimmers ear”, the solution is the same as the solution for you, a few drops of rubbing alcohol into the ear does the trick.
In fact, if you have a dog or cat with ear problems and you just put medication on top of the dirt and debris inside the ear, explain to me how that medicine is going to get to the root of the problem and clear up the infection? It CAN’T! You have to clean out the ears if you want to treat the problem. But first, you need to know if the eardrum is ruptured. Do not put anything inside an ear with a ruptured eardrum.
So if your dog is exhibiting any of the above mentioned problems go see your vet so they can examine the dog’s ear with an otoscope and see all the way down to the ear drum. They will advise you what to do. Ask questions, many vets seeing the same problems over and over will forget to mention what you should do, simply because they assume you already know. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Ask them how to clean out your dog’s ears, what products to use, and be sure to tell them what is in your pet’s food and treats! Chronic ear infections lead to expensive surgery to open up the ear canals, or deafness not to mention a life of misery and pain. Lift up those ear flaps now and take a good look inside those ears!

June 6, 2009 Saying Goodbye

2009-06-06T22:38:00.000-04:00

Saying Goodbye

As a groomer, I have a regular clientele that I see over and over again and just when I get into my steady little niche of folks who come, then life happens and shakes up my world again. Clients that are dear to my heart move away, or their beloved pet passes away, or sometimes even my dearest clients pass away. Lately I’ve had several of these things happen at once and I can’t tell you how sad it makes me to see them go.
One dear dog that I’ll miss terribly is moving to another state. Cupid is an Afghan Hound that belongs to Dave and Karen McDonald who are moving on to greener pastures. I had the pleasure of grooming Cupid one last time today. Dave told me that the groomer he’s been taking him to in Georgia hasn’t ever seen an Afghan Hound before. “Ahh, you get to break in another groomer huh?” I said to him. I remember being in that position. When Dave and Karen had adopted a pair of Afghan Hounds from a rescue shortly after I moved here, Karen called me and asked me if I could groom an Afghan Hound. “Well, I CAN groom them, but I haven’t ever done one before” I told her. They took a leap of faith and tried me out. I did what they asked me to do, and was completely intrigued by the breed. Every time they came to be groomed I learned more about them. I took classes on them in Chicago and Atlanta when I went to grooming shows. I bought brushes and products with them in mind and I really did enjoy grooming them, although they were MASSIVELY time consuming, with all the de-matting that had to be done. Long locks like those tangle easily. But the dogs themselves were just unique. Regal looking, and the beautiful walk they had on a leash was breathtaking to me. These creatures were something special! Over the years, I’d laugh at their antics, weep with exhaustion over grooming them and when they aged and became sick and passed away, I cried.
Cupid is another rescue who came along before they lost their last Afghan Hound. He was just a young dog, not a year old when he came. He was scared of everything! Still, he got through grooming 101 and passed with flying colors. He had a different personality than the other Afghans but was still charming, elegant and a trooper for grooming.
It’s amazing to me how close groomers become to the dogs they groom. I have a lot of dogs that I’ve become “Aunt Sandy” to over the years. That must be why it’s sad to see them go away. Those dogs aren’t just clients, they’re family, and many times so is the person on the other end of the leash.
Dr. Pete was another client I will dearly miss. His dogs went to Chicago with me to be demonstration dogs for seminars on Terriers. The top groomer in the country got to work his magic on Paddy, Onya and Sophie and teach a room full of hopeful groomers the techniques. I learned to have my car keys in my hands when I picked them up, because it never failed that as I loaded them into my car and walked around to the driver’s side; one of them would hop up on the door and lock me out. They were always happy to see me, and their tails went a mile a minute. When Paddy was accidentally let out of his yard one day, he walked all the way to my house, I was just coming home from shopping and there was Paddy in my driveway! Now that’s love! Dr. Pete’s wife Ann used to borrow my old dog Katy to teach Paddy manners when he was a pup. Katy would put Paddy in his place when he started playing too rough, and they really enjoyed each others company.
While nobody can replace the dogs or the people behind them, there still seems to be a string of new folks calling and getting into the loop that will make more new memories for me. I’ll have to remember to write down the memories of those that leave a paw print on my heart and one day make a book of memoirs of them.

May 25, 2009 Advice from Kids on Dogs

2009-05-25T14:38:00.000-04:00

Advice from Kids on Dogs

Today I was at a loss for what to write about so I asked my number one helpers, my sons for some advice and this is what they came up with. “Mom, why not write about how to make your dog feel better?” Here is some advice from my kids Drew and Lane ages 11 and 9 in their own words.

• Give your dog a nice cool bath, but not with the hose though. It has to be a little warm.
• Make sure they are comfortable.
• The more comfortable they are, the better they feel; you’ll make them feel like a puppy again.
• Play with your dog.
• Love your dog.
• Take them on long walks.
• If your dog has mats, cut them out. Mats hurt.
• Trim their nails, because they can get overgrown and curl into the paw pad and that will really hurt them.
• Take photos of your dog in case they get lost so you can make signs.
• Use good flea products on your dog. (Frontline, Advantage, Comfortis from the vet)
• Give your dog heartworm pills every month.
• Get your dog neutered or spayed.
• Take your dog to the vet if it’s sick or hurt.
• Train your dog to be obedient.
• Check your dog’s ears for ear problems. If they are leaning their heads over, that means they might have ear problems.
• Feed your dog good food.
• Don’t give your dog too many treats otherwise they’ll get fat.
• Some dogs are really silly.
• Give your dog plenty of tummy rubs, they like it.
• Brush your dog to keep knots out.

Not bad advice from kids huh? I guess they’ve been paying attention to me after all. I can’t give any better advice that that! Remember that our children are listening to us whether we are talking to them or not. They will do as we do when it comes to our actions so be mindful of how you act and speak and treat other people and of course your pets.

Kids need to have responsibilities around the house; our kids are in charge of feeding and watering our pets daily. Trust me; our pets won’t let them forget to do it! I’ve shown them how, and what amounts to feed, and if one needs medication I’ve shown them how to put it in the food. They know how to wash the dog dishes too, after all you don’t want to eat out of dirty dishes, and neither does your dog. I have to say I’m proud that my kids came up with this list. It’s about as complete a list on good dog care as I’ve ever seen.

Teach your children from babies how to touch animals and watch them at all times. When we aren’t watching is usually when things happen, kids will accidentally hurt the dog and it will snap at them, and we blame the dog. Most large dogs can handle little kids and take all they can dish out, but some just don’t. Keep your dog’s age and body condition in mind, and little dogs and little kids are a bad combination. A 30 lb. toddler falling on a 10 lb. dog can cause some serious damage by sheer accident.
Likewise, not training your dog can cause some serious damage to small children simply by the dog being out of control. Call your vet, groomer or other pet professional to see what they recommend if you need help with training.
Remember we teach our children how to play nice with other kids; you have to teach your kids and your pets to play nice with each other too. If you do this you’ll have kids who grow up with a love and respect of animals and pets that you’ll be proud to call a member of your family.

5/8/09 The Wild Unknown World of Rescue

2009-05-08T08:37:00.000-04:00

The wild unknown world of rescue

One thing I never knew before the Internet and getting involved with so many pet people, is what “rescue” dogs were, they weren't just dogs at the city pound. I had no idea how many breed rescues, and all breed rescues there were in the world. When you go to www.petfinder.com you will see for yourself just how many organizations are out there that help place homeless pets.

Another thing I wasn't aware of before is that there are transports for pets from one area of the country to another! Usually by way of volunteers who will drive a “leg” of a run on a weekend usually. It amazes me to this day how many good hearted souls are out there trying to get pets to their “forever” homes or into a good rescue from a high kill rate shelter.

There are Internet groups that have truck drivers volunteer to meet at specified locations at certain times to pick up animals and drive them to the next leg of their trip, and meet up with other truckers or volunteers, to get them to the next leg.

I truly am in awe of the entire process of saving these pets!

I get e-mail from these groups several times a day that sometimes I can pass on to people I know that live in the areas they are transporting through. Usually the road trip legs range about an hour or so each, and are covered by many volunteers.

From what I know so far, this is the way it works:

A person who may work for a high kill rate animal shelter, or has contacts through one will go to the shelter when they are over capacity and pull as many of the adoptable pets out of there as they can and they work to get them into rescues. Someone arranges a transport to the rescues if the rescues cannot come down to get them or are too far away. The e-mails fly and people will sign up to drive a leg or two of the trip. The animals are given health papers, vaccines if needed and any information on the pets known to them.

The animals are then pulled from the shelter and started on their way to the rescue that will help find them a permanent home, or possibly to a foster home if they are full.

These animals are then many times put on the Internet rescue sites in hopes of finding them a new home.

Foster homes are another important link in the chain of rescue. People just like you and I can do this! Fostering an animal is just like having one of your own, except they are up for adoption and many times it’s a short term home. Some animals may need a foster home because of a health issue that is being taken care of before adoption and the rescues want to make sure the animal is healthy first. While in foster care, the foster home can evaluate the pet and see what its “quirks” are and work on training. The vet bills are taken care of by the rescues, but most foster homes are responsible for providing food and grooming for the pet they take in.

Rescues get the pets checked out thoroughly by vets and they are almost always spayed or neutered before they are put up for adoption. The rescues rely on donations from the public through fundraisers, and have volunteers that help them by being foster homes for the animals, or helping with adoptions. Many of the pets that the rescues receive have health issues such as heartworm and that is very expensive to treat. Many vets will give the rescues a discount, but even with a discount it adds up to hundreds of dollars spent on one pet. Good rescues want to find the best home for the pets and they try hard to match up the families to the pets they want to adopt. Not all pets work for all homes and not all homes work for every pet. A good rescue will take your family’s lifestyle into consideration and have you fill out paperwork and answer a lot of questions and sometimes do a home visit before you will be considered to adopt. It’s a lot like adopting a child! Some people can't believe how picky some rescues are but really it’s for the benefit of the pet and the prospective new home. After all, the idea is to find a home that is “forever”.

The rescue has an adoption fee that is normally less that what it would be to buy a purebred puppy, and you end up with a dog that is healthy and already spayed or neutered to boot! You will know beforehand most of the time if the pet is good with children or other pets and good rescues will ALWAYS take the pet back should something happen and it doesn't work out or your life changes and you can no longer keep the pet you adopt.

So why not be a link in the chain of rescue and help out some pets that don't deserve to die in a shelter? Get on the Internet and look up some rescue groups or transport groups online and see what you can do to help. We may not be able to help them all, but together we can change the lives of many!

4/24/09 Allergic to Dogs

2009-04-24T23:05:00.000-04:00

Allergic to Dogs

It’s springtime and those of us with seasonal allergies are just beginning to feel the effects of the pollens before us. One thing I'm grateful for is that I do not (at this time) have an allergy to dogs. Talk about ruining a career! As much as I've been exposed to hair, dander and saliva surely I'd have built up immunity for life, but that isn't the case with many of my clients.

I have several clients who are allergic to dogs. So why are they clients you ask? Well, to help keep the hair and dander down on their beloved pet they are allergic to, or because they have found breeds which are less allergenic than most dogs and they can tolerate them better. So which breeds are best for dog allergy sufferers? The best breeds are those who are low-shedding breeds or those who need to have their hair cut regularly; however there are no truly hypoallergenic dogs. Poodle, Maltese, Shih-Tzu, Bichon-Frise, Bolognese, Havanese, Coton de Tulear, Lowchen, Komondor, Puli, Irish Water Spaniel, Portuguese Water Dog, Chinese Crested, Schnauzer, Yorkshire, Tibetan and Kerry Blue Terrier are some examples. A more allergenic breed mixed with any of the above breeds does not guarantee that the puppies will inherit the coat of the less allergenic breed.

Take for example the Obama family. Our new first dog is a Portuguese Water Dog. They have children with allergies to dogs and had to be especially careful about the breed they brought into the house. Hopefully the new “Portie” will grow up and not become a source of allergies for the family. The reason I say that is because puppies don't shed and rarely cause allergy problems until puberty when the puppy hair goes out and the adult coat comes in. Many people with puppies find out the hard way that the beloved puppy they have raised grows up to become a big problem for the allergy sufferer in the family. Porties are low shedding, like a poodle, they can have a curly, wavy or “whirly” (a mixture of wavy and curly) coats. They don't have a seasonal shedding undercoat such as a sheltie or golden retriever. But they have the love of water and personality of a wonderful family dog. I hope it’s a good match. I happen to know a groomer in Washington D.C., I wonder if she will become “the first groomer”?

So what do you do if you are allergic to your dog? Well I know what I would do if it were me. First of all I'd be heading to my doctor and getting some medication for myself, and looking into immunotherapy shots. I've actually done that years ago when it was discovered I had a mild allergy to horses and cats amongst other things. There was no way I'd give them up! So I had weekly to monthly needle pokes, that were so easy I never even felt them, and after about a year and a half, I stopped them. I can't say for sure that they worked because I learned to avoid grooming my horses in springtime; I let my friend’s kids brush them in exchange for riding time. Springtime shedding was the only time my horses ever bothered my asthma. Once that was over, it was smooth sailing. I had myself tested a few years ago again for dogs and cats when an allergy flared up, and it turns out that I am showing no signs of allergy to either one, however I'm allergic to guinea pigs. Go figure! The doctor thought that my constant exposure to the dander and hair was actually a good thing for my allergies and apparently has built up my immunity to cats. He also discovered that my immunotherapy shots from years before did not have any cat dander in them all that time that I was on the shots, so I was never being treated for my cat allergy. I have two house cats now.

One thing that can really help you is to have your dog groomed for you by a professional groomer and be sure to tell them you are trying to help your allergies. Groomers can really get out undercoat that would take you weeks otherwise. Frequent bathing helps control the dander, as do some rub on treatments such as Allerpet® that you rub on your pet weekly between baths. I know many people who swear by it. A really good diet for the dog also helps the skin so it doesn't produce as much dander.

So allergies don't always have to mean finding a new home for Fido, sometimes it just takes a little more care to keep the hair and dander under control as well as taking good care of yourself and perhaps a little medication. Singulair® has been enormous help to me with my allergies, I haven't had an asthma attack since I've been on it, and I can feel the difference if I forget to take it. So I live with taking a pill daily. Some things you can't avoid, other things you choose not to avoid. That seems to keep life happier for me.

4/10/09 Hoosier Corn Dog

2009-04-10T03:31:00.003-04:00

Hoosier Corn Dog

Well another creative grooming show came up in Knoxville, TN and since this was a new show and at a better time of year for me, I decided we needed a little working vacation so the whole family and one dog loaded up and headed to Knoxville last weekend to compete.
After the last show in Chicago, I swore off creative grooming and said I'd be money ahead to do a design, have a photographer snap a photo and buy my own trophy. While this is indeed true, there’s just something way too competitive inside me and no sooner did I get home from Chicago, inspiration hit me.
A groomer friend of mine, Gloria in South Carolina e-mailed me and suggested a design that hadn't been done before that she thought of and wanted me to do it. A corn dog!
No, not a brown dog with a stick coming out of you know where, but a dog that is dyed and carved to resemble an ear of corn! Well, this was shear brilliance in my mind, and I took the idea and ran with it.
Trying to find dark green hair dye was no easy feat, I came upon three different shades of green, that by themselves were either lime green, or Easter egg green and too pastel. Not exactly what I had in mind for stalks of corn so I got to play Dr. Frankenstein and added some black and a dash of orange to it and hoped for the best. What I ended up with was a sort of sage or olive green, not perfect but good enough.
This was the first contest I had ever done “live”. Other contests you already had the dog cut and colored and just set up in the ring and were judged. This one, you had 2 hours to cut the dogs design in, going in with only a dyed dog, and maybe a design you had carved in several weeks before. Talk about pressure!
The contest began in the back part of large conference room at a hotel in downtown Knoxville. There were 4 divisions to enter in; First Timer, Novice, Intermediate, and Open for more advanced stylist. You had to have at least 3 first placements to advance to the next level. Well that made me an easy “novice” competitor since I've gotten only 2nd and 3rd placements in my creative grooming career thus far.
I went in thinking two hours is a long time, I'll be easily finished by then, after all she’s already washed and dried…all I have to do is cut hair, I guess I never timed myself. That was the fastest two hours of my life!
Periodically we'd hear the judge tell us, “thirty minutes left”, then “fifteen minutes left”, then “five minutes”. I found myself not way ahead of the game as I had planned but cutting corners and just trying to finish as best I could.
My “Hoosier Corn Dog” theme turned out pretty well all things considered and I used my boys as scarecrow props. My husband came to this show and it was his first grooming show, oddly enough he seemed to be enjoying himself. He sat there the entire two hours, eyes glued to the stage, and when time was up, he jumped up and started putting my background and props together while I got myself and the boys into our costumes. We made it and the cameras were busy flashing photos of us while the judge went down the line inspecting our work.
My hopes were high but alas, it was not to be. Bypassed again! DRAT! Nevertheless, we were a crowd favorite and I heard many groomers say to me “you were robbed!” That at least made me feel a little better. The judge gave me a good critique and I knew where I needed to improve. After it was all over, we took Jasmine outside for a walk and then we were mobbed! I can't tell you how many people stopped cars, snapped pictures and posed with her! (You'd think they never saw a green and yellow corn dog before.) Three young teens saw her and instantly fell in love; one boy said “I'll bet she cost $10,000.00!” I told him, “Nope, her adoption fee was only $300.00”, then he said, “Want to sell her?”
“No, I'm afraid not, she’s priceless to me” I replied. Greetings like that made it worth the trip. Besides the next day was our vacation portion and we headed to Dollywood, and Jasmine had a room booked at the kennel there “Doggywood”.
Walking in from the parking lot and getting on the tram to go inside Dollywood with our “corn dog” created quite a stir! Even worse was after we had spent the day there and were heading out to go home, we were completely mobbed, people were hugging her, feeding her their sandwiches, asking all sorts of questions about her and making me feel like quite a celebrity all in all. If I had a nickel for every photo taken of her I'd have more money than Dolly Parton! Patrons of Dollywood got a treat that day and didn’t have to pay extra! What’s not to love?
After coming back home without a trophy, I decided we deserved one anyway so I ordered one online. I bought a nice gold cup with a poodle on top, it reads:

“The "SMILEY" Award” (which stands for)

"See My Incredible Losses Each Year"

Sandy Blackburn

Creative Grooming

At least I kept my sense of humor. My husband really surprised me by giving me ideas for the next contest, and I thought he wasn’t interested in what I do, I guess the competition bug has bit him too. Maybe she’ll have enough hair by September for Hershey, Pennsylvania...

3/30/09 Elderly Dogs

2009-03-30T08:45:00.000-04:00

Elderly Dogs

There is nothing sweeter than an old dog to me. I really love the old fellows. One problem that I have noticed is that people tend to stretch out appointments because they fear the old fellow can't handle the grooming anymore, but the truth is, they need it more often if they are a hairy breed because old dogs tend to lie down more, and don't tolerate brushing as well, and then they become matted which is very uncomfortable for them.
In addition, elderly dogs often have problems with urine leakage which when added to long hair can actually cause urinary tract infections. Sometimes it’s better to skip the beauty and go for an easy care hair style that will keep the problem areas short and out of the way. Yes, that may mean your “pookie” won't look like his breed anymore, but what is more important?

Keep your dog’s eyes free of debris and build up in the corners. Take a moist cloth and gently wipe out your pets eyes daily. Some dogs have a dry eye problem and simply a couple drops of artificial tears put in daily help.

Another problem of the older dog is tooth problems. If you notice your dog’s breath is getting particularly nasty, there’s a very good chance he has a bad tooth or teeth, or a gum infection. Face it, not many of us really open up Fide’s mouth and peek inside all the way to the rear molars, if you did you'd seen in an instant why your pet’s breath isn't minty fresh. Brushing your dog’s teeth is helpful, but if you don't do it at least weekly, the tarter will harden and will soon require a veterinary dental cleaning to scrape it off.
I know many elderly dogs that are now toothless or very close. Dogs have 42 teeth, and my Bogey has about 6 of his left. I know so many clients I talk to with elderly dogs don't want to have their dog’s teeth cleaned because they fear the risk of anesthesia. Most vets now use a gas anesthesia which is much safer and I've known 17 year old dogs that have had their first dental and not only survived it, but THRIVED afterwards because all the pain in their mouth was gone! Dogs with infections in their mouths that aren't treated end up with the infection affecting all their other organs, such as heart, kidneys and liver. So you aren't saving your pet by avoiding a dental, but prolonging a long, slow and painful death due to infection. So don't fear the veterinarian, ask your vet what kind of anesthesia they use, and if they don't use gas, then go see another vet for a dental.

Lumps and bumps are common with elderly dogs, many are benign and not a problem but if your dogs is scratching them or making them bleed, then it’s time to have them removed. Again ask your vet if your pet is a good candidate for surgery and ask about the type of anesthesia used and make an informed choice. It’s always a good idea to have any growth or lump examined. Many times when a lump is simply written off as a fatty tumor and ignored, it can turn out to be a very serious problem.

Elderly dogs are like elderly people, it hurts to get up when your joints are stiff and sore from arthritis. There are many new drugs available to help improve your pet’s quality of life. Ask your vet what they recommend. Chiropractic care is also an option for your elderly friend. Some vets do chiropractic or acupuncture treatments on pets that can greatly improve his pain without the worry of drug side effects.

Be careful handling your old pet, many old dogs have the reputation of being crabby and most people chalk that up to growing old, but it’s really because the dog is in pain. Dogs are stoic about pain, they don't show it the way we dog. Some signs of pain are licking the joints, trouble getting up and down, shaking, moving slowly or just not being their happy, normal self. Dogs don't often whine when they are in pain because that would draw attention to them and remember dogs are “animals” and in the animal kingdom, if you whine and show weakness, something else comes to eat you, so you keep your mouth shut! Gee don't you wish humans did that sometimes?

Old pets, like elderly people, lose their hearing and sight as they age and that’s not a death sentence necessarily, many dogs that are completely deaf and blind still use their nose to guide them and do remarkable when navigating about the house. My Bogey is almost 15 years old and completely deaf. What that means to me is he is no longer afraid of loud noises, or thunder. When other dogs come to be groomed and carry on and make a lot of noise, he just sort of looks at them with his head cocked as if to say, “I see your mouth moving, but what’s the problem?” At least he doesn't need earplugs to get through the day like I do sometimes!

Only you and your vet can decide if your pet’s quality of life is worth having him euthanized. Personally, I think until you’ve tried all you can to ease your old guy’s pain and woes, then you would have tremendous guilt if you have him put down too soon just because he’s aging. But if you’ve done all you can, and you still can’t make his life comfortable, then the kindest thing is to have him humanely euthanized and stop the suffering. I think that’s the last act of kindness we can do for our dear pets after all the years of love they’ve given us.

3/16/09 Spring Cleaning

2009-03-16T08:43:00.000-04:00

Spring Cleaning

Ahhh! The smell of spring is in the air, the birds are singing, and I've seen some flowers poking up through the soil. Maybe it’s just me but I've been impatiently waiting for this season to arrive for a very long time. When we get a nice mild day and the sun is shining, I get in the mood to spring clean the house and all the pets in it!

Unfortunately, so does everyone else and my phone has been ringing off the hook so my pets will have to wait. For all of you “do it yourselfers” out there who groom your pets at home I thought maybe I'd go over a few things to help you get your pet spring cleaned.

We all know with springtime comes mud, and naturally our four-legged friends are bound to bring some of it in on our freshly cleaned floor, so here are a few hints to help you out.

(Ideally any trimming should be done on a freshly bathed and dried pet to save your equipment. Nothing dulls a clipper blade or scissor faster than dirt or oil from your pet’s coat.)

If your pet has long hair especially on the bottom of his feet, trim that off either with scissors carefully, or clippers and be sure to get between the paw pads and make sure there are no mats, burrs or rocks hiding in there. Now brush up the hair on the top of the foot, and it should pull up the hair in between the toes, and you can trim that off too.

This will keep the mud down substantially.

While you are working on the feet, don't forget to trim your pet’s nails. Long nails will hurt your dog’s feet, and scratch up your floor. Use a nail file, emery board, or Dremel® type tool to smooth off the edges.

Since the days are getting longer, you'll notice more hair shedding in most breeds so make sure you brush and comb your dog or cat thoroughly to the skin and get that dead coat out of there. Be sure to pay attention to any lumps or unusual bumps or boo boos you find and take note of them. It won't be long until ticks are out, and it’s very important to make sure you get them off of your dog. Lyme disease is common around here and you should talk to your vet about prevention.

Be sure to check under your dog’s tail and trim any hair that tends to gather “cling-ons”. Yeah, I know not a pleasant job, but necessary. This is a good time to do a “sanitary” trim and clipper off the underside of your pet so you have less trouble with matting and soiling.

Don't forget your dog’s ears. If you have a pet ear cleaner squirt some in your dog’s ears and squish it around while your dog enjoys the ear rub. Then let him shake it out and you can take a tissue or paper towel and wipe out the ear canal with your finger and get rid of any debris. There are numerous things you can use for ear cleaner, but it depends on the condition of your dog’s ears as to what you want to use. If you have a dog with inflamed and sore ears, rubbing alcohol is going to hurt. Your vet may have some ear cleaner that fits the bill.

If your dog has a lot of hair around his ears, be sure to slide a comb under any matting before you cut the hair out! I've found wounds on dogs that the owner innocently tried to “pre-trim” before going to the groomer. It’s easy to do if there are mats, so be careful.

One of the very first signs of spring I'm told is not robins, but skunks! I've had several calls lately from desperate owners whose dogs have gotten skunked, bad for the owner and dog, but hey if that means spring has arrived, I'll take it! Here is the recipe for ridding your dog of the skunk odor. Be sure you are wearing clothes you don't mind destroying if needed.

1 quart of hydrogen peroxide (available everywhere)

¼ cup of baking soda

1 Tbsp. of Dawn® dish soap.

Mix this up in a non-metallic bowl and do NOT cover it, it can explode! Apply it to your dog on his dry coat and let it sit for 10 – 15 minutes. Be careful you don't get it into his eyes, if you do be sure to flush them with water for several minutes. If you've covered the right spots on the dog you should notice a difference in the odor soon. Then rinse and repeat if necessary, then bathe as usual and be sure to put conditioner on the dog, this is a very caustic mixture but it has to be to get rid of the skunk odor. Skunk musk is oily and you have to degrease it in order to get rid of it. Use it all up, you can't save this mixture at all, but it is very effective. Tomato juice is not going to cut it, trust me.

If your dog has a collar on, don't try to save it, it’s not worth the effort! Skunk musk is practically impossible to get out of fabrics and nylon collars. Do yourself a favor and buy a new collar. Besides, now that your pup now smells nice and spring cleaned, you’ll want him to look good with a new collar as a finishing touch.

March 2, 2009 Disposable Pets

2009-03-02T13:23:00.000-05:00

Disposable Pets

When you get a pet, it is for life. I know sometimes, things happen, sometimes it isn’t a perfect match and sometimes you are lucky enough to find just the perfect home for a pet you adopted. However, that isn’t the norm.
It’s one thing to be asked to many different people to help them to re-home a pet. It’s another thing entirely to be asked by the same people over and over who never learn their lesson. As soon as they get rid of one dog, they go get another one! I’ve heard excuses from “I’m allergic” to “we just got new furniture and the dog doesn’t match it”! Rescues hear these excuses often. The problem is, there just aren’t enough good homes to go around. We have way too many animals and not enough good homes, the majority of them end up euthanized.
Many rescues won’t adopt out pets before Christmas due to this very same thing, people adopt a dog or cat, and a few months later, they are tired of them and they give them away, sell them, or just leave them tied up outside and ignore them.
Most people don’t research the breed of dog or cat they get and just fall in love with the baby animal and take it home, only to discover that it grows too big, sheds too much, require professional grooming regularly, is too high energy for their lifestyle, or just have no clue how to train the dog and get frustrated. Therefore, it goes up on bulletin boards at the local grocery, “FREE TO GOOD HOME” or in the newspaper, or ends up at the humane society. What makes people look at pets as disposable? How can we teach people not to do this?
Often many rescuers with the right heart, but adds to the problem is “enabling” people. They take in the poor pet to help the pet but that frees up space for the former owner to do it all over again. The cycle continues until someone finally puts their foot down and refuses to take the animal. The problem is the animal is the one who suffers. People must be held accountable for getting that pet, and dealing with the problems.
Some people do the unthinkable and end the life of the pet themselves, or dump it out in the country figuring someone will take it in. We are seeing more and more of this as our economy declines.
One thing we can do is to spay and neuter all of our pets so we can at least prevent more pets from facing the same fate. Rescues and shelters are packed to the brim with animals trying to find homes for them.
I get many emails daily from rescue lists that go to shelters and pull dogs that are going to be put to sleep soon. They are desperate to find good homes for these dogs that are no longer cute and cuddly, and have grown up and gone through the obnoxious puppy stage that the former owner couldn’t’ deal with. These dogs are put into shelters and given just a few days to become adopted or they will be euthanized. Yet everyone seems to want a puppy instead. Most of the time these dogs just need a stable home and someone to pay some attention to it and they fit right in. I’ll take an older dog over a puppy any day just because of the work and time involved in raising a puppy. I’ve had nothing but good luck with every adult dog and cat I’ve rescued in my lifetime.
That being said, I know my limits. I know that I cannot take on another animal at this time and give it all it needs in this economy. My house is full! So before you fall in love with that puppy and take it home, consider the costs of not only food, but shots, spaying or neutering, flea control, heartworm medicine year round and emergency vet visits because you just never know what can happen. Free to good home doesn’t mean free for life. Pets are like children, they are solely dependant on your for their food and care, and you have to be ready to take on that responsibility for the next 10, 15 or 20 years. When you have problems, seek help. Don’t dump them out in the country and hope for the best.

2-16-09 Lessons in Government

2009-02-16T22:34:00.000-05:00

I knew I should’ve paid more attention in Government class in high school!

Funny how we discover many years later that we get to revisit those old subjects and learn about them in REAL life.
I went to the statehouse to propose some animal welfare changes, and boy did I get an education of how our government operates!

I went with a group of people to lobby for changes on some proposed bills. There were several groups there to lobby for the same thing, so we met up at the Indiana Historical Society and were briefed on what to say, how to say it, and not to get too carried away and be thought of as “the crazy dog lady”. There was a question and answer period and then we walked to the statehouse and stood on the steps, many had signs and were holding them towards the traffic, “Honk if you hate puppy mills” and the like.
We listened to some guest speakers on the subjects and then the representative that authored the bill we wanted came out and spoke to us.
I was told before we went there to take her off the side and speak with her about MY changes I wanted to see added to her bill, and luckily, I was able to do so. Representative Linda Lawson is the author of the bill and a fellow animal lover. Just as rally was ending, we heard there is already opposition to the bill by another representative because his daughter breeds dogs.
They aren’t after hobby breeders, but the puppy mills that are cranking out HUNDREDS of dogs per year. They want to stop the abuse and mistreatment of the dogs. I can’t imagine anyone NOT being for that. If they have a problem with it, do they have a guilty conscience? Makes you wonder huh?
Then it was on to the inside of the capital building and through the metal detectors. I’ve seen some beautiful courthouses and buildings but WOW! This one blew me away. Where was my camera when I needed it? Marble floors and columns, huge statues, and inside the dome is stained glass. It was gorgeous! Then we looked up, and they told us one side is the House of Representatives, the opposite side is the Senate. We went upstairs to meet with our reps, and it was nothing like I expected. The House side has a huge picture window to see inside the room where all the decisions are made. It’s full of desks and chairs and a podium up front, and there is a speaker to the hallway so we can hear what they are saying.
There are two entrances to the room, one side for democrats, and the other side for republicans. Kind of makes you wonder how we will ever get bi-partisan leadership when the entire room is divided that way huh?
There is a desk outside each entrance, with an attendant and a doorman who is CONSTANTLY opening and closing the door for everyone.
Our job was to go up to the attendant at the desk, write a little note on who we wanted to speak with and give it to them to take to our Rep. Then our Rep. would come out of the room, stand there and talk to us for a minute then go back inside.
I was glad to find all the Reps. were so polite and easy to talk to, I was thinking I had to have a speech or something, nope, just tell them what you want…some wrote down little notes so they could research it, and then they shook your hand, told you “I’m in your corner”, and back they went.
When the house session started, I was actually a little surprised to hear them open with prayer! Division of church and state and all, but it made me feel good.
The Senate side was similar but no picture window, instead a large screen TV so you could see what was going on. Again it was divided and again I went to the wrong door first, I asked them why the room was divided, the answer was “Because that’s the way it’s always been”….so much for forward thinking. I said, “So I’m in enemy territory now right?” laughing, they said, “No, we’re the good guys” joking back. What, no middle of the road people? Neither Democrat nor Republican? Clearly, I would not fit in with this place.
I actually felt sorry for the doorman because he was constantly opening the doors letting the reps in and out, not like they can’t open the door themselves, heck if it were me I’d block it open. Save the state money on the salary for the doorman.
Honestly, it was so crazy in there, and I really don’t know what my Reps. look like, face it; they all sort of look the same in suits. One woman said she was waiting on her Rep, he was supposed to be a shorter man with gray hair, which described the majority of the Reps. in the room.
I was thinking we would speak to the Reps either in a room with a few others, or maybe in an office. Nope. They all just came out, talked for a minute then back to work. They were constantly coming in and out of session to talk to the lobbyists. The hallways were scenes you see on CNN about Wall Street. There are hundreds of suits walking around, darting in and out of session doors.
When Senator Phil Boots came out to talk to me, I asked him if it was always this crazy, he said “Yeah, pretty much”.
No wonder our government is the shape it’s in, how can any work get done when you are constantly having to go in and out of session to talk to people? Yet, I’m told when you show up to the Capital to talk to them it’s supposed to mean something special, taking time out of your busy schedule and it’s supposed to really help when you want to see a law passed. Frankly, it looks more like we are bothering them. I don’t know why they don’t limit lobbyists to one particular day and then not allow interruptions while they are working.
Well, at least I can say I did it. I tried to help. I pray it works, they vote on it tomorrow, then it can be passed, not passed, or more changes made and voted on again later. Then it goes to the Senate for the same. Then if it passes both House and Senate it goes to the governor who can veto it, but if he does, his veto can be overridden. Sound like a complicated mess? That’s because it is. Still, I have to admire those who are in politics and do these jobs, they must thrive on stress. I know I came out with a splitting headache and sore feet. I saw all these women in high heel shoes on that hard floor! OUCH!
I know I’m ready to shed the dress clothes and hose and get into some comfortable things to wear that don’t squeeze me so much!
Dale Grubb told me to keep watching for changes online to the bill, problem is they can’t update it fast enough, they’ve already added an amendment to it before I went today, and they lumped both of the bills I was after together. He told me they do make changes fast. It’s going to be hard to keep up with it.
Whether or not I’ve done any good, I don’t know. Nevertheless, I can say I tried, and I was the only person in my district so I did it alone. I’m still proud of myself, I saw a problem, and wondered why nothings being done, and it’s because there was no law against it. So I said, who do you have to talk to about a law? They said, talk to your rep and I did, E-mail and in person. I came, I saw, I rallied, and hopefully, I’ll conquer, for the animals’ sake.

Note: As of February 12th, the amended bill has passed and goes on to the full house for a 2nd reading and vote. It’s not exactly what I had in mind, but it’s a start. I expect more changes before it passes as a law.
You can keep track of legislation on www.IN.gov I urge you all to e-mail, write or call your Representative on issues that concern you and voice your opinion.

Indiana Animal Care and Cruelty Law

2009-02-05T15:11:00.000-05:00

Indiana Animal Care and Cruelty Law

2/2/09 Outside Dogs

2009-02-02T18:08:00.000-05:00

Outside Dogs

Indiana has a huge problem with animal welfare laws. They are too unspecific therefore; there is too much gray area in order to prosecute individuals that break the laws. As far as general care of a dog, as long as the dog has food, water and shelter, no matter how poor that shelter is, that is considered lawful. I have an opportunity in a couple weeks to go to the statehouse and try to amend some bills currently on the table regarding animal welfare and I intend to go and try to make some changes.
I urge you all to contact your local representative, Fountain County is represented by Dale Grubb and he can be reached:

By Mail...
State Representative F. Dale GrubbIndiana House of Representatives200 W. Washington St.Indianapolis, IN 46204-2786

By Phone...
Call toll-free (from anywhere within Indiana):1-800-382-9842or directly at (317)232-9600

By Internet...
Representative Grubb's email address is h42@in.gov.

You can also contact me by email at groomroompetspa@comcast.net I’ll be happy to email you the petition I’ll be taking with me and I would love to have your thoughts and name to add to it.

Let me state for the record that I really don’t have a huge issue with dogs living outside or being outside as long as they have the body and coat to protect them from the elements and they get some attention. I use to live on a farm, and dogs lived outside. I can deal with that, but the law doesn’t take into consideration the type of dog, the hair coat, the body condition, or the weather conditions at all times. This is why dogs that live in the house are more apt to be in better shape, they have access to heat and air conditioning and there is much less chance of them suffering due to the elements.
However, that gray area of the law is exactly where I have a problem. I keep hearing “he’s an outside dog”. The problem is, a dog with extremely short coat is just not meant to live outside in the elements. I’ve been hearing from people that have Rat Terriers and Chihuahuas that those dogs are “outside” dogs. When we have extreme temperatures, it should be considered animal cruelty to leave your pets outdoors. So many people think all dogs are like livestock; if they were born outside, they can live outside. Just because a dog has a doghouse or even some straw in the house, that doesn’t make it toasty for them, especially if they have no hair to protect them! Not all dogs have an undercoat for insulation and first sign of hypothermia is shivering! Some ill-informed people think that certain breeds just shiver, nevermind it’s in the teens outside.
Where does common sense come in?
If it’s too cold for you outside with a coat on, it’s probably too cold for your dog to be out there. Same with summertime, if it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for your dog.
The benefits of having your pet indoors are many; your dog will have more attention and therefore be better behaved. Your pet won’t have access to the wild things and will be less likely to fight with them, get skunked, or become road kill. Your pet will stay cleaner and smell better longer, and is less likely to suffer from parasites, and YOU will have lower blood pressure by petting and loving your calm pet. Studies have shown that pets do reduce your blood pressure. (Of course, that depends on your pet and what havoc they may wreak in your house.) Training takes care of that.
The problem with most outside animals is they are “out of sight, out of mind” and tend to be neglected. They may get food and water but that’s often just about it. You can’t ignore a dog that’s in your face.
One of the reasons some people use for putting the family pet outside is allergies. Well there are a number of solutions for that problem.
1. Don’t get pets if you are allergic to them
2. Take medication for your allergies if you cannot avoid being around your pets, or look into allergy shots for yourself to build up a tolerance.
3. Allerpet products can be wiped on your dog or cat weekly to prevent you from reacting to their dander, as well as more frequent bathing of your pet is helpful.
4. You may need to find another home for your pet.
Tossing Fido outside is not the solution. Use common sense and take care of your pets, or get a pet rock. They are easy to take care of, inexpensive to own and are hypoallergenic. You aren’t likely to be arrested for neglecting your pet rock. Re-homing a pet rock is also much easier. I don’t know of any pet rock rescues, but I’m willing to start one if they ever become a problem.

1/19/09 Guido

2009-01-19T18:06:00.000-05:00

Guido

This article is profoundly hard for me to write today, because we just lost a precious 4-legged member of our family, our guinea pig Guido.
Guido passed away today in my arms, actually inside my coat at 2:30 p.m. as we were driving from a doctor appointment for my son, then we were going to the vet to have Guido put down as he was just hanging in there, barely, and I couldn't let him continue to suffer. My doctor even felt bad for him and got him a syringe of water to wet his open little mouth.
The vet will be doing a necropsy to determine exactly what caused his death as she had just seen him on Monday and ran blood tests and did an x-ray but had never seen anything like this, and feels it may help piggies in the future. It's so sad because last night he was doing great, we thought he’d pull through.

Guido was approximately 5-6 yrs old. He didn’t look or act like an old piggy, they can live to 12, but most don't and personally, I think that's due to problems with inadequate diet. They need extra vitamin C, and most guinea pig foods don’t have enough. You need to supplement them with extra greens, veggies and fruits. I've never had a guinea pig live this long before honestly, but that was before I knew about the diet issues, which I corrected with Guido, however, I know several who have lived to 12.

He was a loving, sweet little piggy who would never bite. He was unafraid of other pets, even those who wanted to do more to him than just play. He fascinated the Terriers that came here for grooming, and he would simply go to the bars of his cage and sniff them, completely unafraid of them. (That drove the Terriers’ nuts!)
Most of my other pets viewed him as little more than a furry moving squeaky toy. However, to us he was special. I’ll miss his little “wheeks”, “chirps”, and sounds he made to greet us, and the excited, “where’s my hay!” sounds at dinnertime.
He was reserve grand champion with Drew at our 4H fair in 2006. That earned Drew his first 4H trophy. He even got his picture taken with Drew in the Danville, IL newspaper.

He may have been small, but he leaves behind a big hole in our hearts. No pet is insignificant, if it lives in my house I will take care of him or her no matter what. Those who think he was "just a guinea pig" and can't fathom anyone taking a rodent to a vet or spending money on something as "lowly" as a rodent, never had the love of one as sweet as our Guido. It isn't "just a guinea pig", or "just a cat", or even "just a dog". These little guys make us smile a hundred times a day, even on days when there doesn't seem to be much to smile about. In the final analysis, we love what makes us smile. The loss is very real when we lose such a precious source of smiles.

In case you weren’t aware, Maus funeral home handles pet cremation and they also offer a line of affordable pet memorials. I have several markers and stones around a tree amongst the flowers. I’ve already spoken to Nathan Maus about a memorial for little Guido. Just because he wasn’t a dog, that doesn’t make him any less important to us as a family member.

One other thing I probably should mention is that when someone you know loses a pet, please don’t say, “So, you can always get another one”. First, that’s a rather cold thing to say when someone is grieving. You hopefully wouldn’t say something like that if it were a human that passed away. Second, just because you don’t feel the same loss, or could care less about your neighbor’s pet snake that died because you hate snakes, be nice! The proper thing to say is “I’m sorry for your loss”. Besides, everyone that has gone through this knows that no matter what species of animal you have, even if you get another one that is the same breed, color, and sex as the one you lost, you can never replace them. You learn to appreciate each new animal as an individual. If you don’t, you will be very disappointed when you find out the “new” one isn’t like the “old” one. Pets are like children, they are all unique. Love each of your pets today, as if there is no tomorrow. Enjoy every precious moment with the ones you love, be it two or four-legged. Life is short, spend it wisely. 1

The EVERYTHING Dog Grooming Book Reviews

2009-01-18T02:23:00.001-05:00

Reviews
New Reviewer Rank: 599,541 (Learn More) - Total Helpful Votes: 1 of 1
Classic Reviewer Rank: 2,133,675
var learnMoreSpanElement = document.getElementById('learnMoreSpan');
if (learnMoreSpanElement) {
learnMoreSpanElement.style.display = '';
}
function openLearnMoreTopReviewersPopup(url) {
javascript:window.open(
url,
'How_ranking_works',
'width=500,height=500,location=yes,menubar=yes,toolbar=no,status=yes,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');
}

Everything Dog Grooming Book: All you need to help your pet look and feel great! (Everything Series) by Sandy Blackburn
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Winner!, December 11, 2008
I borrowed this book from the public Library. Great information, well written, a fun and enjoyable read. Great for bouncing around to look up various and useful tidbits. Am ordering one for me as soon as I am through with this review. This is my first review, but I want all to know how good it is. I like the tip about using corn starch to get mats out. Really works on my Shih-Tzu.

Extreme Grooming | Strange | Photos | PEOPLE Pets

2009-01-06T02:15:00.001-05:00

Extreme Grooming Strange Photos PEOPLE Pets

Wow! People magazine online! I'm famous!

Extreme Grooming | Strange | Photos | PEOPLE Pets

2009-01-06T02:13:00.002-05:00

Extreme Grooming Strange Photos PEOPLE Pets

OOH! Here we are again!!! Double fame! yippee!!

January 4, 2009, Open your mind in 2009

2009-01-04T17:18:00.000-05:00

Open your mind in 2009

I have a love/hate relationship with New Year resolutions. On one hand, it’s a new beginning, a chance to start over fresh, a chance to right the wrongs of last year, resolving to do things better. On the other hand, it’s too darned easy to break those resolutions. Change is difficult for all of us. Old habits ingrained in our minds take a long time and a lot of work to change them.
Last year I resolved to do more things with my dogs. I didn’t follow through with that exactly as I had planned, but I did do more things with them. Jasmine did get to do agility and she loves it. I plan to continue that. I resolved to think like a dog and live in the moment. Appreciate today; you never know what tomorrow will bring. I am working on that one still, but it’s coming along.
This year I’m putting in a little more effort on me. What is it with women over 40? Every woman over 40 that I know hits that mark makes life changes and vows to do more things for herself. Maybe it’s hormonal, but I too am finding myself eager to do more for myself, and my well-being than ever before.
I have a client who teaches yoga in Williamsport and I’m signing up for her class next week. I can’t wait to try something new, and work on peace, calmness, and learning to gear down my anxieties. I am also going to try, and I say try because it will not be easy for me, to eat healthier. Time is not a friend to me, and so I tend to take many shortcuts, which don’t necessarily mean healthy eating.
Organization is another biggie on my list this year. I seriously don’t know how some people manage this one. I am going to work extra hard on that and make it a habit. I don’t know too many perfect individuals who master this, but I want to be one!
I’ve already started feeding my pets holistic foods that are free of the bad stuff that so many popular brands have in them. I am already seeing the benefit in them with more energy, super shiny coats, no dry flaky skin, bright shining eyes and ears, and they just “glow”. I guess it’s time for me to follow suit. Not that I’m planning to eat their food, but I have to tell you, the stuff they eat is MUCH healthier than the stuff I eat.
I’ve had clients tell me when they die they hope they come back as my dog! That’s a sweet compliment but I have to tell you, it’s all about priorities. Everyone has to look at their lifestyle, decide what is most important, and decide where to spend their money. I choose to spend mine on what I think is the most important for my pets’ health, what they eat. You are what you eat my friend, and it shows up in ways you would never expect.
I looked at Dreamer my sheltie today, and noticed he has been making some changes. Have you ever looked at something or someone, and thought there is something different about them but you can’t quite put your finger on it? That thought occurred to me as I looked at him and then it hit me, he is so super shiny now, and wasn’t before. His coat just gleams and is wonderfully soft and it’s all from his diet.
I believe that if you feed a pet quality food, your pet will have better health, which equals fewer problems to see the vet for, which in turn equals savings. It’s hard to look ahead and see money savings when we all need our money now, but trust me it’s worth it.
Bogey is 14, Dreamer is 11ish, Jasmine is 4, Dixie my cat is 8, and then there is Butterscotch our kitten who is around 5 months old. I just keep seeing improvements in my old dogs, which is my goal. I want them to have a good quality of life, to be as healthy as I can possibly make them.
I also am doing alternative medicine for them as well with Dr. Alinovi of Hoofstock Vet Service in Pine Village. She does chiropractic treatments and I can see now the benefit of doing that with Jasmine even at her young age. She was blessed with poor conformation, all my pets are rescues, and I have no idea what kind of dogs were bred to make Jasmine but I do know that they had to have poor conformation too, or she wouldn’t be having the cruciate ligament problems (joints popping in her hind legs) that I see in so many dogs. While chiropractic treatments won’t fix her conformation, they can help stave off expensive surgery for her later in life.
This is why I get on my soapbox about breeding. If you do it right with animals that are OFA tested for congenital problems, and if they carry those traits, those dogs are spayed and neutered and aren’t allowed to breed; you produce puppies that won’t have to suffer with pain from these conditions and subsequently expensive surgery to correct the defects if possible. The problem is, nobody I know will do that, it’s all about the money, and nobody thinks ahead to the future of the dogs. So I choose to rescue, at least I do know what I’m getting myself into, I knew it when I saw Jasmine the first time. Those straight hind legs were going to be trouble later; I just didn’t think it would be this soon.
I’m just grateful Dr. Alinovi is around to help us out. I’m also grateful for my human chiropractor too!
My new mantra is “Open your mind in 2009”. Open your mind up to things you’ve never heard of, or didn’t think would work. You may be surprised to find out what you’ve been missing!
P.S. I’ve started a blog online, it has all my past articles in it you are welcome to go there anytime and read and comment. http://groomroompetspa.blogspot.com/
May you have a wonderful open-minded 2009!

December 22, 2008 Counting your blessings

2008-12-22T06:27:00.000-05:00

Counting your blessings

If you watch the news it’s just so depressing to see the economy and the problems of the world and I know so many of us that have our own issues with our own personal economy and job loss or lay offs, but I want to give you a little reminder and an assignment to help keep the blues away. My mom gave me an idea to make a blessing jar. Throughout the year, whenever something nice happens, no matter how slight, write it down on a piece of paper and fold it up and stick it in the jar. We can all think of a few blessings right now. Whenever life is getting you down, open up your blessing jar and read your blessings. You’ll be surprised to see how many blessings you have at the end of next year.
You can put things as simple as a letter from a friend, something cute a child said, a friendly clerk at the store, someone who was polite and let your go in ahead of them in line, someone who held a door for you, maybe a starry night or a beautiful sunrise or sunset could be in your blessings.
Make a daily habit of writing down your blessings. Focus on the positive things in life, even when life isn’t so positive. I know how hard this is to do sometimes, but we really must. Everyone is entitled to feel sorry for themselves for a little while, but that really doesn’t get you anywhere does it? The economy is like the weather, there isn’t anything we can do about it but weather the storm.
It’s so easy to become a Grinch this time of year. We need to focus on what we have instead of what we want or can’t afford to get, or can’t afford to give. Of course, one member of your family who is always happy to see you and doesn’t worry about the lack of Christmas cheer is your dog, or pets. There is no better psychiatry in the world than a puppy licking your face. Dogs won’t let you feel bad for long. They will sit by your feet, look at you with worried eyes, lick your hand, nudge you as if to say, “it’s okay, I’m here for you.”
You can always go to your dog and complain about the world; right the wrongs of politics and your dog will always agree with you and support you no matter what. No wonder dog is man’s best friend! My human friends don’t do that!
If you have a pet, give them a hug and tell them how special they are! If you don’t have a pet, consider one! Visit a humane society or rescue near you, or check out http://www.petfinder.com/ to find some pets that are looking for a forever home. The best way to feel better about your own situation is to do something nice for someone else.
If you can’t adopt a pet, volunteer to help at an animal shelter. They are always looking for cleaning supplies, towels and food if nothing else.
If you have a well-behaved dog who likes people, take it to a nursing home so the residents can get a little 4-legged loving. Animals put smiles on faces, no matter what age. You may be surprised to learn how much that visit will mean to someone.
Christmas is a time for giving, but nobody said it had to be something monetary. Time costs nothing and is the right size for everyone! Giving your time is the best gift. Give your time to a neighbor, friend or even a complete stranger. Who knows, your name may wind up in their blessing jar!
I wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy new year! May your blessing jar overflow!

December 8, 2008 Bathing Beauty

2008-12-02T04:08:00.002-05:00

Bathing Beauty

As a groomer, I use professional equipment to make my job easier. One of them is called a “bathing beauty” which is essentially a sump pump that recirculates the water and shampoo to get the dogs squeaky clean without hand scrubbing them. It also massages the dogs and they all really like it, even if they don’t particularly like to have a bath. This handy machine saves water, shampoo, time, and most of all my hands and body. I’ve had it for about 5 years and frankly, I’m spoiled.
Trying to bathe dogs without it after all these years is like heating up stuff without a microwave, how do you do that again? I feel completely inept at grooming without it. You know that feeling, you don’t know what you have ‘til it’s gone, well I’m in serious mourning over losing my friend the bathing beauty. I called the company that makes them and they offered to perform an autopsy on it to see if they could resurrect it with some new parts, but I need it NOW! I ordered a new one and it should be here any time, but I can assure you that isn’t fast enough!

Friends,
We gather today to say goodbye to a dear friend, the bathing beauty. She was a workhorse, tirelessly spraying the gunk, hair, and debris from hundreds of dogs and saving her owner’s hands and body.
She never complained, or whined about her job. She withstood the rigors of daily shampoos and conditioners, bodifiers and yes, even dyes. She comforted the old, stressed and ill and made them feel loved and massaged.
She made every dog feel like a million bucks and go out of the salon looking and feeling wonderful.
She faithfully murdered flea vermin and protected the doggies from their bites. She was a faithful companion.
She showed her users a better way to bathe pets and did it with grace and style. She was easy to operate; even a child could do it. She made time fly as she worked happily beside us day after day. She never complained when you stepped on her bubble, and she happily emptied the tub with speed.
She made The Groom Room Pet Spa a better place and she will be dearly missed.
She was a giver, and she has even sacrificed herself and become an organ donor, selflessly donating her parts so that other bathing beauties in the future may have needed parts when the time comes.
She leaves behind her owner Sandy and her sons Drew and Lane in tears over her sudden and unexpected demise.
Let us all bow our heads and pray....
Dear Lord, thank you for the bathing beauty and all she has done for us. We pray you will keep her spirit in your loving arms, and we pray the UPS man comes quickly and safely with her replacement. Though no other bathing beauty could possibly take her place, we know You realize how inept we are at bathing dogs without her and don't want to ruin our reputation, not to mention our hands, arms and bodies. Please get that UPS man here quickly! Amen.

Well, I think after talking to other groomers online, that I killed it. I didn’t know you could take it apart and clean out the insides of it. After all, it has a very fine screen on the bottom and ran fine until the other day when it refused to turn on. I’ve never removed the screen and cleaned out the insides or back flushed it, but I run disinfectant through it regularly. Therefore, I’m going to put on my Dr. Frankenstein hat today and see if I can resurrect her myself. I’m sure I can’t do any more damage to it than what’s already been done.
The lesson I’ve learned is to do regular maintenance on all my equipment so that these things won’t happen in the future. I’m planning to have a weekly maintenance day to take apart and clean out all the essential equipment in my salon. Maybe that will prevent future funerals.

November 24, 2008 Dear Jasmine

2008-11-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

This week Jasmine, Sandy’s Poodle, has taken over the column and wishes to answer the burning questions dogs have asked her.

Dear Jasmine,
I’m a Labrador retriever, and I love to play in water, but my humans think this means I should like the stuff with the bubbles they force me into!
How do I make them understand playing in water is not the same as that B-A-T-H thing they keep whispering about? Besides, just when I’ve worked so hard at "getting that smell I like" on me, mom takes me to the groomer and stinks me all up again?Signed,
Bubble Hater

Dear Bubble Hater,
I totally understand your predicament. I too am a water dog and my human doesn’t even have to spell the word, she just gets this “look” and I know what she’s thinking. I do my best to hide from her when that happens.
The best advice I can give you is to get revenge. When you are really good and wet and they get close to you to wash your paws, give a good shake and get them wet too!
That should show them it’s not fun to have water forced on you. After you are clean and dry, run outside and find the nearest mud puddle or pile of manure or better yet, a dead animal and roll all over it! That will make you feel better and smell like the dog you are.
Good luck!
Jasmine.

Dear Jasmine,
I’m a Chihuahua and holy frijoles am I having human trouble! My Mamacita got very mad at me. All I did was lift my leg on the new sofa to mark that it belongs to me. She came running after me with a rolled up newspaper! Aye yi yi! I ran out the door to get away! Why is my Mamacita so mad?
Paco the petrified!

Dear Petrified,
For some reason humans don’t understand that dogs, especially male dogs, like to show how macho they are by marking things. Do yourself a favor Paco; mark the area outside of your house instead of inside. If you don’t, you may have a visit to the vet soon for something they call “neutering”. Just trust me Paco…don’t mark in the house anymore.
Jasmine

Dear Jasmine,Why do my mom and dad think that just because I haven't learned something *yet* it doesn't mean that I *can't* learn? It's like they think I can speak English and just choose not to. Will you ask them to put more effort into learning how to speak dog so we can communicate more easily? They totally misunderstand "chewed shoe" language, and "butt sniffing" is simply beyond their comprehensive capabilities, but I'm determined to keep trying! Please help.
Feeling Foreign

Dear Feeling Foreign,
There isn’t a canine in the world who doesn’t relate to you my friend. However, humans are very different. It’s funny, they call us dumb animals, yet they can’t speak dog! I’m the greeter at my house and for some reason; nobody appreciates my “warm nose in your rear” greeting. After all, that’s just like a handshake to them. Dogs sniff, humans shake. Humans can’t help their ignorance. Humor them with an occasional lick on the cheek and wag your tail a lot. That seems to keep them happy.
Jasmine

Dear Jasmine, Why can people can walk around with treats in their pockets and not share with us. We're told to play nice and share, why doesn't this apply to those sweet little round things called "candy"? Why does my Mom say chocolate is bad? She eats it (oh boy, does she ever!)
Signed, Coco the deprived dog

Dear Deprived,
I feel your pain my friend. When they do give you a treat they make your work for it and do tricks. Nobody makes THEM do tricks to eat a piece of candy! Chocolate (the dark bakers kind especially) is bad for us, trust me, you do NOT want to go to the vet after you’ve gotten into the brownies! What they do to you at the vet is much worse than avoiding the stuff.
Jasmine
Dear Jasmine,
Why do humans get so upset at the things we eat? I love “kitty crunchies” from the litter box! They eat stuff that we wouldn’t touch all the time like lettuce, celery, and other stuff that has no flavor.
Signed,
Cat Lover

Dear Cat Lover,
Humans just don’t get that we like to eat stuff that smells and has some strong odors! What we eat is directly related to how it smells. The stronger it smells, the more we like it! My mom put the litter box up high where I can’t get to it anymore. Darn!
Humans are just simple-minded creatures and we have to learn to live with them. We have to eat boring stuff to keep them happy. It’s a dog’s life.
Jasmine

November 10, 2008 To breed or not to breed, that is the question...

2008-11-10T20:43:00.000-05:00

November 10, 2008

To breed or not to breed, that is the question….

So you want a new puppy. You have a certain breed in mind and you comb the newspapers for ads of puppies for sale. You find the breed you are looking for and go to see the puppies. Here's where you have to keep your heart out of things, not easy to do. Who could resist those sweet little balls of fur? You of course, fall madly in love with the puppy, buy it, and take it home. After a while, you think your new best friend needs a best friend of his own kind, and hey dogs are like potato chips, can't have just one! So you go through the newspapers again and find another breeder of another litter of the same kind of breed and it hits you, hey why not get the opposite sex so that we can breed them and have puppies of our own to sell? After all, we bought dogs with "papers", so we can make the most money possible right?
Just what do papers mean?
There are four main breed registrations for most breeds. There may be specific breed registries for rare breeds that the larger groups haven’t recognized yet. It’s “buyer beware” when you’re told the puppy you are buying has “papers.” If you are planning to breed this puppy, you need to know a lot more about it.
AKC - American Kennel Club
Established in 1884, this is the oldest breed club. This is the most well known breed registry and widely accepted by dog shows. This is not to say that if your puppy has AKC papers that its parents are truly AKC dogs. The mother may be, but who is the father? That information is on the “honor” system, which asks if the breeder witnessed the breeding. What if your breeder isn’t honest?
Did you know that more than one male could breed a female in the same heat cycle and she can have puppies from each male? If your dog is a German Shepherd and she is bred to another German Shepherd, and the neighbors Doberman, and to the stray Basset Hound mix, she can have some puppies that are 100% German Shepherd, some that are German Shepherd /Doberman, and some puppies that are half German Shepherd / Bassett Hound mix. You can’t always tell when they are born what you have. Unfortunately as the puppies grow and one has unusually short legs, it becomes apparent!
The papers are a birth certificate only. The person breeding the dogs is the one with the integrity. They have to be responsible enough to ensure the female didn’t come into any contact whatsoever with another dog! At this time, AKC does not require DNA testing on all breeds but it is coming.
UKC – United Kennel Club
Established in 1898, the United Kennel Club is the largest all-breed performance-dog registry in the world, registering dogs from all 50 states and 25 foreign countries. More than 60 percent of its 12,000 annually licensed events are tests of hunting ability, training, and instinct. UKC prides itself on its family-oriented, friendly, educational events. The UKC has supported the "Total Dog" philosophy through its events and programs for over a century. As a departure from registries that place emphasis on a dog’s looks, UKC events are for dogs that look and perform equally well.
Their shows do not use handlers other than the breeder. They focus on form and function, conformation and performance trials. Dogs can be doubled registered AKC and UKC when they meet all the criteria. This club is as reputable as AKC, and is a good registration to have. Again, they do not require DNA testing of all breeds at this time.
CKC- Canadian Kennel Club
This kennel club is in Canada and registers all purebred dogs similar to the AKC. The Canadian Kennel Club is a national, member-based, non-profit organization, incorporated under the Animal Pedigree Act of Canada. It provides registry services for all officially recognized breeds of purebred dogs, provides governance for all CKC approved shows, trial and events. Finally, the CKC is a communication organization informing all people interested in dogs. This CKC is not to be confused with the next kennel club.
CKC – Continental Kennel Club
This organization will register any dog without proof of heritage for a small fee, including mixed breeds and dogs of unknown parentage. They do not require DNA testing for parentage. Dogs that cannot be registered by any other breed registry are often “registered” by the Continental Kennel Club in order to provide registration papers with puppies.
Buyer Beware!
It is buyer beware with any dogs that have any registration papers unless there is DNA testing that proves scientifically, the parentage of the puppy you buy. Registrations are birth certificates and do not guarantee the health, breed standard, or quality of any puppy that it registers. It’s up to you to research the breeder and know your breed standards if you are looking for a purebred dog.
There are numerous genetic disorders that dogs have. If you are buying a puppy, you want to make sure you know the possible genetic disorders that your breed has screening for and that the puppy’s parents, and other generations have been tested and certified free of these disorders.
OFA is the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals that test dogs for bone disorders such as hip dysplasia, knee, and elbow disorders that are genetic in origin. You should have testing performed on breeds prone to these disorders before breeding and creating litters. The organization works with your vet for testing, and dogs are graded as to the degree of their fitness and certified so you can breed them. This certification does not guarantee the dog will never have these disorders; however, they won’t be genetic.
CERF - The Canine Eye Registration Foundation is a registry that keeps dogs tests for PRA on file with the breed registries to prove the dogs had testing for PRA and do not carry the gene for it.
Some of the disorders OFA and CERF test for are listed below. In my opinion, ALL breeders should have their dogs tested and certified BEFORE breeding them, and only dogs that pass the test 100% should be allowed to be bred. This would cut down the enormous problems we face now paying hundreds if not thousands of dollars for surgery to repair these problems, not to mention the pain and suffering by the innocent puppies who were born with these defects.
Hip dysplasia
Many large breed dogs develop hip dysplasia in their lifetime, which can be genetic. You can oftentimes manage hip dysplasia with pain medications, and surgery may be necessary to correct the malformation. This disorder is extremely painful and debilitating, and the dog’s quality of life is impaired.
Luxating patella
This is more common in small breeds such as Yorkies and Toy Poodles and its symptoms include, the dog holding up a hind leg to walk, showing lameness, and the knee joint making a popping sound when you lift the hind leg up. This usually requires surgery to correct and you need to make sure the dog doesn’t jump off furniture or spend lots of time jumping and potentially re-injuring the knee. This is a proven genetic disorder, and if the parents of the puppies have the disorder it’s very likely, the puppies will too. This is a painful and very disabling genetic defect.
Growth Plate Problems
Dogs and cats under one year of age have growth plates, which are located near the ends of the bones of the limbs. These growth plates are responsible for the growth of the bones. They are much softer than other parts of the bone, and are more prone to injury and fracture. Growth plates normally fuse and close as the pet matures, usually by age one year. This is a genetic problem and if fracture occurs, surgery is necessary.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy can be genetic, due to chemical allergies such as heartworm or flea medication or it idiopathic, meaning they don’t know why the dog has seizures. Usually you can control epilepsy with medication. However, sometimes the seizures become worse as the dog ages, medication no longer helps, and the dog is euthanized.
PRA- progressive retinal atrophy
This eye disorder causes early onset of complete blindness, usually before the age of two. It is genetic and you can have the parents of puppies tested to see if they are carriers of the disorder.
Deafness
The hearing test known as the brainstem auditory evoked response or BAER test will test puppies for deafness in breeds prone to it. Puppies with hearing parents may still be deaf. It is a genetic disorder that may go back several generations, and it’s related to color. Dalmatians, Harlequin colored and white Great Danes, and English Cocker Spaniels with the roaning or speckles in their coats and merle colors tend to have deafness in the genes. In addition, blue eyes can be a hallmark of deafness, but not always. Deaf puppies are hard to place in homes, and many times the breeder has the affected puppies euthanized after having this test performed.
If you want a particular breed for showing or breeding, or just a quality pet, then you should go to a reputable breeder that shows the breed, knows all of the heredity disorders, and does testing. Backyard breeders don’t do this. Puppy mills don’t do this. Pet stores don’t do this. So do your homework.

October 27, 2008 Wife Swap?

2008-10-27T22:15:00.000-04:00

October 27, 2008

Wife Swap?

Well this day fits in the “it could only happen to me” file.
I check my email and get this invitation to be on the ABC series “Wife Swap” on Fridays at 8 pm. This series is about families who trade moms to see how the other folks live and then halfway through the week, they change the rules and you have to live by the new mom’s rules. Amazingly, they are looking for a family that has a pet boutique, and has at least one child between the ages of 7 and 17. Well, I fit that description, and I’m sure they won’t choose me but of course, I got a big giggle out of it, and some friends put my name in anyway!
My husband got a huge grin on his face when I told him and he said sign up! He is under the assumption he will get someone “better” than what he has, oh poor misguided soul!
Now unless the woman who takes my place can groom dogs, run a salon, and homeschool her kids, I can’t foresee anyone taking my place at all. Not to mention run a houseful of pets and do it all without a husband around because he works seven days a week and is on the fire department, so even when he’s home, he’s usually out on a run or at a meeting. Yeah, good luck getting some help from him!
On the down side, I could see some woman coming in and being horrified that my house isn’t as pristine or kept as Martha Stewarts, and with a houseful of pets, plus the ones I groom, if you think my house doesn’t have pet hair in it, you are sorely mistaken! If I took the time to clean all the pet hair up, there wouldn’t be any time to groom or homeschool the kids, or do any of the millions of things I do but can’t think of right now.
Meanwhile I’m thinking if I get to step into the shoes of my polar opposite, for me this can’t be a bad thing. Maybe I’ll get the life of a pampered princess of a woman who probably has a housekeeper full time, and spends her days at the salon getting her nails done and a massage. Yep, for sure the person who gets my life is getting the short end of the stick!
I can’t think of any life that I couldn’t handle. Hard working? Sure, no problem! Lots of pets and squirrelly kids? Let me at ‘em! I’ve done plenty of hard jobs in my life, I’ve had farm animals, pigs, chickens, ducks, guineas, horses, miniature horses, llamas, you name it, and it’s been at my house. If it hasn’t, then I can manage anyway.
There haven’t been too many grungy jobs I haven’t tried either. I’ve cleaned pit toilets at Turkey Run State Park. Top that!
If by some reason they end up picking my family, my fear is they would get a person who keeps house like Martha Stewart and cooks a lot. That is something I’m sure my family could get used to, but how much fun would she be? Would she be able to write a book? Write a column? Laugh daily at herself? I may have my shortcomings, but thank God, I have a sense of humor about it!
For instance, this morning I was trying to reach Arnett Clinic, or Clarian Health or whatever they are called now, about some x-rays of my shoulder. The nurse had left a message on my answering machine a couple of times telling me to call them back for the results. Honestly, do I care if they blurt out my test results on my machine? It’s my shoulder for heaven’s sake and my phone; it’s not as if it’s a big secret. So I call the Otterbein clinic and am now greeted by a machine, press this to reach this . . . I press the number to get x-ray results and it says to speak to the desk press *, which I do and it says we can’t transfer you at this time, to go to the main menu press 1.
I can see this is getting me nowhere, so I call the main number for Arnett and tell them my dilemma, the woman says, “hold on and I’ll transfer you”. Then someone answers. “This is Dave”, I say, “Hi Dave, are you with the radiology department?” He says, “No ma’am, this is Caterpillar”. “Oh, well then Dave I guess you don’t have my x-ray results then do you.” I say laughingly. “No ma’am I don’t” “Sorry Dave, Arnett Clinic transferred me to you somehow.”
So, I call Arnett back and say, “Oops you goofed, you sent me to Caterpillar.” “No ma’am, that must’ve been someone else, what do you need?” and we get to go through the entire scenario again. Finally, I get to the right person and she is able to let me speak to the nurse who called me, and I get my answer of my x-ray, “Sandy they found nothing wrong at all on your x-ray”. “So that explains the knot on my shoulder and the pain” Must be in my head right? Sigh.
Guess I’ll take some ibuprofen and forget about it.
Meanwhile, I decide to hem up my new jeans that are supposed to be short length but are 6 inches too long. Why do jeans makers think if you have a big butt, you must also have long legs?
So, I grab a pair of jeans and I am on the phone doing my normal multi-tasking and I get 4 inches cut off, and sew up the hem and I turn them right-side out only to discover they aren’t my jeans but my sons!
About this time, he walks into the room and I bust out laughing. This is one of those it could only happen to me moments. Luckily, I didn’t cut off too much and his needed a little trim too, he just can’t grow anymore or he’ll look like a geek.
Wife Swap, bring it on! I double dog dare anyone to take my place and make it look easy. If they have a better way to do things, I’m game to learn it! Meanwhile I’ll enjoy my life on the beach they call their family to see how the other half lives! However, don’t hold your breath, I’m sure once they get a view of my life they’ll avoid us at all costs! Even T.V. can’t come up with a reality series as crazy as my life! Nobody would believe it!

October 14, 2008 Brittany or Lassie?

2008-10-14T20:06:00.000-04:00

When you have children, everything changes. When my son was two, and I was pregnant with my second son, I found myself looking for a kid friendly dog. I had gotten in touch with a sheltie rescue that had come to the house to interview us, but at that time, they didn’t have a dog that fit our particular needs. I was a busy mom who ran a grooming salon and had one small child and another one on the way. I didn’t need a puppy. I preferred a dog with more “experience”. I remembered a collie breeder Estella Thomas from Spice Rack Collies near my old hometown and decided to give her a call. I told Estella my situation and asked her if collies would be a good match for small children. “I think I have just the girl for you,” she said, “if you don’t mind an older female”.
“That’s EXACTLY what I had in mind!” I said and off we went to meet her. Brittany was a beautiful 6 year old, tri-factored sable collie that was calm and laid back and oh so loving. She took to us instantly and she immediately became part of our family. My son would walk around with the cereal box and learned sharing, one for me, one for you. She was our constant companion.
One day while I was out in my salon grooming and Drew was napping, I saw Brittany jumping up in the windows outside the salon on my property. She was frantically barking, but I could barely hear her due to the noise of the blow dryers and clippers. I shut off the dryers and noise so I could check on her, and then I hear the baby monitor. I heard Drew crying, he was awake and she was coming to tell me!
She took her babysitting duties very seriously. When we were moving from the farm to a house in town, we were selling all of our horses and equipment and a friend stopped by to check out what was for sale. She left her sleeping infant in her van with the car running. Nobody could hear him, but Brittany did. She began barking and pawing at the van door. I hurried to get her away from the van before she scratched the paint, and sure enough, the baby was crying!
After the move and birth of my son, Lane, Brittany stood watch over the little guy as he lay sleeping on the floor. She literally stood over him, straddling his body, and as babies will do, he reached up and pulled on her long flowing collie hair, on her sensitive stomach! Before I could get to him, I saw her wince yet she still stood there as if to say, “It’s ok, he’s just a baby, I can take it”. She wouldn’t dream of biting a child, no matter what the torture! I kept her hair shorter after that so it wouldn’t be so tempting to grab.
She lay on the floor beside the kids while they napped, once, Lane managed to toddle to the dog door and fall backwards out of it! Lucky for him Brittany had just gone outside, and she was there licking his head while he cried. She knew how to make it all better.
She would stand between the kids and a strange dog if she had bad vibes about them. She stood between dogs that I had to groom that had aggressive tendencies and me too. She didn’t have an aggressive bone in her body, yet she stood there as if to say, “You’re going to have to go through me first”. She always made her point in the most well-mannered and subtle way.
We adopted Katy a standard poodle who was about Brittany’s age all the way from Texas. We rolled in the driveway about 2am and being a groomer and excited from the trip I decided to give Katy a haircut and bath right away. I trimmed up her hair before I decided to bathe her, and while bathing her I saw Brittany walk over the pile of black curls on the floor and pee all over it! I was shocked! Brittany NEVER did that! She never showed any type of dominance to the hundreds of dogs that had strolled through my door before. Other than the time of day, how did she know this dog was going to stay and she was telling her in dog speak, I was here first this place is mine, and now you are mine too.
I cleaned up the mess while the two dogs got to know each other. There were never any lifted lips, growls or any differences of opinion between them. They would each patiently wait for the other one to eat, and then they would eat. They shared everything.
One day it was storming and the tornado sirens went off. My husband is a firefighter and his radio was confirming sightings of a tornado coming our way. He had to run and help the fire department during the storm so I put the kids into the basement and grabbed the dogs; I had to force them to walk down the stairs because they had never seen stairs before, so I pulled the two 60lb.dogs down with me. The dogs paced and Brittany kept going up to the staircase and taking a step or two then she backed down. We stayed in the basement until the storm passed and after we all came up, I looked down and there was Katy at the bottom of the stairs, pacing and worried because she didn’t know how to come back up. “Oh Tim, for Pete’s sake go down and get Katy, she can’t come back up” I said to my husband. Just then, Brittany looked down at her friend, went down by herself, nudged Katy gently on the side, and walked up beside her. True friendship! Brittany was “Lassie” in so many ways over the years. I truly don’t know how I would have managed to raise two small children without her.

October 9, 2008 Baby-proofing your home for pets

2008-10-09T20:45:00.000-04:00

October 9, 2008

Baby-proofing your home for pets

There’s nothing like getting a new kitten or puppy to remind you how unsafe your house is. Let’s face it, our older pets have gotten used to the place and don’t bother things but bring in a new pet, especially a baby or young one and you get a new appreciation for those older pets!
Just last night I was reminded of that fact when I went to make some toys for our latest acquisition, a kitten who found us. I tied a mouse toy to a piece of string and put it up on top of her cat climbing post I just put together. I forgot about it, and we had put a little bit of kitty kibble up there to entice her to use it. My husband asked, “What is she eating?” I said, “Oh, that’s just some kitten food”. However, as I looked at her, I saw her gnawing on something and got closer to see her working on the end of the mouse toy, with the entire string INSIDE of her!
I gently pulled on it and out came about 18 inches of string! If my husband hadn’t said anything, I may not have noticed. Cats eating string is deadly. It doesn’t always pass. My old cat Fuzz used to like to get into my sewing area and he became sick one day, over the weekend, began vomiting and by the time I got him to the vet, he was in very bad shape. They didn’t find anything, took some blood, and kept him overnight. When they called me the next day, he had died in the night. The only thing they could attribute his death to, was some thread that was wrapped around a tooth. When they ingest thread, it can strangulate the intestines and cause the symptoms he had. We didn’t know. Fuzz was only one year old.
Animals get into EVERYTHING. Trash for instance; forget all the bad stuff that’s inside your garbage, the wrappers of trash are deadly. Plastic bags and even a potato chip bag with an enthusiastic pup snarfing down the crumbs can cause suffocation and death. It’s happened to some friends of mine.
If you have a trash hound, put your can away where the dog can’t get to it, inside a cabinet, closet, or pantry. Remember to take out your trash every night before bed, so your little adventurer won’t have anything to get into. We tried putting the trash can on top of the kitchen island, which worked for a while until I caught my cat working in cahoots with the dogs and knocking it over for them. I went to Pamida and bought a cabinet for the trashcan and that works. Nobody is in the garbage now.
You can use baby gates to block off areas that are off limits. You can also use a crate to keep your pup in when you can’t supervise them. You need to get on your hands and knees and crawl all around your home looking for things that harm your pet. Electrical cords, things that have been eaten by your couch but you can’t see like pens, pencils, small toys, marbles, coins, etc. There is no end to the number of seemingly harmless things that are deadly to your pet.
Want some incentive to put away your laundry? Wait until you get a puppy that eats socks and underwear that you have to pay a few hundred for surgery to save.
Veterinarians are constantly trying to help animals that get into foreign things. Pets are JUST LIKE TODDLERS. If you have kids or grandkids you know that you have to watch them constantly and keep harmful stuff locked away right? Well guess what, you have to do the same thing for your pets. If your pet gets into something and gets sick or dies, whose fault is it?
Even food items can be deadly, onions, macadamia nuts, walnuts, raisins and grapes for example, you should never feed to pets. Many pets have died from those as well as ingesting pills that have fallen on the floor that you lost. Aspirin is toxic to cats! Aspirin is okay to give to a dog, but a cat can go into seizures and die.
I know that I have taken my house for granted for several years now, because I’m used to older pets who don’t feel the need to get into everything, but no more! We have made it a family rule to all get on our hands and knees, inspect everything, and get things up off the floor we don’t normally see. We will move furniture and leave no stone unturned!
Guess what’s coming up soon? I know, I really hate to admit it, but the season to be jolly is coming up quick and oh boy, a new kitten and a Christmas tree! What was I thinking? Oh my gosh, ornaments and those hooks! I can already see disaster in my house. I know I have to keep a few ornaments put away until this kitten grows up and learns to leave things alone. Well, if I want to keep the ornaments and the cat. I’m sure I can come up with some kitten safe stuff to decorate the tree. I know what is likely to happen; kitten will climb up the tree and knock stuff off. It may as well be stuff that can’t break and cause shards of glass to get into your feet, or hers. I’ll put that on my list of to do’s before the big event. Cat’s can climb over anything, but if you have a puppy, you can put an x-pen around the tree, it effectively blocks off things or you can confine your puppy to it when needed. A child’s playpen can work too, believe it or not, to put the Christmas tree in to keep the puppy away from it, if the tree isn’t too big.
What if your puppy eats a glass ornament? This is what to do: get some cotton balls, the real cotton type, not the synthetic, and dip them in milk or half & half and feed them to your dog, the cotton will pick up shards of glass inside your pets stomach and intestines so they cause less damage, of course then take your dog to the vet immediately!
Of course, since Halloween is upon us soon, be sure to keep the candy put up away from the pets! Artificial sweeteners in some candies are deadly to pets. Remember cats can climb on top of just about anything, and chocolate, especially the dark chocolate or bakers chocolate can make your pet very sick, and can cause death too.
Okay, well that should be enough to scare the wits out of you. Who needs Halloween, just let me scare you! I hate to be the grim reaper, but if you don’t already know this stuff, and something happens to your pet and I hear about it, then I’m going to feel guilty that I didn’t warn you. If you have a puppy, kitten or even a new adult dog or cat that isn’t used to your home, take heed of these warnings. If you have older pets that never get into things count your blessings and give them a big hug! Just remember even the most obedient pets get into things they aren’t supposed to occasionally. Keep them safe. Dig out your kneepads and get to work!

September 29, 2008 Things I've learned about dogs over the last 40 years.

2008-09-29T22:14:00.000-04:00

September 29, 2008

Things I’ve learned about dogs over the last 40 years.

I recently celebrated a milestone birthday…the big 40. Gosh, I don’t feel 40! That used to be considered “old”, or at least “middle aged”. In some ways it’s empowering, and in other ways it’s just plain scary!
I look back at my pets over the past 40 years…well ok 36, I can’t remember much before I was 4 years old, but that is when I had my first dog, a Chihuahua named Dolly. I was born and raised in California and I guess we were rather progressive back then overall, because we actually had Dolly spayed at a low cost spay neuter clinic for a whopping $5.
Dolly ate Gaines Burgers dog food back then mostly, and some table scraps of course. I remember her eating canned Skippy dog food occasionally, because I remember tasting it for her! Hey, I was only five, it happens!
She was plump, not terribly fat, but pleasingly plump. We never heard of heartworm disease back then, and for fleas, we used flea powder. How she breathed through that fog of dust is beyond me!
I remember my mom always complaining that she was stinky. She truly was, you could bathe her and the next day she reeked! What we didn’t know back then was that her diet played a huge part of that odor. We didn’t know about tooth care or brushing teeth. Though my memory is a bit fuzzy, I’m sure her teeth could’ve used a dental cleaning many times. I don’t remember ever hearing of dogs getting their teeth cleaned back then.
I remember her nails as I grew up how long they were. I never knew what a groomer was back then. I’m sure either we did it ourselves, or had it done at the vet occasionally, but we rarely ever went to the vet.
I remember her scooting across the carpet on her rear and laughing, not knowing back then that it was because she had impacted anal glands.
I remember we used Sulfodene on her skin for her constant scratching, which back then my mom attributed to fleas or dry skin if she scratched and nobody knew then what impact diet played on the skin of dogs.
I remember moving to Indiana in 1981 and going to the IGA in Rockville and reading on the cans of Alpo, “with real horsemeat chunks” and thinking EWWW! I was a horse lover and couldn’t fathom anyone feeding horsemeat! I’m guessing that bit of information must’ve caused problems because they no longer have that on the cans.
I remember as she aged, that she didn’t take anything for arthritis, yet she walked so stiff, and she lived in the garage, with her bed in an old hamper turned on its side with a heating pad inside it. I guess my parents thought that was spoiling her back then. Animals weren’t allowed in the house when I grew up.
Looking back, we weren’t good pet owners. How poor Dolly managed to live to be 17 is beyond me. I know now that if she were alive today, she’d be in much better health, living in my house, eating decent food without by-products, corn, wheat, animal digest, and animal fat (non-specified) BHT and BHA in her dog food.
Now I know the damage that those ingredients cause. I’m not saying she didn’t live a long life, but it could have been so much better! If we had the flea control products available today back then I’m sure she would’ve been allowed in the house more.
If Dolly were alive today, she would live inside the warm house in a soft comfortable bed for her old joints; she would be on glucosamine products and painkillers to help with her arthritis. She would eat Eagle Pack Holistic or Innova Evo, she would have a shiny coat, no dandruff, no dry or oily skin, no itching, no scratching, and no odor, and of course, if she were alive today I’d be taking care of her anal glands. I would take care of her teeth and have them cleaned so she didn’t suffer with a mouthful of gingivitis. She would live the life of a member of my family, as it should be.
She still loved us, the poor dear, and I feel so bad that she lived that way back then. I know that if we knew then what we know now, she would’ve been better cared for, yet I still see dogs living that way now. Now there is no excuse for it. Unless you live under a rock, I know you‘ve had to see commercials or read about flea control. I know that a good veterinarian would give a more thorough exam today, point out bad teeth, and try to educate you on proper care. Today groomers are an extremely important part of pet health care. Groomers see pets more often than the veterinarian does, generally speaking, and groomers are the ones who find lumps, bumps, inflamed skin, allergy ears, bad teeth, and are the first ones to point out these issues to the pet’s owners. Most groomers are good at recommending a good food to feed your pet, because we see the effects of a poor diet daily.
Just yesterday, I had informed a client that her brand of dog food, Pedigree has been recalled due to salmonella. In fact, Pedigree, Special Kitty, and Ol’ Roy are some of the brands in this newest recall. Why haven’t we heard about this? Luckily, I get my information from the internet lists that I’m on that try hard to keep us all informed of pet food recalls and problems. Look it up for yourself at www.petcare.mars.com
Times have changed, pets are family and if someone isn’t willing to take proper care of their pet, why on Earth do they have one? Why are people willing to pay over $1,000 for a puppy at a pet store but they won’t buy decent dog food to feed it, and then they spend a fortune on vet bills to treat all the symptoms caused by a poor diet?
For that matter, why aren’t more vets enlightened about pet food ingredients? I recently reconnected with a veterinarian in Pine Village at Hoofstock Veterinary Service. Dr. Cathy Alinovi who has recently gone “holistic” in other words, she received more than her veterinary education about pet food. She learned what all those ingredients in foods really are, and she learned that some of the “prescription diets” aren’t what they are cracked up to be ingredient wise. She knows the connection between ailments and pet food and she’s happy to recommend the same foods that I do. She has done her homework on ingredients! She does more than just treat symptoms; she gets to the root of the problem. So many pet ailments can be avoided or treated simply by changing the diet.
You don’t know how happy I am to finally speak to a veterinarian that does some research! It’s nice to be validated by a veterinarian! You also don’t know how happy I am to be able to buy awesome quality pet food at K&K feed store in Attica. I know now that I’ll never let another animal live the way my poor Dolly did when I was a kid. I’m so glad that I grew up, learned more about pet care, and continue to learn. Pet care isn’t just my job, it’s my mission! Education of pet owners is my goal. I promise that I will always answer your questions and try to point you to the best resources. Don’t let Dolly’s life be in vain. Take a close look at your pet and your pet’s care. Are you treating your pet as a member of your family? Do you care for your pet as you do your children? If not, make some changes today. It’s time that we are informed and make better choices for our pets.

September 15, 2008 Butterfly Births and Broken Hearts

2008-09-15T19:37:00.000-04:00

My kids and I witnessed something rather amazing today. I had bought a squirrel feeder a couple weeks ago and I hadn’t had time to put it up yet, so it was just leaning against my porch. When I was ready to hang it, my son tells me, “no Mom, you can’t hang it yet, it has a cocoon on it”. Sure enough, underneath the little seat where the squirrel would sit to eat his ear of corn, a little chrysalis was hanging. I left it alone until yesterday when we showed the little chrysalis to a friend. I could start to see through the tiny green bag and could see the outline of wings. We put the squirrel feeder upstairs on our screened in porch so we could observe it as it went along.

Well, today we went out, and it had hatched! A wet Monarch butterfly had just crawled out of the now transparent chrysalis and hadn’t even opened up its wings. My son couldn’t resist and he put his hand out for it to crawl on. The little butterfly took to him right away and we watched it for a long time and even took several photos of it walking all over him, up his arm, on his head. I had never been this up close with a butterfly before. Usually they fly away so fast I can’t get any photos. This one however was still trying to dry out from hatching, no easy feat on a rainy day.

We took the little butterfly out to our newly planted mums and it sat there with its wings held together looking rather miserable with the nasty weather. The kids even made a makeshift umbrella for it, so it wouldn’t be rained on. I gave up and said, well let’s put it back upstairs on the porch so it can dry out and we’ll check on it later.

Never missing an opportunity to learn something, we looked up Monarch butterflies on the internet and found out some fascinating facts. For instance, did you know you could tell the difference between male and female Monarchs? Females have wider veins in the wings, therefore darker wider lines. Our butterfly was a girl! The kids even named her “Julie”, and between doing some writing and learning all about butterflies and their lifespan, habitats, migration and body parts, they kept a close eye on her and checked on her to see if she was ready to fly yet.

I went up to check on them and they told me they saved her from a cobweb in the corner, apparently, she walked up the screen and managed to be caught. They killed the spider, knocked down the web, and set her free again. Julie looked indeed grateful! She continued to walk all over my son, and make herself comfortable on her new “Mommy”. Since he was the first person she saw, I told him that she must think he’s her mom. Well that and from our research we found out butterflies are cold blooded and don’t care to be cold, so sitting on his head was a nice warm spot for her!

We got on with our day, leaving Julie upstairs until we were sure she was ready to fly. She could easily escape, the spaces between the deck boards were wide enough she could go through them. I didn’t expect her to be there later when they went back up.
To their horror and mine, they came down yelling that a praying mantis was eating Julie! Oh no! I went upstairs ready to do battle with the killer bug that was eating our friend, armed with a 3-foot long piece of PVC pipe. There it was, high on the screen with poor little Julie in its grasp. I knocked it down, but it was too late. Julie was dead. Therefore, in a period of about 8 hours, we witnessed the birth and death of something beautiful. Sometimes life just isn’t fair, rescued from a spider, only to die by a praying mantis. The circle of life around here goes too fast! It’s so hard to deal with death when you are a child. No matter how small or insignificant, life means something.

I’ve discovered my son has a way with animals of all types, and a tender heart when things go wrong. I guess that goes to show you how much love when you become a “mom”, even if you become a “mom” to a little butterfly.

September 1, 2008 It's official, I'm an author!

2008-09-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

This month has been a whirlwind of things going on. After the fair, I was gearing up and growing out Jasmine for The All American Grooming Show, for creative grooming, in between grooming my customers dogs for the summer of course. August 1st, the book I wrote last summer was finally published and on the market! “The EVERYTHING Dog Grooming Book” by Sandy Blackburn has finally been born!
(Clears throat, ahem… “I’d like to thank all the little people….”)
It’s a surreal feeling, being a published author. I know writers try for years to become published and honestly, this was just a fluke, I did not intend to write a book but they approached me! How could I say no? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to make my mark on the world. I have to say, I’m proud of the book as a whole.
Adams media is the publisher and they have a series of EVERYTHING books about well, just about everything! It’s a lot like the “for dummies” books you see at the store, very easily explained only they don’t insult you by calling you a dummy. (I have some of the “for dummies” series of books at home too, but the title really does put me off, I’m no dummy.)
It’s a how to manual about grooming your pet, well everything you can cram into 255 pages. There is so much to grooming there’s no way you can put it all into one book, which explains why I have my own library of grooming books at home. I used this opportunity to explain all that groomers do. Unless you watch the entire process, I can assure you that you have no idea how much work is actually involved. Most people go to groomers not only for haircuts, but also for bathing and nail trims because it’s just not that easy to get the job done at home. My book has a lot of information on training your pet to accept grooming more willingly and different household products that you can use to help you groom your pet.
Some people have asked me if I’m shooting myself in the foot by writing a book telling people how to groom their pets at home. The simple answer is no of course not, once people try it themselves, they will either: A. Like it and decide it’s something they want to do or B. Try it, decide it’s too much work and call in reinforcements.
I’m not offended either way. There are enough dogs in Attica for 10 groomers!
However, it was nice going into detail about exactly what we do and how we do it. I’ve been grooming for so long I had to stop and really think about questions that I had before. I asked numerous people what they wanted to know how to do, or why we do it, and I was surprised at some of the questions that I just assumed everyone knew the answers to. You never stop learning!
Writing the book was the easy part, I wrote the book last summer from April to July. I had a killer deadline! Waiting for the entire process of editing, rewriting, reviewing, and numerous changes later, actually seeing the book in print took about a year! I still don’t know a whole lot about the book publishing industry, as I did this all via computer and online to editors. What I do know is, there are tons of people with certain jobs to do and they do a very thorough job at that!
I was glad that I had the final word over what changes I would accept and my editors were very patient and nice to me and walked me through the process.
I’m still on such a high since the books arrived that I haven’t come down yet! Now I truly appreciate what writers go through and the ups and downs of getting a book published. I get why it’s such a big deal now!
I so admire those who can write novels and stories that they can make up in their heads, which will never happen to me. I can’t do fiction. I have zero imagination for making up stories and plots. I’ll stick to the how to manuals and writing true stories, that’s more my style. I’m sure teachers who read this column shake their heads at my grammatical errors, sorry people; spell check only does so much. This is just me; this is how I speak and how I write. I’d love to write flowery words and poetic verses but that’s not going happen either. I’m a “tell it like it is” sort of person. Thank you to “The Neighbor” newspaper for accepting me and my frank opinions and bad grammar! So, if you are looking for a how to manual on dog grooming, “The EVERYTHING Dog Grooming Book” is available in bookstores and online and of course, at my salon!

August 4, 2008 More About Pet Food

2008-08-04T22:08:00.000-04:00

August 4, 2008

More About Pet Food

I recently ran onto a website about pet food comparisons, contacted the author of it, and spoke with her. I found we were like-minded and asked her permission to reprint her article on comparing pet food prices. She granted me permission, so her article in its entirety is below:

Secrets to Comparing Pet Food Prices

I recently received an email asking my opinion about a couple of different types of pet foods – what I thought about the quality of the foods. Both of the pet foods he asked about (which he was feeding his ‘family’) were what I considered to be very inferior foods. I informed him of this and his response was that they probably couldn’t afford a better food.

While I understand that better quality dog and cat foods can be two or even three times more expensive than some of the cheaper brands, folks who think they can’t afford it, unfortunately, will ‘pay’ in the end. When a pet is sick with kidney or liver disease, when a pet must be treated for skin irritations and ear infections – vet bills to ‘fix’ the health concern cost pet owners far more than the ‘few cents’ a meal to feed them quality nutrition. And I’m often questioned about this ‘few cents a meal’ theory – but before you question me too, let me explain.

Many pet owners suffer ‘sticker shock’ when considering purchasing a better quality food. They look at the price tag and gasp when considering how fast Fido or Fluffy eats that bag of food. What they don’t know is that with better quality pet foods, you don’t feed as much – cheap foods have cheap ‘filler’ ingredients that do not satisfy the nutritional needs of the pet, thus they eat A LOT more attempting to get the nutrition that their body is telling them they need. Better quality foods/ingredients provide the animal with quality nutrition and they eat on average 1/3 less.

So let’s break it down to cost per meal…
Let’s say your pet currently eats 1 cup of food per day. A 20 pound bag of food will provide you with about 50 servings. If the food costs you $15.00 for a 20 pound bag – that equals about .30 per meal.

Now with a good quality pet food – feeding about 1/3 less – a 20 pound bag will provide you about 80 servings. If the better food costs $30.00 for a 20 pound bag – that breaks down to a little less than .38 cents a meal.

So even though the price tag of the food reads to be twice as expensive – it’s actually far from the truth. Using the above example, at .30 cents per meal, two meals a day, in one month you are spending around $18.00 per month to feed a pet with the inferior food. With the apparent twice as expensive higher quality pet food, at .38 cents per meal, two meals a day, in one month you are spending around $22.80 per month. Less than $5.00 per month difference that can save you thousands of dollars in vet bills and add years to their life. You must look at the cost per meal to completely give the price of the food consideration.

Here is what has happened to us…for years and years we’ve watched the television commercials of pet food. They emphasize the words ‘for your pet’s health’ or ‘choice’. We’ve trusted them and we’ve followed their directions to feed our pet 2 or 3 cups of food per day. What we didn’t know was that those recommended 2 or 3 cups of food was necessary because the pet food contained cheap inferior nutrition sources like by-products, meat and bone meal, and grains.

So, it has become our habit to feed more – which they do need more with inferior ingredients. Then someone like myself comes along and tells you how horrible ingredients like by-products and meat and bone meal are – and you learn that grains such as corn, wheat, and soy are inferior – and since this recent pet food recall, you learn that chemicals can actually be added to variations of these grains (glutens)…so then you look over your options at the pet store or online. And you think in terms of how much per ‘bag’ of food. After all, you’ve probably tried several different types of pet food in the past – maybe even one or two that cost a little more than the cheap brands – and you still ended up feeding the same 2 or 3 cups of food a day. Naturally, you look at the $30.00 for a 20 pound bag of pet food and gasp at the cost – you are thinking just the way they want you to think…in terms of the cost of the bag, not the cost of the serving.

The determining factor for your choice of pet food should not be cost or advertising. You must look at and understand those first five ingredients. Of course there is much more involved than the first five ingredients, but in my research…if the first five ingredients of a pet food are good, so are the rest of the ingredients. If a pet food manufacturer cares enough to make the first five ingredients quality – which is the majority of the food…they care enough to make all of the ingredients quality. Don’t be mislead into any comfort zone of a pet food manufacturers advertising…do your homework and read and understand at least the first five ingredients of your pet’s food.

With better, more nutritious pet foods – they do NOT need as much as with the cheaper foods. Don’t let the old habit of feeding more sway you when you switch to a more nutritious pet food – again, with more quality ingredients they just don’t need as much food as with inferior ingredients. If you switch your pet to a quality pet food and continue to feed the same amount as the lesser quality food you were feeding – your pet will gain weight.

The daily amount of food our pets require depends on many things such as activity level, age, breeding animals, or neutered animals. As an example, my 100 pound German Shepherd only eats two cups of food per day; 1 cup AM, 1 cup PM. My little guy (8 pound Papillion eats about 1/3 cup a day. Both dogs are active. However, my little guy is young and is fairly high energy level. My big guy is 12 years old and much more sedate. Considering his little size, the small dog eats far more for his size than the big dog. His energy and activity level requires it.

My cat on the other hand free feeds – he has access to a full bowl of food at all times and eats when he wants. He has never been an over eater and this works well for him. I could never do the same with my dogs.

So serving size for your pet is something you will need to experiment with. If your dog or cat has no ‘figure’ – shows no waist when looking at them from above – chances are they need to lose a few pounds. Cut back the serving size. If you can visibly see ribs – they probably need to gain a couple of pounds and you need to slightly increase the serving size. Please note too that a cup of food a day at 2 years old will more than likely be too much food when they are a little older. Keep a constant monitoring eye on them - a healthy weight is a healthier pet.

And please don’t just look at the cost of the bag of food, look at (at least) the first five ingredients and consider the cost of the serving.

Wishing you and your pets good health,

Susan Thixton
Truth About Pet Food
Petsumer Report
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/

With that article in mind, I wanted to also let you in on some really good news in Fountain and Warren Counties. K&K Feeds and Gift Shop on Highway 28 (41 N) between Attica and Williamsport is now carrying some really GREAT lines of holistic dog and cat foods that have far superior ingredients than the old standby’s. Innova Evo is a line of feeds I recommend as well as Eagle Pack and Eagle Pack Holistic, as well as some Royal Canin! Finally, we have some great food choices for our pets nearby and won’t have to drive to Buckles Feed Depot in Lafayette! That’s good news for the gas tank and for our pets!
If your dog has allergies, you may be surprised to learn that a change in dog food was the only thing necessary to alleviate his symptoms. I urge everyone to compare the ingredients in their dogs food to the brands listed above and try it for a month. Groomers see differences in skin and coat and can usually tell when their food has been changed. Perhaps it’s because we see the pets more often than the veterinarian does.
Do your own research and find out for yourself, once you learn more about what goes into your pet’s body, you’ll find you can change many problems with better food.

July 21, 2008 4H Dog Obedience and Agility

2008-07-21T12:34:00.000-04:00

4H Dog Obedience and Agility

This years Fountain county fair was another great success; we had a great group of kids and dogs doing agility, showmanship and dog obedience. My son has been doing dog obedience for his 3rd year with Jasmine, our standard poodle. The first year was easy, all on leash and she’s normally very good with sit stays and down stays. Last year was a bit harder, some off leash work but she still did a good job overall. This year was all off leash and although we think she’s obedient enough for home, we figured out obedience 4H style or dog show in general style, isn’t as easy as it seems.
I don’t expect perfection with my dogs, Household manners yes, I insist on them not being obnoxious to people, and of course I don’t tolerate aggression in any form; thankfully I’ve never had that with any of my dogs. I don’t sweat the small stuff. I give kudos to those great dogs that can do it all and do it well, and I know the time the kids have to put into the dogs to get them to that level. I applaud the handlers of those dogs! I just don’t see us putting that sort of time into getting those performances out of Jasmine.
For instance, this year she had to fetch a plastic dumbbell, Jasmine isn’t a retrieving sort of dog, at least in her mind. Yes, she’s a standard poodle. Standard Poodles are like Labrador Retrievers, which are water dogs, and bred to retrieve ducks. I’ve seen them do it! However, apparently Jasmine doesn’t realize this, and thinks she’s a throw rug at our house, content to lie on the floor directly in your path so you have to step over her. She likes squeaky toys, and likes to do tricks; she likes to do agility, but fetching? That’s not going to happen! We worked with her, we clicker trained, we bribed, we did everything we could to make her like her dumbbell but she was not interested in it. We did manage to teach her to open her mouth so we could put it in. Then she immediately drops it. Of course, that wasn’t good enough for dog obedience, but with baseball, other 4H projects and working, there wasn’t really much time to get her any further than that. We knew she was not going to do well this year. We resigned ourselves to that fact and got it in our minds not to get upset when she wouldn’t’ do the fetch. As expected, she didn’t do the fetch. She looked at Drew like “you want me to go get that thing and put it in my mouth? I don’t think so!” That was okay with us. We didn’t’ work very hard on that this summer and we got what we put into it. Not every dog likes dumbbells. I can live with that.
Nevertheless, leave it to Jasmine to be comic relief when the pressure is on. When she had to heel and do a figure eight around two posts, which this year were a couple of our lovely fair queen’s court, she did the typical big dog with a long nose thing. She goosed the girl!
The girl let out a squeal, and sort of jumped forward; I couldn’t help but bust out laughing hysterically. (My apologies to her for my dog’s behavior and my very loud laugh!) Needless to say, Jasmine lost some points for “sniffing”.
Then on Tuesday we had agility and Jasmine found what she really likes to do! She loves running, jumping, climbing, and going through tunnels. She did much better at agility and I intend to get some agility equipment for her to play with at home. I like to see a happy dog!
The most amazing dog was Libby, a German shorthaired pointer with only three legs. She was in an accident a couple of years ago and had to have her left hind leg removed. Libby cleared all the same jumps at the same heights and did it with grace and style. I tell you, it brought tears to my eyes! I was so impressed! Libby was our Grand Champion this year! We had an awesome group of dogs and kids and I hope to see them again next year. I wish we could do agility without obedience, but I guess you have to take the bitter with the sweet. Rules are rules. At least that gives us a whole year to get Jasmine to learn to like her dumbbell or at least to fetch it. We intend to put some real effort into doing that.
The fair has ended, and though as anything you do with your kids’ costs money, I had to think:
Cost of gasoline to drive back and forth to dog obedience this year - $100.00

Cost of dumbbell for dog to fetch $5.00

Watching your dog goose one of the fair queens during her obedience performance – PRICELESS!

July 7, 2008 What's that? A purple poodle!

2008-07-07T22:08:00.000-04:00

July 7, 2008

What’s that? A purple poodle!

I do creative grooming competitively, so when Alice Rollins asked me if I had any kid safe dogs I could bring to the free petting zoo at McDonald Park, I said “Sure! What color?” I took Jasmine for a walk after coloring her Saturday, and she stopped traffic, literally! Three cars stopped in the middle of the road and people jumped out with camera phones!
One woman said, “I'm putting this on my MySpace page!”
Little kids fell in love with her, people went crazy for her color and passersby smiled, honked, waved.
She was a HUGE hit on Sunday in the park! She upstaged all the goats, geese, rabbits, donkeys, mini horses, chickens and a box turtle too, (sorry people).
They forgot to make signs for the free petting zoo, so Jo Pugh hurried up to make some while I just walked Jasmine up and down the sidewalk, by the highway... she STOPPED TRAFFIC! Heads were turning as people were driving. I was waiting for someone to hit a pole or building!
Cars pulled over to the curb, which by the way is no place to stop people, it's a HIGHWAY! No matter, people whipped out their cell phone cameras and snapped away.
There were so many comments on the purple poodle and she had her picture taken many times, with little kids loving on her. One little boy who was terrified of dogs after his Grandpa's beagle bit him recently, I told his mom, that's why I brought her, she's good therapy for this...and proceeded to ask him, “Have you ever seen a purple dog?” “No” he replied, as he shudders and scoots away from her. I said, “Well you don't have to worry, she won't bite you, she LOVES kids! How can you be afraid of something that looks like this? Just feel how soft she is” ...he reaches out...tentatively, she turns to lick him and he jumps back, I said “Oh, she’s saying don't stop petting me now!” He reached down and started petting her again.
Several minutes later, after he had visited with all the other animals, I was chatting with someone and I turn and look and that same little boy who is terrified of dogs, is standing there with all the confidence in the world, petting Jasmine on the head! I looked at his mom and smiled, she looked grateful!
I told her I wouldn't bring a dog that wasn't safe.
A little boy with Down's syndrome climbed all over her, literally! She loved it.
Music was playing, I was asked to dance to jazz up the crowd, and I told Alice “Ha! Fat chance, but Jasmine will.” I got some treats and she put on quite the show! What a dog!
She did tricks, I had some kids hand her treats that were afraid of dogs...yep, she's a therapy dog for sure.
I met the world’s cutest and sweetest Chihuahua named Chico who belonged to the mini donkey and horse owner that would win a best kisser award hands down! I would've taken him home! Her husband told me his wife would get rid of him before she got rid of that dog! I don't blame her!
Sheltie Rescue of Greater Lafayette participated and brought adoptable dogs to the park for people to pet and meet, hopefully to get a new forever home.
Our wonderful public library was also there handing out tattoos for the children. You know it’s a sign of the times when a little boy heard they were passing out tattoos and he turned to me and asked, “Do they have needles?” I assured him they were only stick-on tattoos and he wouldn’t feel any pain.
Overall, it was a beautiful day!
Everybody is so busy and it never ceases to amaze me at all the wonderful people we have here in Attica that are willing to put in their time and energy to put on activities like this for our kids. Alice Rollins is a jewel to Attica, she works tirelessly to put things together for the community and help beautify and appreciate our town. I love that we had such a wonderful turnout of people not only to visit the petting zoo, but also to take the time, energy and gasoline to bring those wonderful critters to the park for everyone to see. Those people are jewels as well because they care enough to do something positive for the community with no compensation other than seeing the smiles on the little faces that pet their animals.
I learned that everyone has a story to tell about themselves, and their life. I’m always amazed at the strength some people have after tragedy in their lives. One woman told me about how she had a bad day one day and while wallowing in self-pity and comfort food at a restaurant, she decided to turn it around and told the cashier as she was leaving, I’m paying for their meal too, don’t tell them who did it. She paid for a complete stranger’s meal, and you know what? It made her feel better. Her bad day turned into a good one by that random act of kindness. It didn’t end there, all the frustration she was feeling was about a test she was sure she didn’t pass, but it turns out that she did. I love to see good things happen to good people.
Maybe the next time you see someone on the street, instead of just looking and automatically passing judgment, think about the story in his or her life, because we all have one. You may be amazed to find out just how strong, kind, or wise they are. Think about your own life, how can you turn your tragedies into triumphs? Reach out to your community and pay it forward. You’ll be amazed at the impact you’ll have. Sometimes it can be as simple as a purple poodle putting a smile on a little boy’s face that was afraid of dogs.

June 17, 2008 FLEAS!!!

2008-06-17T22:07:00.000-04:00

June 17, 2008

FLEAS!!!

It’s summertime and fleas are in full force again this year. What I’ve noticed last year and again this year is that the normal topical products such as Frontline and Advantage don’t seem to be having the same effect on the fleas as before.
I’ve heard from several of my clients who have always used the topical products that their dog is suffering with fleas even though they have faithfully used the products as directed every month.

Anyone who knows me knows how anal I am about fleas. I can’t stand bugs of any sort, but especially not fleas. They end up giving your dog or cat tapeworm which is even more gross and disgusting, and I make it a firm policy that all pets must be on flea control before they enter my salon, reason being it’s part of my house, and who wants fleas in their home? I am a groomer and I certainly don’t want fleas jumping onto my dogs or my clients dogs and getting a reputation of “I took my dog to the groomer and he came home with fleas”. This is WHY I am so anal about fleas. Talk about a business killer!

Do fleas become immune to certain products? Well to me, it makes sense that after a while bugs can become immune to things that kill them. Whether that’s just my opinion or fact, remains to be seen. What I do know is that science is always making improvements trying to combat the bugs on our faithful pets and there are new products out now available only from your veterinarian at this point. One product is a once a month pill called “Comfortis”.

I’m always leery of new products until I hear others opinions of them, but I was not in a position to wait any longer. Bogey, my almost 14-year-old Bichon is sadly, a flea magnet. If there is a flea to be found, it will find him. None of my other animals can have a flea, but no matter how faithful I apply the topicals they just don’t seem to have much effect on him. A week after I apply it, he will start scratching and I know what that means.

There have been enough scares with medications for people and pets and I’m not about to jeopardize the health of my animals by guinea pigging them, however, I was getting rather desperate and nothing else was working on poor Bogey. I thought I would try it once, one pill and carefully observe him for ANY signs of a bad reaction to it. I’m happy to report, he had no adverse reaction at all, and believe me if any animal will have a reaction to anything, he is the prime candidate with his advanced age, and being a fair skinned white dog that has flea allergies. The best news is he took the Comfortis pill a month ago, and when I bathed him yesterday; I’m thrilled to say not one flea! Hallelujah! I think I’ve found the solution for him!

While chatting with another groomer she mentioned that the new flea pill is working wonders on her clientele as well, she couldn’t remember the name, so I said, “um, Comfortis?” and she said , “Yes! That’s the one!” She runs a boarding kennel too and of course has the same rules for her clients, no fleas allowed.
Another thing I’d like to mention when you are combating fleas is to be sure to treat all of your animals at the same time, and treat your house, car, pets bedding and especially your yard for fleas. If you want to kill bugs, you have to get them at the source right? Many yard sprays available will kill bugs, just be sure to let it dry before allowing your pets outside on the grass. You don’t want your dog to come in, lick his paws, and ingest yard spray.

Comfortis is only for fleas and not ticks, so you may need to use a topical if you have ticks. Ticks carry Lyme disease and cause many other problems, ask your vet for recommendations. However, for fleas, Comfortis seems to be the Holy Grail this year, so I am going to use it. Put down the paper, call your vet right now, and go get some flea control for your pets. They’ll love you for it!

June 3, 2008 Peeee Ewwww! Skunked Dog!

2008-06-03T22:06:00.000-04:00

June 3, 2008

Peeeee Ewwwww! Skunked Dog!

It’s that time of year again, the birds are singing, the lilacs are blooming and perfuming the air with their wonderful fragrance, you inhale deeply when suddenly you catch that faint aroma, what’s that? It gets closer…the smell overtakes you! It’s your dog running to greet you and it becomes obvious he’s tangled with a skunk.
It seems to be more common when you live in the country; however, in Attica there are many of the little stinkers that live in town. If you see one crossing the road in front of your car, you pray your brakes hold and you can stop in time before you hit or scare it.

Nobody is safe from skunks; they tend to like to go into peoples garages, and are masters at getting into trash. Skunks are nocturnal animals, meaning they prefer to be awake at night. They have babies this time of year, usually April through mid June. Skunks usually don’t attack unless they are cornered or defending their young. Spraying isn’t the first line of defense either, usually they will hiss, fluff up their fur, stamp the ground, and shake their tail but if the intruder doesn’t go away, watch out!

Skunks are actually cute little critters, but they do carry rabies and if you or your pet is bitten, it’s imperative to do the following:

1) Retain the skunk, (dead or alive), if possible to do so without further injury. If the skunk is dead, keep it refrigerated or on ice.2) Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water.3) Call the local animal control department to pick up the skunk and have it tested for rabies.4) See your doctor as soon as possible (no later than 72 hours). Get a tetanus shot if you have not had one in the last 10 years.5) If the skunk is available for testing, the rabies test results will determine if you need a rabies vaccine. If the skunk is not available, then you should get the rabies vaccine as a prophylactic measure.

Skunk spray is an alcohol and sulfur based oily liquid that can shoot 15 feet away from the skunk. Skunks have enough musk in their gland to spray 5 or 6 times in one attack.
The musk causes severe burning, tearing and can cause temporary blindness (10 – 15 minutes) if it gets into the eyes. Flush the eyes with water or saline to relieve the pain and irritation, and if irritation persists, call your vet.

How do you get rid of the odor?
Well for years, people used tomato juice to de-skunk their dog. The problem is, you’d need a 55-gallon drum of the stuff to do much good. I prefer to use this tried and true recipe for de-skunking dogs.

1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide (available everywhere)
¼ cup of baking soda
1-2 tsp. of liquid dish soap (Dawn is my preference)
Put mixture into a plastic or glass bowl and use immediately. Do not try to save the leftover mixture, as it will explode in closed container.
I would wear disposable gloves to do the job and clothing you are okay with throwing away afterwards.

Wet the dog, hold your nose and apply the mixture to the areas your dog was most likely hit with the spray, which includes the head being VERY careful not to get this mixture into your pet’s eyes. I find most dogs are hit in the face, neck, chest or front legs most as they are nosy creatures who can’t seem to let the little skunks alone.
Let the mixture sit on the dog for 10 – 15 minutes then rinse and bathe the dog again in the mixture if necessary. Rinse well.
This mixture can bleach out black dog’s hair a bit, which is really no big deal, the hair will grow back in just fine. The most important thing is to get the skunk oil off and get the dog squeaky clean.
Instead of conditioner afterwards, I like to use a vinegar and water rinse that you can leave in the coat. Your dog may smell a bit like a pickle but hey, that beats skunk!

If your dog attacked and killed the skunk or got the musk into his mouth, well then my friend, you have a whole other problem. My friend’s dog had that happen and every time she opened her mouth, you’d smell the faint odor of skunk. It took MONTHS to wear off! We even brushed her teeth and used a doggy mouthwash!

Another way to help rid your dog of the odor, and this is a drastic one, is to shave off the dog’s hair. When I lived in West Point, my neighbor had a Puli named Moses. Puli are a breed of dog that resembles a rag mop. Medium sized with a curly coat that cords, rather like dreadlocks. As a groomer, that look drove me nuts. You don’t know how bad I wanted to remove those mats! Nevertheless, I know corded dog fanciers who love the look. Moses tangled with a skunk once. They didn’t want to remove his cords, and no amount of bathing would rid Moses of his new aroma. You knew Moses was around simply by walking outside when the odor hit you. The cords held that odor because they don’t shed the hair. He spent the last years of his life as a very stinky dog, poor Moses!

If your dog wears a collar, do yourself a favor, toss it out, and buy him a new one. It’s not worth trying to save the collar if your dog was skunked.
Prevention is the best cure for de-skunking, so keep an eye on your dog especially this time of year and keep your dog confined at night when the little stinkers are out looking for food.

May 19, 2008 Spring has sprung and now we are sinking in mud.

2008-05-19T22:05:00.000-04:00

May 19, 2008

Spring has sprung and now we are sinking in mud.

Well I guess we can’t have everything now can we? I know it’s disheartening to have your dog all spruced up, only to let him out to go potty and he comes back in covered in mud knee deep. Remember, this too shall pass. Soon it will be the dog days of summer and we’ll all be complaining about the heat.
What I’m about to say, you should already be aware of, but it bears repeating just in case. Though there is no flea season really, because fleas may not be outside your house in the winter, but trust me, if you aren’t protecting your pet, they are living on the inside. You should be very diligent about using your flea and tick protection every month. Ask your vet or groomer for their recommendations of products. There are new products coming out all the time, some are better than others are, and some seem to work more effectively on some pets than others. For example, Frontline Plus works great on my poodle, but has little effect on my cat. My cat seems to do fine with Advantage however. Why? I have no idea. I’m going to chalk it up to body chemistry. Just like people, some drugs work better on us than others. Some drugs have side effects on some pets, while other pets do just fine on them. The main thing you should do is find the best products for your pet, and if you have a houseful of pets as I do, you may need different products for different animals.
Lyme disease is a concern in our area. Ticks carry Lyme disease. I know several of my clients have gone through treating their dogs for Lyme disease. There are vaccines you should ask your vet about if you feel your pet may be at risk. Face it, it’s mushroom season and ticks are abundant!
Heartworm is another medicine you should give year round. It’s much easier to remember to do it if you plan to give it monthly. Years ago, I had a Dalmatian that I stopped his heartworm medicine in October or November, and by April, he tested positive for heartworm and it cost several hundred dollars to treat it, only to have him pass away the next summer, due to the strain on his heart from the heat. An ounce of prevention could have stopped his premature death.
Fleas carry tapeworms and you should have your vet perform a fecal test on your pet annually to make sure you don’t have hidden parasites eating away at your pet. Your pet can get hookworm and whipworm just by walking on the grass, the eggs are in manure that may have broken down, but later on, your dog may lick his feet and ingest the eggs. Then your pet ends up with worms, and has relatively few signs until the infestation is very bad.
Dogs are like children, you have to take care of them with regular checkups from your vet. Elderly pets are even more susceptible to problems. The thing I hate to see most is an elderly pet that is neglected because she’s old and hard to deal with or they don’t want to put her through anything. These pets often need more care than the younger pets. They have a hard time grooming themselves, and maybe they’ve gotten touchy or grouchy when you attempt to brush them. Letting them go isn’t helping the situation. Many elderly pets have arthritis, but there are medications you can give your pet for pain. Dogs are stoic about pain. They often don’t show their discomfort or make it obvious because in the animal world, pain equals weakness and weakness makes you vulnerable to attack.
Since it’s springtime, and the weather hopefully will soon be sunny and warm instead of just rainy, now is a fine time to make use of those resolutions you made in January and get out and walk the dog! Both of you need the exercise, so get out of the recliner and get walking! It’s time to work off that winter weight and get back into shape. Then your doctor and your pet’s doctor can stop nagging you about that weight gain. Think of the gasoline you’ll save by walking instead of driving. Nobody is happy with the gas prices, so it’s time to stop whining about it, (easier said than done, I do my share of whining) and make your short trips into walking ones with your best 4-legged friend. Thank goodness, pets don’t complain as we do! Somebody has to be upbeat and happy! Let’s take a cue from our pets and just enjoy the sunshine and the company. It’s time to live simply; wouldn’t it be nice to live as carefree as your pet?

May 5, 2008 Time's Are Changing for All of Us

2008-05-05T22:04:00.000-04:00

May 5, 2008

Time’s Are Changing for All of Us

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it with the gas prices and even though I work at home and don’t have to commute to work, I still can’t afford to buy gas! Buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle may save me on gasoline, but I’d lose whatever savings on a car payment and extra insurance and plates. This crisis has us all in a lose/lose situation. I want all my clients to know… I FEEL YOUR PAIN!
Luckily, I’m just a groomer that works from home. I’m wondering how the mobile groomers are making it with the $4.00 + per gallon gasoline prices or diesel, even worse!
Sadly, because of our economy, this means prices on EVERYTHING have to go up, which of course, affects how we all maintain our standard of living. I didn’t want to be another nail in the coffin, but I had to raise my prices to keep up. It had been 4 years since I had a price increase and as expected, some of my clients aren’t taking the news well.
I did come up with a few options though to help those who in the financial crunch so the pets they love won’t suffer too much. Stretching out the length between appointments can help those on a monthly or 6 week schedule. Moving them to every 8 weeks instead, I am happy to do.
For those with larger dogs that can’t or don’t want to get them done at home, I am now offering self-service, which is great because they can get their dog done for less than half the normal price, but they provide the labor. I provide everything else. Go ahead, clog my drain, and make a big mess! I’ll clean it up. This isn’t an option for dogs in need of haircuts, but for dogs that need a bath and brush out, this is a great deal! Using a self-serve option means your dog, and the aroma in your home won’t have to suffer because of the extra burden on your budget.
Finding a groomer closer to where you live is also an option. I know several groomers and I will be happy to refer you to one closer to you. My feelings won’t be hurt. I completely understand!
My parents were in their 60’s when they adopted me. They had raised their four children during the depression. I have heard all the stories of living on beans and rice and trying to find work just so they could eat. All of those stories seemed so unreal to me until recently. Now that I’m a parent, I can see the great depression coming at us again. Our economy affects everybody and every business. People were struggling before gasoline went so high, now they are losing their homes, unable to afford their medications and I’m waiting on the soup line to start forming soon.
I know that people who dearly love their pets will struggle and continue to provide for them, but I also know others who will be dumping their pets off in the country. Animal shelters are turning away owner surrenders due to lack of space, and wanting people to face their own responsibility. I can certainly see the point, but I also know that there are so many people out there that are barely getting by, it will soon get to the point of being unable to provide food and shelter for themselves, let alone their pets. The future to me looks scary for those animals and people.
I wonder if my future grandchildren will look upon the stories I tell them of our “great recession” as just stories, with no real idea of what I could be complaining about. I would imagine that by the time I have grandkids, and can pass along my wisdom and stories of the depressing economical era that I raised kids in; gasoline would be WAY more than $4.00 per gallon. They will probably wonder why I ever complained at all.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that we are all in the same boat together. (Even though right now, that boat seems to be the Titanic) no matter who you are or how much money you make, this economy is hitting us all hard.
I’m hoping soon things will turn around for the better and we can get back on our feet again. Until then, try to keep your chin up and do the best you can. I’m here for a shoulder if you need one, and I’ll try to keep from gasping and muttering expletives at the gas pump. Just remember that no matter what happens in your life, or how rich or poor you are, your dog loves you regardless. Give your pooch a hug! After all, petting your dog or cat has been shown to lower blood pressure. Maybe we should pack our pets in the car when we fill up the car next time so we don’t have a stroke at the pump.

April 21, 2008 Groomer Has It!

2008-04-21T22:04:00.000-04:00

April 21, 2008

Groomer Has It!

Just when you thought there could not be any other reality type show made, Animal Planet has come up with a new one about dog groomers, “Groomer Has It!” The first thought when I heard about this is, “Great! Now people will finally know what it’s like to be a groomer and will appreciate us more.” Then, after chatting online with other groomers and seeing the previews of the show, we started to get a little worried. Umm, this isn’t what it’s really like, at least not from what we’ve seen so far. Now in grooming competitions, I’ve seen the model dog competitions where groomers use yarn dogs (stuffed animals) and I know that it takes 2 to 3 hours just to brush out the yarn to get it ready to cut! On the show, they gave them 3 hours total to brush, cut and dye it, which was tough. Not to mention using your good shears on the yarn dogs will ruin them. (I have talked to groomers who have competed in this competition.) The next preview on TV was showing them shearing sheep. Now, I will say I have done that….once. Not EVEN close to grooming dogs! Therefore, I am still waiting for the “reality” of this program to show the world what groomers do.
I have also seen a little preview of the groomers working on some snapping, biting dogs…that’s a little closer to reality! I hope they show some real life grooming of what most groomers get each day, but then again that would change the world of entertainment and then it would turn into an “Animal Cops” episode instead, of neglected, matted dogs.
The cool thing about this show is I remember the casting company emailing grooming groups and offering auditions. I can’t say I personally know any of the groomers on this show, but I do know of an alternate that did not make it on this time, but hopefully next time, his grooming will blow them all away!
I was particularly impressed with the groomer who works for the rich and famous of New York and charges $100 to groom a yorkie. Why can’t I get that much? Too bad celebrities don’t live around here. I know Oprah’s groomer, and I know what he gets to groom her cockers (now only one) weekly. Let’s just say I could live on doing one of her dogs a day. I wonder what she gives him for Christmas?
The grand prize of this grooming competition is a mobile grooming van with all the extras, which on top of everything else would be a sweet deal. Although with the gas prices now, I’m not so sure the groomer would come out ahead. This brings me to my next point, the cost of doing business.
On the bottom of an invoice from a repairman was this paragraph that read:
“When that professional service technician knocks on your door, many costs have been incurred just to get him there, ready to do the job.Then it lists: insurance, specialized training, periodic courses and training, truck maintenance, test equipment, taxes- Soc. Sec.- Emp. Comp., advertising, trucks, tools, warehouse shop and office rent quality control, stock of replacement parts, utilities, service management administration,office equipment, computerization, business expense - lawyers etc., employee benefits, office help, and finally stationary, office supply and postage.” It finishes with, “Don't judge service charges solely by the time the technician spends in your home or business”.

Of course, I had to relate this to pet grooming so I came up with my own thoughts:

“When you take your pet to a pet groomer, and are shocked by the price of just washing a dog, think of this...
Many costs have been incurred to open up shop and help your groomer be the caliber groomer she is.
Liability insurance, specialized training, ongoing education and training, travel to get to the ongoing education, equipment costs, maintenance costs, tools, shampoos, conditioners, hair care products, ear cleaning products, bows, bandannas, assortment of brushes, combs, shedding equipment, stripping knives, ergonomic equipment to help preserve the back of your groomer so they can have a long career, taxes, advertising, space rental or home mortgage if your groomer works out of their home, office supplies and computers and equipment to keep your groomer informed and on top of her game, internet fees, telephone expenses, utilities, postage, uniforms, cages and kenneling costs, cleaning supplies, disinfecting supplies, numerous blades for each clipper, expensive scissors, books, videos, and vitamins for the stamina it takes to get through each day grooming several dogs. Groomers have the knowledge of dog body language to work with difficult animals, and the “know how” do the job right and safely, and a willingness to handle the person on the end of each leash with a smile daily.
Don't judge charges solely by the time the groomer spends on your dog. “

Now THAT’S reality!

April 7, 2008 Saving Moses

2008-04-07T22:03:00.000-04:00

April 7, 2008

Saving Moses

Over the years of my life, and especially after I began my career working with dogs I learned how to read them and work with them. I offer in home training to people who are having difficulties with their dog’s behavior. Rescues often give people my phone number so they have someone to call and help them before they give up on their dog. If you look at any shelter in the world, most of the dogs are between 8 and 18 months old, and are relinquished due to behavioral issues. The dogs weren’t bad dogs, but their owners didn’t understand how to train them and deal with issues correctly. Many dogs are put to sleep daily over behavior issues that they deem unacceptable. Many well meaning pet professionals such at veterinarians that don’t see the whole picture, just what little they see in their office will recommend having the dog put to sleep for aggressive behavior. This is the story of Moses, a 170 lb. St. Bernard that isn’t yet 2 years old but had developed some seriously aggressive behavior.

Moses’ owner called me one day to ask me for help with him. She was referred to me by a rescue. She told me that he barked and lunged at people and scared them to death. He had chased even members of her family inside her house and scared them. He hadn’t made any bites yet, but her granddaughter had a scratch that could’ve been from a tooth or maybe a nail. Her vet had advised her to have him put down after he handed her a muzzle to put on him, and it took 5 people to hold him to give him vaccinations and they had to knock him out for grooming. When anyone came near the house he went berserk jumping and barking at them. Even though he was tied up, nobody got out of their cars for fear the cable would break. I can’t say I blame them.

It seems his aggressive behavior happened suddenly. He was fine and friendly up until they went on vacation and left him at home in the kennel. They had family coming over to feed and water him. When they returned from vacation, he was a different dog. Strangers were a serious threat to him and with his huge size, his owner who is 4’11” tall was not able to control him. She loved him tremendously and even sent him to Kentucky to live with her daughter who worked with a trainer there to get him under control. However, Moses’ mom wasn’t there. She went down for a day to work with the trainer but the trainer was sick. They only training Moses’ mom got was what her daughter told her. When Moses was back at home, the same aggressive behavior began again.

I have to tell you, I work very well with dominant dogs, with pushy dogs, with mildly aggressive dogs, but with 170 lb. aggressive dogs when I’m about the same size as his owner, that had me seriously worried. I’ve been attending clicker training classes with Amanda at Country Critter Care that she recently started for my own dog out of curiosity on how to clicker train. I didn’t understand clicker training and I wanted to learn it in person, and not from a book. It always helps me to have someone show me how instead of tell me how to do things, which is how I train dogs and owners. I don’t tell them how to do it, I do it with them, I show them what to do, give them confidence and watch them as they do it and point out what they are unconsciously doing wrong so they can learn. Well, I was telling Amanda about Moses to get her thoughts on it. She advised me not to go alone and to take someone experienced with me. “That would be who?” I asked. I work alone mostly. So I sweet talked Amanda into coming with me to Moses’ house to evaluate him.

We arrived at his house and he was in his kennel. I told his owner to stay in the house until I came for her. I didn’t want him to pick up on her nervousness about his behavior. Dogs don’t understand why you are nervous but they feel your anxiety and they see a stranger so therefore the stranger must be why mommy is nervous. Eat the stranger. Amanda and I approached Moses at his kennel and immediately noticed that the barking, snarling behavior was done with a low tail and he was backing up towards the wall. He wasn’t mean, he was scared to death. In animals, it’s fight or flight. In my last column, Ebony the standard poodle puppy went into flight mode when confronted with a human. Moses couldn’t run away. So he tried to scare us off by lunging, barking, snarling, and looking vicious. Hey, it worked with everyone else! But we just stayed there. We praised him for the nano-second he was quiet between barks. We started tossing treats to him, that helped out some but he wasn’t interested in our treats. That’s when I brought out the big guns, hotdog therapy!

We tossed little bits of hotdog through his kennel fence and that immediately got his attention! He was soon taking hot dog morsels out of my hand and in just a few minutes he figured out that Amanda and I weren’t scary strangers, we were “the hotdog ladies”.
Amanda and Moses and his owner went into their garage and began some clicker training for good behavior while I left the driveway and came back to create a sense of “stranger approaching” to test him out. When I pulled up, he jumped up on the garage door barking ferociously and looked out of the windows and saw me. Hey it’s the hotdog lady! Hi! His barking stopped and he listened to his owner and went to his blanket to sit and get treats. I tested him over and over by knocking on doors, hearing him bark, then the owner made him go to his blanket, she opened the door and instead of worrying about him killing the visitor, she now gained confidence knowing that he could indeed be controlled and he was totally redeemable! I looked at Moses and told him “Moses, my friend, we just saved your life.” To which Moses responded with a nuzzle to “the hotdog lady”.

Moses is a big, happy, slobbering lug of a dog that wasn’t “vicious”, he was misunderstood. He has lots of work ahead of him, and luckily for him he has an owner that is willing to do the homework she needs to do to learn how to handle him correctly. Amanda and I decided we make a great team and she is willing to do more rehabilitation work with me in the future with dogs that need our help. This was a win/win situation for us all, especially for Moses.

March 24, 2008 The Ups and Downs of Rescuers

2008-03-24T22:02:00.000-04:00

March 24, 2008

The Ups and Downs of Rescuers

Some days I wish I knew nothing about animals and nobody knew what kinds of animals I have. The reason being, once word gets out that you love animals, or have a certain breed, it opens you up to other well meaning folks who rescue and love pets and know how easy it is to get you to say “Yes, I’ll do it” when you know deep down you will get hurt in the end.
Last Saturday Casey Werts from Casey’s Canine Cuts called and told me about some dogs needing someone to place them into good homes. One of the dogs was a standard poodle. I knew of some clients who were looking for a Standard Poodle and I was sure I could find her a loving home. How could I say no? So, we packed up our kids and hopped into her van for a ride down to Terre Haute to meet the rescuer.
The lady that rescued these dogs got them from a puppy mill, where it’s located, I have no idea. She told us that there were over 300 dogs on the property and the person that ran the puppy mill was 80 years old and had some deep connections with animal control and law enforcement. Many animal rights groups and others have tried to shut her down for the past 30 years, it hasn’t happened yet. Worse yet, she told the rescuer that she intended to go to a dog show and buy more dogs. Apparently she lets some of her “stock” go to this rescuer who finds them homes, or passes them along to other rescues. I can’t see how this is helping control this woman’s dog population other than helping the few she lets go get homes.
In Arizona recently there were almost 800 dogs and 86 birds that were rescued from a puppy mill. How is this legal? How is this allowed to get this out of control?
The most disturbing thing I’ve noticed about puppy mill dogs is the lack of human contact and socialization. These dogs are scared to death. They exist in cages only to breed over and over again. The dog I took was a 7 month old Standard Poodle female. This dog has the sweetest personality and is content to lie on my couch for hours. The problem is she’s a 7 month old puppy. That’s not normal puppy behavior. This dog should be bouncing all over the house destroying things. When I let her out to the potty area, she didn’t want to come back inside, and when I went to get her, she darted back into the house past me. If I cornered her, I could catch her easily and she didn’t respond by snapping or snarling, or even submissive peeing. She simply came along. She never had a leash or collar on by her reaction to them, and it took a little coaxing to get her to walk with me and not pull back and be afraid. She allowed me and my kids to hold her, pet her and she even licked the kids a couple of times. She seemed like she was comfortable in her new surroundings.
I found some time between grooming dogs to run her to the vet for a heartworm check and some vaccines, as I wasn’t sure she ever had any in her previous environment. She jumped right into my van like she was eager to go for a ride, and when we got out she took a few steps following me when all of a sudden she stopped and balked, and managed to pull out of her collar and was loose!
She took off like a rocket and even though I had other people try to help me catch her, it was futile. She ran across the cornfield by Country Critter Care with no intentions of stopping. She ran up and down the fence rows, and when anyone got near her, she bolted. We tried getting kids to go after her since she seemed closer to them, but it didn’t work. Animal control would dart her with a tranquilizer if they could get close enough but it was useless. This dog wouldn’t come within 30 acres of a human. One kind man had his dog “Buddy” go after her in the field, but when Buddy got close, he started to follow her farther away instead of leading her closer. We tried baiting a live trap, leaving a kennel full of food but no dice. This went on for over 24 hours. Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep. I worried and prayed for her safety all night and was back out the next morning to see she was indeed alive, but just as reluctant to come to me or anyone else. Sheila from Fountain county animal welfare was out there too, watching with binoculars. I went back home and received a phone call from Denise Routzhan offering her husband and his 4 wheeler to go help. I called Troy and off we went in hot pursuit of this wayward pup. When we arrived, Brad Summers, Attica’s animal control was there with his dart gun along with Sheila and her binoculars but the dog was nowhere to be found. Troy and I mounted his 4 wheeler and took off through the fields combing the fence rows and looking over hundreds of acres of empty field for about an hour but no luck. We headed back towards the road when all of a sudden I saw her head pop up from the middle of the field. She had found a tiny space to lie in and was sleeping when the ATV woke her up. Brad hopped on with Troy and they ended up chasing her back and forth across the field having trouble keeping up with her! Every time she would stop, they would stop so Brad could dart her, and she’d take off again. She wasn’t wearing out. Finally, I heard a cheer from Brad and figured he had managed to dart her. Yet, she kept on running back and forth, adrenaline charging those spindly legs and still running like a racehorse! Then after several minutes, she began to slow down, and eventually stop and Brad was able to pick her up and carry her back to me. Sheila drove us to the vet where I had her checked out and also finished what I had came there to do, which was heartworm check and vaccines. To my horror, her heartworm test was positive. She was only 7 months old! This complicated the situation. If I were to find her a home, she would have to be treated for heartworm first. What rescue would take on a heartworm positive dog, knowing it was positive and expecting to have to spend a lot of money? Carolina Poodle Rescue would. I was put in contact with them and spoke with the lady in charge of it who assured me that they would indeed love to take this wayward baby I named “Ebony” and they would vet her and make sure she had only the finest of homes. They would rehabilitate her and teach her that humans aren’t all bad and scary, and they will arrange transport to get her to South Carolina ASAP. The lady I spoke with from the rescue said, “Aww, you love her don’t you! I can hear it in your voice”. I told her that yes, I do love her and I know how hard it’s going to be to give her up. But I was at my limit as far as pets go, and although I love this dog dearly, I can’t afford to keep her in the manner she deserves, at least not for long, and I don’t have time to rehabilitate her. I will place her in this rescue, knowing she will be in good hands with a group that is large enough to take care of the enormous vet bills they incur on many of the animals they bring in. She will be rehabilitated, spayed and treated for her heartworm disease and eventually placed into a loving home. In the end, our hearts get broken, but her life is saved. I guess that’s why we rescue. We can’t save them all, but one at a time, we can make a difference.
My eternal thanks to Troy Routzhan, Brad Summers, Sheila and all the staff at Country Critter Care for their help as well as thanks to the neighbors out there who kept the vet notified of sightings, and who did their best to help out. Thanks to Casey Werts for allowing me to be part of this little girl’s life even if just for a little while.

March 10, 2008 Kids Are Just Too Funny

2008-03-10T22:02:00.000-04:00

March 10, 2008

Kids Are Just Too Funny

Last week the little girl down the street came over to "help" me because she was bored at home. She's 9. While she was chatting to me, she mentioned that her Grandma doesn't want her to become a dog groomer, but she likes working with dogs. I told her, “Well you could always become a veterinarian.”
“I can’t!” she replied with some shock in her voice.
“Why not?” I asked her.
"Because I eat meat” she replied sheepishly.
After I stopped laughing, I said, veterinarian, not vegetarian!
Did I mention she's blond?
You know, it makes a mother proud to hear her children say they are going to grow up to be just like her. My boys have always been exposed to animals of all sorts, and they have always been very gentle and compassionate kids when it comes to critters. My youngest tells me he’s going to grow up to be a dog groomer, and he’s also going to work at McDonalds, and be a firefighter like his dad and build cars too. Clearly, this is going to be one very busy man when he grows up.
My oldest son has actually had a crash course in grooming one day when I realized I had accidentally overbooked myself and I needed someone to help me bathe dogs FAST! Much to my surprise, he did a very good job! He liked it so much, he is ready to do it again for me. I promised him that if there was time this summer, I’d take him up on it. He does have that entrepreneurial spirit I admire. My youngest son has that spirit too. So much so that on heavy trash day when people were “shopping” in our trash, he was busy running them down and saying “Hey! You have to pay for that!”
I suppose selling trash is a good way to create income when you are 7.
He’s such a salesman when he’s in my boutique and clients are checking out, he’s busy pulling stuff off the shelves and informing them that their dog needs this or that, and he’s always ready to hand them a business card of mine too.
I had a client bring along her adorable little boy who was 6 when she came to have her kitty groomed. The little boy also had brought along his toy stuffed dog to play with while he waited. He talked to the kitty, and petted him and told him you’ll be alright, sympathized with his kitty when he meowed. He was sure to mention that he "helped" me groom his kitty and was expecting something for his hard work. I gave him some kitty toys for his kitty and him to play with and I put a bow on his toy doggie before he left and that made his day.
A few years ago, another mother had brought her dog in to be groomed and her child came with her and fell in love with my collie Brittany. Brittany was the ultimate kid dog. She loved kids! She would take any form of torture from children because she felt it was her job to watch over them. She truly was "Lassie". It was so cute because that little boy lay down on the floor and put his head on Brittany, his pillow. I swear she had a smile on her face. I wished I had my camera handy for that. She was in heaven!
When my youngest was an infant, I put a blanket on the floor and the baby on it and Brittany stood over him, protecting him from anyone who came near. There she stood proudly over my baby, in all her beautiful Collie glory, with long flowing hair. She was his protector and guardian and there she stood, with her head held high when the baby reached up and grabbed a handful of her hair on her belly and pulled. I could see her wince, but she continued to stand there and take it, because that was her job. She wouldn't dream of biting. Obviously, I couldn’t allow her to be hurt, so she got a haircut for her own protection.
Kids and dogs go together like peanut butter & jelly. It’s hard to imagine one without the other. There is nothing cuter than to hear a toddler say his dog’s name, “Pwincess”, “Mowwy”, or “Wex”. I love to see the look in their eyes when their dog licks their face. I’m sure that dogs love kids because they are such great sources of food too. Hey, someone’s got to clean the floor, and those hands! I fondly remember when my kids were toddlers and would carry around dry cereal, one for me, one for the dog. Let’s not forget ice cream cones, most kids eagerly share their cones with the family dog. While that vision grosses me out, kids are so pure and loving that they don’t seem to mind a little dog slobber, provided that “Wex” doesn’t eat it all.
So next time you’re in need of some spirit lifting, ask a child about his dog and see where the conversation takes you. I guarantee it will put a smile on your face.

February 25, 2008 Winter Salt Hazards

2008-02-25T22:01:00.000-05:00

February 25, 2008

Winter Salt Hazards

I belong to an internet group of groomers who often consult each other when we find a client or our own dog with an issue that just doesn’t seem to be resolved any other way. I’ve come to know, meet and trust many of these fine people and their advice to me and others has proven itself more times than I can count. These people are genuinely helpful and concerned whenever someone presents them with a problem.
One groomer, Linda in Dodgeville, Wisconsin emailed the group when she had a client that had some terrible symptoms that vets just couldn’t figure out. The dog had stopped eating and drinking, became very lethargic and had sores in his mouth, not like canker sores, but all over the mouth and throat. Their vet ran tests on the dog’s blood and urine which didn’t show anything abnormal, and IV’s were given and the dog appeared to be getting much better. The dog went back home and as soon as the dog went out walking, the symptoms began again.
Another groomer mentioned that it could be poisoning from road and sidewalk salt. When the dog licks his paws, he ingests some salt and that can cause such symptoms. Well, it was winter and worth a shot to check into it. Linda passed along this advice to her client and the dog is now wearing boots outside and has not had a recurrence! Linda learned that her road salt also has chlorine in it to treat the roads and animals do lick their feet to get the ice and I’m sure the salt tastes good to them. Ingesting the salt and chemicals were what caused her clients dogs’ symptoms and she learned that other dogs had similar symptoms but not as severe, no sores but some weight loss. After protecting the dog’s feet from the salt and insuring the dog didn’t ingest anything from the road or sidewalk, those dogs gained back the weight they lost and became more energetic. Kidney failure and dehydration can occur from ingesting road salt and chemicals.
There are pet safe sidewalk salts you can buy but they are also expensive and not readily available in Attica. I have another simple and easy solution to prevent poisoning from salt by using something we can all get, baby wipes. Baby wipes are not just for babies and diaper duty. In fact, I’ve found so many uses for them on pets! When your pet comes in from outside use a baby wipe to remove the salt chemicals and clean off the mud! Be sure to wipe all his paws and between his toes and pads.
Baby wipes can also be used to clean out your pets ears, you can add some ear cleaning solution to them or just pour it into your dog’s ears and wipe out the ear with the baby wipe. You can use baby wipes to clean out the corners of your dog’s eyes when they accumulate goo. Also a few swipes on your pet’s hair will leave your dog smelling a little less “doggy” in between baths. Baby wipes are wonderful for cleaning under your dog’s tail too, yes I know, nobody wants to think about that but it has to be done from time to time, nobody wants “cling-ons” under the tail! Keep some baby wipes in your car too, so when you take your dog to the car to go visit someone, you can wipe off her paws in the car to prevent salt poisoning. Keep a few in a plastic zipping sandwich bag in your purse, because you just never know when you may need one.
If your dog really likes to lick things off the floor, be sure to keep your floors free from the salt you track in. That can be another source of the salt poisoning even if your dog never walks on it. Give your shoes a quick rinse to get if off from between the treads before your dog does. You just never know where we are going to run into a hazard for our pets.
Sometimes we find the simplest things can be the cause of major health issues in our pets. If you are experiencing symptoms similar to those mentioned above, keep a close eye on your dog and see if ingesting road salt could be the problem. If not for Linda’s asking about her client’s dog and passing along this information, the dog may not be here. Now he is still able to go for his walks and sports a pair of boots to protect his feet.

February 11, 2008 February is Pet Dental Month

2008-02-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

February 11, 2008

February is Pet Dental Month

How many of you notice that your dog has pretty awful breath? Now unless your dog has just eaten something really rank, I can tell you that is not just doggy breath. The first thing I notice when I groom dogs is often bad breath and you can’t get rid of that with a mint, doggy dental bones or any other kind of cover up. You have to look at the gums and teeth and I mean ALL of the teeth. Go ahead and pull back your dogs lips in the corner of his mouth and take a good look at those back molars. Are the gums reddened above the teeth? Do you see some nasty tartar on the teeth? THAT, my friend, is the source of your dog’s bad breath.
Here’s the scoop, there is NO food or treat, canned or dry that will prevent tartar. Argue with me all you want, but the bottom line is if you eat crackers everyday and never brush your teeth, what do you think your teeth would look like?
Yeah, yeah I know, brush your dog’s teeth? What am I crazy? It can be done, but if you are like me, you are lucky to have time to brush your own teeth let alone your dogs’. I manage to get the job done occasionally because I have 3 dogs and I know what happens if you let the teeth accumulate tartar and the gums become infected. I’m not talking bad breath, I’m talking an infection that not only affects the dog’s gums, but becomes systemic and can damage your dog’s heart and other internal organs.
Bad breath is just the most common sign of tooth and gum problems. Drooling and difficulty eating dry food are sometimes noticed. I’ve heard people say, “well he is still eating”, well heck, you have to eat to survive! Eating isn’t a sign your dog doesn’t have a problem. Eating can be painful for your dog. Remember, dogs don’t show pain like people do. We whine and carry on when we hurt. They don’t. If they did, something would eat them, from your dog’s perspective.
The other thing I hear quite often is the owner fears having the dog get a dental under anesthesia. I understand that you fear losing your dog, but by letting his gums become so infected, he is dying now already, but it’s a slow painful death. I’ve also seen many senior dogs ages 15, and 17 years of age undergo a dental procedure at the vet, (after years of me begging their owners) and completely turn around! Old dogs with rotten teeth become lively again! They get the sparkle back into their eyes! They gain some weight and feel so much better! Dental procedures and anesthesia are safe when a blood workup is done beforehand to assess your pet’s health for undergoing this procedure. I’ve had many senior pets that have had it done with much success.
Sometimes your pets teeth may be so far gone they need to be extracted. I’ve seen dogs with teeth so bad; the tartar was the only thing holding them in! Relax! Your dog can still eat without many teeth. I have a near toothless dog myself that requires a softer diet, but he still munches on dry food too. Thankfully, that means I don’t have to worry about doggy dentures either! Whew!
So what causes dogs to get such awful tartar? Eating does. If your dog eats then his teeth are gonna get dirty, just like yours. If your dog doesn’t eat then you can safely assume you won’t have to worry about his teeth, because your dog is either dead or a stuffed animal. Some dogs seem to have more trouble than others do with tartar accumulation simply due to their anatomy. The way their mouths and teeth are shaped affects how food will accumulate on their teeth. That’s the way God made them and just be thankful they aren’t kids and you have to pay for braces!
If you want lessons on how to brush your dog’s teeth then please stop by and I’ll happily show you how to get started. In fact, I’ve found some products that really work to dissolve tartar and help keep your dogs teeth clean. This won’t replace a dental for dogs with bad tartar and gum disease, but I’ve seen some amazing results with my own dogs and my clients’ dogs with Oxyfresh® products that you add to their drinking water daily. I carry it in my salon but you can find it online at http://www.oxyfresh.com/ .
I’ve also partnered up with Attica’s own veterinary clinic Country Critter Care for February Dental Month and am offering coupons for grooming and photography when you have your pets teeth cleaned! Call them today at 762-6212 and schedule your pet’s dental and beautify her teeth and then call me so I can make the rest of her look good too!
Your pet will thank you for it!

January 28, 2008 Lost and Found Dogs

2008-01-28T11:52:00.000-05:00

Lost and Found Dogs

It never ceases to amaze me how many dogs are found by caring people that have no means of identification, no tag, no collar and no microchip. The caring people end up calling and visiting local vets and groomers to see if they may know who the dog belongs to and getting the dog scanned to see if it has a microchip. They scour the town putting up flyers to find the home of the dogs, yet they don’t see any flyers posted from anyone who has lost the dog.
What on earth do people do when their dog goes missing? Do they just sit back and wait for Fido to come home when he’s good and ready? Do they assume he was ran over and forget about it? What goes through their minds?
Once my dogs had decided to take off one day, aided by a gate latch left open and after I had scoured the neighborhood streets and alleys and alerted strangers I saw, I made a phone call to the police describing them and told them they were friendly and to call me if they were found. I had to leave that night to go to Lafayette, and when I pulled into the drive my dogs weren’t’ in the driveway as I had hoped they would return on their own. My heart sank. I opened up the door to my house and there were my dogs, safely inside. An Attica police officer had found them and was so kind he even brought them home! You have no idea how much I love the Attica police for doing such a kind thing. I know it’s not in their job description to take home lost dogs. A larger city I’m sure wouldn’t have cared so much. We are blessed to have such caring people in our town. My dogs were found near highway 28 and could’ve been killed. Where else in the world would the police bring home your lost pet?
Lately there has been a rash of found dogs that caring people have found. Sadly I don’t recognize them as clients of mine; otherwise it would be easy for me to find their homes. One thing in common with many lost dogs is the fact that they are “intact” or not neutered or spayed, and that is the number ONE reason dogs leave home! Spaying and neutering your pets may not prevent your dog from wandering off, but it will give him a one more reason NOT to leave home. Male dogs can smell a female dog in heat 2 miles away. Ina 2 mile radius at any given time, there are numerous females in heat. Whenever there seems to be many calls about found dogs, it’s usually because there is a female in season in the general vicinity. Hormones win against obedience. Spay or neuter your dog.
The other very important thing to do is to microchip your dog. Your vet can do this very simple and painless procedure that will make it so much easier to reunite your dog with you should he become lost. Call up your vet and ask about it.
The other thing that astounds me is the number of dogs that are dumped off to fend for themselves in the country. What goes through these idiots minds? Do they think that some caring schmuck will take the dg in and care for it without another thought? Do they assume the dog will “hunt” for its food and thereby be fine? Do they think their dumped pregnant dog will deliver her litter safely without a home and food and water? Don’t these people have a brain? They apparently don’t have a heart.
I recently groomed an emergency found dog that came in looking like a much larger breed except that it wasn’t the dog I feeling , it was matted hair. The pelt came off in one gnarled piece that was filled with burrs and all sorts of debris. When I removed the dog’s hair there was no dog underneath. There was a mass of skin and bones. This dog hadn’t eaten in a very long time. The person that found it made sure it was fed and found a home for it, vowing never to give it back to whomever it belonged to or dumped it off. I can’t blame them. The dog had been neglected for a vey long time by the looks of it. Obviously, they don’t care for the dog properly, so why would anyone give it back?
What scares me most is that many humane societies are now shutting the door on owner surrenders. They can’t care for the ones they have and can’t take in any more. Rescues are constantly full and have no more room yet the people just keep on letting the dogs breed and dump them. Rescues in other counties can’t take any animals from anyone but their own counties because they are so overloaded.
How can we change things? First, let’s take personal responsibility for our own pets by having them spayed or neutered so we don’t bring in anymore sweet lives to give away that somebody will dump down the road. Trust me, even when you think you have good homes for the babies, something may happen and they give the dog away to a not so good home. Do you really want that on your conscience?
Second, please put some identification on your pets. It’s very hard to reunite people with their pets if we don’t know who they belong to.
Third, get the word out the second your dog is missing. Someone may have picked your dogs up, and they don’t see flyers posted, the police haven’t received calls about a missing dog, how do you plan to get the dog back if nobody knows they are lost?
Fourth, if you can’t care for your dog, find a good home for it. I know how hard that is, but you have to do it. You acquired this dog, it is your responsibility. Dumping the dog in the country isn’t an option. Free to good home ads do not cost you anything. Putting up flyers is easy. Calling a rescue, pound, or veterinarian is worth a shot.
Fifth, if you can’t afford to vet it, don’t get it. Resist the urge to get a dog if you cannot afford to get it properly cared for with vaccinations and spaying and neutering and grooming and feeding. If you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all. Wait until your life is on track financially before you commit to an animal for life. Animals are not disposable.

January 14, 2008 E.S.P.

2008-01-14T21:59:00.001-05:00

January 14, 2008

E.S.P.

How many of you have lost a loved pet and found that you can occasionally “hear” them, sense their presence, or feel them? This has become a topic of discussion on one of my online groomer groups and while some may think I’m crazy, I have had those same things happen to me after losing a dear pet.
For the record, I want you all to know that “I” do not think you are crazy for having these feelings. Some people seem to be more “in tune” with psychic feelings than others are. While I’m far from being psychic, I have had over my lifetime sensations, or visions that can’t be explained by any other means. For instance, when I was 14 years old, I had a horse. I raised him from a 3 month old colt to an obnoxious 2 yr. old gelding that was a holy terror, but that’s another long story. (Note to those wanting horses, do NOT buy a baby horse thinking you can raise it if you have NO experience. They are not puppies. They require someone with handling experience not a novice!)
One day while riding home on the school bus as I was daydreaming out the window I had a “vision” of my horse running in circles in the field we were passing by that was next to our house. I could “see” him running like the wind! As the bus stopped at my house, I shook off that vision and went inside only to hear my mom tell me, “your horse got out today, he was just running circles in that field, you should have seen him! But your dad got him back in his pasture”.
I can’t explain how I envisioned that before knowing anything about it.
Then there was the time a few weeks after I lost my cat “Fuzz”. He died unexpectedly at the vet before they received any of his blood work back. I was in shock. I couldn’t stand to be “catless” in my house. It just wasn’t the same. I adopted another cat from a rescue nearby to help me with my feelings of loss. One night I felt a cat walking on my bed. I could feel the cat walking up my body and could feel the pressure of weight lying against my side. I reached down thinking it was my new cat Dixie, but there was nothing there. I decided I must have been dreaming because Dixie was in my son’s room lying with him and my doors were closed. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep but then I felt it again. This time I opened my eyes and I could see the indentations in the covers as the “feet” walked up my body. Suddenly I sat up, I woke up my husband and told him, “Oh, Tim, Fuzz has come back!” He was not happy being woke up, and decided I was hallucinating, but I was adamant. It’s Fuzz! I smiled and lay down content to feel the weight of Fuzz lying against me to say goodbye. I wasn’t able to say goodbye to him when I rushed him to the vet. I never expected him to die in the night either while nobody was around. I have felt Fuzz maybe once or twice since then. But I feel he came back to say goodbye to me, and went on. For me, it was comforting to be able to say goodbye to him and feel him again.
Many people have expressed to me that once their pet has passed away they can still hear them, or sense that they are there. They talk to them and eventually it stops and I truly feel that it’s to help us with our grieving and know that they have gone on to a better place but didn’t want to go without saying goodbye and taking care of our feelings of unfinished business.
There are so many times that I wish I have those feelings about some other pets that I’ve lost. I so want to feel the cold wet nose poke my hand for a pet one more time. I want to hear the sighs, feel the bodies brush against me one last time. But it hasn’t happened. I don’t know if it’s because those pets didn’t pass away without me being mentally ready for it. Those deaths were expected. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t felt them around me. It doesn’t make me miss them any less. I still long for them and wish they were here. Maybe it’s God sending back my pets that were such a shock to lose to help me deal with the loss. That’s what I choose to believe anyway. I’ve had dreams about people that I’ve lost and loved that have come to me in dreams and left me with the feelings of being hugged and feeling the weight and pressure of arms around me. That comforted me.
Why I have these feelings is a mystery to me. I prefer to think of it as a blessing that I am able to feel this, and not be afraid of it. I know there are many others who have similar and perhaps more intense feelings and connections with those that they have lost. They are blessed.
If you’ve never had these feelings, it’s okay too. Know that your pets loved you deeply and they will always be in your heart. Love doesn’t stop when someone dies. You will always feel love for someone or a beloved pet. It may get easier as the years wear on to deal with the pain of loss, but love never dies. It’s right there in your heart where it began.

December 31, 2007 Resolutions

2007-12-31T21:58:00.000-05:00

December 31, 2007

Resolutions

Who doesn’t resolve to start off the New Year fresh with a new attitude and goals to improve our life? Which made me start thinking what if our dogs made resolutions?

Resolution #1 Get the fat guy out of his recliner to walk me so I can get in shape.
Resolution #2 Chase the cat more to shape up.
Resolution #3 Leave my mark on the world, and the couch, and the table and all the trees in the neighborhood.

The wonderful thing about dogs is they change easily with new rules. They adapt to resolutions every day with ease. If today the rule is no more table scraps and you mean it, your dog make still give you those doggie eyes and beg, but if you IGNORE him, and in the end after all the whining and carrying on he gets nothing, no attention, no food, no acknowledgement for the bad behavior, the next day is much easier! They are so much like kids it’s not funny. You just have to be tough and resolve NOT to give in!

I’ll be the first to tell you I’m a fair weather walker. Therefore, my dogs don’t get enough exercise. Exercise is the key to fixing bad behavior, sort of like a kid with ADHD; you have to allow time to burn off the excess energy before you are asking the dog to do something. Throw the ball for your dog, play chase! Go on a long walk. Putting the dog outside in a fenced yard is NO substitute for interaction with you. You can’t just toss the dog out and expect him to exercise himself. It doesn’t work that way. You have to go out there with him and keep him busy chasing toys, or you.
If the weather is crummy, you can do most of this stuff inside the house. If you have a treadmill, teach your dog to walk on it. (Lord knows my treadmill makes a great place to hang clothes and collect dust!)
Okay, so maybe exercise isn’t MY thing! However, I am going to resolve to be more involved with my dogs in 2008. Maybe it will be trick training, working on a homemade agility course, and when the weather permits you may even find me walking the dogs this year. I expect to have a little more time. Who am I kidding? Okay, so I won’t have more time, but I WILL make more time.

I won’t bother making resolutions to lose weight and all the usual stuff, why disappoint myself? If it happens, great but I will not expect it. That’s the wonderful things about dogs; they have no expectations, therefore no regrets. They live in the moment! Life to a dog is all about what is going on at this very second. Which is why when you go out to get your mail and come back in your dog is so excited to see you! “You’re here! Hi Mom, long time no see!” I say live each day to its fullest. Enjoy every second. Eat dessert first! If it itches, scratch it! Lie in the sunshine and smile! Enjoy the wildlife around you, like your dog does, well maybe not quite as much as your dog does!

The point of all this is life is short. Dog’s lives are even shorter! They would never waste time brooding over something in the past, or not taking advantage of the fun in the present. Life is serious enough without worrying over silly things. So when the blues start to get you down, think like your dog. Live in the here and now, let go of the past. That’s one of our flaws as a human with such a complex brain, we think too much! Let it go, make time for today and enjoy it. I think that is going to be my next resolution for 2008, think like a dog and enjoy life. I hope you do too.

December 17, 2007 On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me....

2007-12-17T21:57:00.000-05:00

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, an 8 week old puppy.
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 2 kinds of bowls for my 8 week old puppy.
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 3 squeaky toys for my 8 week old puppy.
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 4 kinds of treats for my 8 week old puppy.
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 5 cute outfits for my 8 week old puppy.
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 6 paper towels to clean up after my 8 week old puppy
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 7 pick up bags for my now 9 week old puppy.
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 8 pair of shoes to replace mine from my 9 week old puppy.
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 9 rug doctor rentals for my 9 week old puppy.
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 10 computer cords to replace mine from the 9 week old puppy.
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 11 obedience lessons for my 9 week old puppy.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 12 apologies for getting me an 8 week old puppy.

Christmas is a wonderful time for giving, but think before you give someone a living creature to take care of for the rest of its life. Not everyone appreciates a baby animal that requires lots of attention, training, and care. You can give lots of things if you are a pet lover, you can give money or donations to your local animal shelter for the animals there at Christmas. You can give your time to volunteer at a shelter or rescue. You can give a donation to a shelter in your friends name as a gift.
You can adopt an older dog that is already past the puppy stage that may not get a new home. Everyone wants puppies. Who can resist them? But they grow up, and like children they go through stages of disobedience, and bad behavior and housetraining can be a real issue. Sadly, many of those same adorable puppies end up at the animal shelter due to their owner’s inability to deal with their issues.
If you can’t adopt a pet, donate some treats, or toys or food. Donate your time and take a dog for a walk and get him out of that kennel for a while. Make a shelter dogs Christmas merry and bright, even if just for one day.
You can give all year long and not just at Christmas. Rescues are always searching for foster homes to house homeless dogs until they can find an adoptive home. Call your local animal shelter or rescue, or look some up on the internet. Do what you can to help out the homeless animals in your area.
Give gifts of your time to your neighbors by walking their dog for them, checking on them to make sure they have food for themselves and their pets when the weather doesn’t permit them to get out.
Time costs nothing and is easy to give.
On that note, I just found a poem I’d like to share, author unknown.

My dear canine friends, I've a story for you.
I beg you to listen: what I say is all true.
Your Humans are human and can't help their behavior,
They get all confused 'bout the birth of their Savior.
See, it's that time of the year, when the humans are hopping.
"No time for our walk today, gotta go shopping.
And tomorrow we have to put up all the lights.
You understand, don't you? You'll be all right?
"No time for your Frisbee, no time to throw balls.
Got to wrap all the boxes and deck all the halls.
"I'm sorry," they say as you're back in your crate,
"Office party tonight, we won't get home til late.
"So you sit in your crate for a very long time.
You're warm and you're safe and they know you'll be fine.
But you're bored and you're worried and you don't understand
Why this time of the year things get all out of hand.
As if rushing around like a nut's not enough,
They keep filling the house up with all kinds of stuff.
There's holly and candles for all to see,
Then to prove they've gone starker's THEY BRING IN A TREE!!!
Yep, fellow dogs, they bring a pine tree right in
They put glass things on the branches and plug the lights in.
You think "Hey! Indoor plumbing!" But they say, "Get away!!"
"This is Our Special Tree for Our Special Day."
And don't think for a moment those tree balls are for you.
Though they bounce on the branches and call you, they do!
You haven't been chasing your own ball for weeks,
Or played tug o' war with your toy that goes "squeak."
As their Big Day approaches, their tempers grow short.
They're tired and stressed out and all out of sorts.
They've spent way too much money, whatever that is.
On gifts, decorations, and on something called "status."
See, they're only humans, and they always forget
It's not about presents or getting in debt.
The Birthday they're celebrating is all about Love
About gifts of the Spirit, sent from up above.
And that same great Father who sent them his Son
To teach all the humans to love every one,
Sends us to remind them, my good fellow hounds:
We exemplify love with positively no bounds.
So when their Big Day is ending, their presents unwrapped,
And they've eaten their feast and settled down for a nap,
That's the time when we dogs can show by example
That it's just about love, and can give them a sample.
They will feel something’s lacking, will see something's missing.
This is the time you can teach with your kissing.
They've ignored you for weeks with their rushing around,
Still you shower them with Love - the True Love of a Hound.
Whisper quiet, Dear Dogs, "It is not about Things!"
"It's not about buying new cars or rings."
The True Gift of Christmas is Love, sweet and pure.
And at Love, none can out do a dog, that’s for sure.

December 3, 2007 Baby, it's COLD outside!

2007-12-03T21:56:00.000-05:00

December 3, 2007

Baby, it’s COLD outside!

This time of year always bothers me, not just because I’m not a “winter” person, (if I had my druthers I’d be a snowbird heading to Florida or Hawaii for the winter), but because so many pets are kept outside all winter long without adequate shelter.
I know there are those who believe animals should live outside. But dogs with short coats really don’t have enough to keep them warm.
For example, I hate to admit this…but once upon a time, I was one of those people who left all the animals outside. Not because I wanted to, but because my parents didn’t believe in animals in the house, and gee, lucky me, I married a guy just like them! We used to have Dalmatians. One cold day, I’ll never forget, Dottie came up to the back door, looking in at us shivering. I told my husband, “Oh, let her in, she’s freezing!” He wouldn’t let her in. Gave me excuses of she has straw in her dog house, or she has a heat lamp in the barn, if you bring her in now she’ll get sick when she has to go back out., no dogs in the house! Like a fool, I actually listened to him and let him get by with that. It was so hard to watch my dog shiver, while I sat in my warm comfortable house. I felt like the world’s biggest heel. Today I am truly ashamed of myself that I allowed that to happen.
Well, growing up does wonderful things to a person, it made me a whole lot more confident, and I stopped “asking” permission to do stuff. I just did it. Soon our pets became house pets. Every complaint he had I learned to ignore. My backbone grew finally and I was able to stand up to him and do the right thing. Never again would I allow animals to suffer due to ignorance. Today we have 3 dogs, a cat, guinea pig, turtle, and fish as pets in the house, all cozy and warm, as it should be. The turtle even has a tank heater.
I know that some pets prefer to be outside, some have ultra thick coats that were made to endure harsh winter weather, but use common sense. If you are cold, your dog is bound to be cold too! If your dog is inside, you won’t have to worry about his water freezing either. If your husband is still bound and determined to complain and make life difficult, maybe you should put your hubby outside in the doghouse, and bring Fido in. Your dog won’t complain because you are everything to your dog. He loves you like no other. Don’t you wish your husband was as quiet and attentive? Meanwhile, your hubby can get used to breathing the crisp outdoor air and sleeping in an itchy, straw filled doghouse with frozen water to drink. Be sure and put a chain around his neck too, just to keep him out of trouble.
Now I can say I’ve “reformed” my husband. He’s learned that pets in the house are not a bad thing, and if he thinks they are, tough noogies. I’ve tried to compromise with him. I don’t let them in our bedroom at night to sleep with us, so my cold feet have to get warmed up on my husband instead of the dog. Of course, after he goes to work in the morning my dogs know the bed is fair game, and they are happy to snuggle in with me and keep me warm.
What’s not to love about pets in the house? They clean the floors; trust me there is not ONE crumb on my floor. They don’t complain about anything. They don’t leave their shoes where they don’t belong, and they don’t hog the remote!
He’s learned that when I bring a new pet into the house, all the complaining about “you don’t need another dog” is simply a waste of breath. I finally had to tell him this a few years ago, I said “You’d think after seventeen years you’d realize that I always get my way.” Well that must’ve had an impact on him, because he hasn’t said a word about any new critters since then. It’s good to grow older and speak your mind! Now I realize why the red hat society exists! Save me a hat girls, I’m coming to join you in a few years!

November 19, 2007 Grooming Shows

2007-11-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

Grooming Shows

Well I finally made it to the Dallas, Texas U.S. Pet Pro Classic this year and competed in the creative invitational competition. Our theme was the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and we took Jasmine and Bogey. Bogey I turned into a football.Yes I know, this is Colts country and honestly my heart is with the Colts, but I was going to Dallas, and doing a Colts theme there could be deadly! My boys were even in on this, their first competition. They worked really hard with me to help me get some money ahead to make this trip. Drew helped me bathe dogs while Lane was busy helping me organize tools and clean up. I’ve never taken my kids with me before to grooming shows simply because for them it would be boring to listen to seminars and it would be too nerve wracking for me to watch them and try to learn stuff at the same time. It’s not exactly a place for children. This year however would be different. They were “props” so to speak for our entry. They were dressed as the Dallas Cowboys in full football gear. Big thanks to my clients David and Brenda Landes and Dave Huckleberry for supplying me with football gear!
The show manager told us to be downstairs for a meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, the day of the show, no easy feat for me the “non-morning” person. We were informed on how the show was going to go, when we would go on our tour of Southfork ranch and when we would eat. We were told to have our dogs and displays there by 3:00 p.m. This cut into my prepping time considerably. I was planning on 5:00 p.m.
Prepping a dog for a contest like this has got to be the hardest thing any groomer has ever done considering you can’t dry the dog in a hotel room, and the drying room they set up for us could only accommodate one dryer at a time or the circuits would blow. I took a shortcut. I found a self-serve dog wash in the vicinity who gave me a generous discount since I was a contestant! Things were going just bit too smooth for my luck, so true to Sandy Blackburn fashion, as I was loading up the van to head to the dog wash my van was dead as a doornail. I left a map light on from the night before, that could be when my cell phone also was mysteriously lost, sigh. Luckily for me, I knew several people in the hotel at the trade show so I went up to one of my equipment suppliers Curtis Hanvey and begged him for a jump start! He was most gracious and dropped everything and got me going. What a guy! My oldest son Drew went with me to help get the dogs ready. While I was busy dyeing Bogey, Drew went to work bathing Jasmine. Even the guy that was working at “Dirty Dawgz” dog wash helped me wash and dry the dogs. Lane stayed with my mom at the hotel and went to the trade show with her and her dog Suzy who made a wonderful demo dog for some groomers and vets putting on seminars.
We finally had to leave the dog wash about 3:45 p.m. I knew it wouldn’t take us long to get there and set up and judging wouldn’t start until 5:00 p.m. so we made it to Southfork’s Oil Baron’s Ballroom to put up our display. Every one of the creative contestants did a fabulous job! I am proud of my entry even though I didn't have enough time to prep them as I would've liked.
My dog Jasmine did a great job jumping thru a hoop with streamers on it as her introduction and did a fine job jumping up and dancing, to the music as did my little football Bogey. As you can see he sits up and was ready to punt!
We may not have placed, but we did have the "cuteness" factor. Hey the football players weren't bad either!
The best parts of the trip were seeing my groomer pals again, and I met my late dog Katy's rescuer Debra Bryant. We cried together, I thanked her and gave her a copy of the book, Petfinder.com Presents Second Chances, Katy's story is in it. She and her husband came by the hotel before we left so we could meet each other in person. That was great!