October 12, 2007
It’s Howloween!
It’s that time of year again when the streets will be full of witches and goblins going door to door for candy! What fun! I love Halloween because it brings out my creative side. I try to make costumes rather than buy something for my kids they will only wear one time. Of course you realize my kids aren’t the only ones dressing up for Halloween. The dogs have to get into the action too! Don’t worry, it’s not torturing them, they seem to enjoy it and love the attention of course!
My dogs have gone trick or treating with us almost every year. One year I made my Collie into a scarecrow and my black Standard Poodle into a witch, complete with green face! I’m sure that’s how my interest in creative grooming began. Then one year I turned my Poodle into The Incredible Hulk, made her body green and put a pair of my son’s shorts on her, tattered the legs and wrote “The Hulk” across the rear. I made a hole for her tail to poke through and she loved the attention she got! The one thing I didn’t plan for was her having to go to the bathroom, and well let’s just say she had a couple “accidents” while we were out trick or treating! When we went downtown for the merchants trick or treat, she really stopped traffic…literally! She had people taking her picture; we kept getting stopped for photos. It was great! We made a theme that year, my youngest was Superman, and he was 3 at the time. My oldest son was Spiderman, he was 6 and Katy my dog, was The Hulk. The problem was everyone kept telling the kids to step aside so they could get a picture of the dog. I’m the only mother I know who can upstage the kids with the dog!
This year, if you’re downtown you’ll recognize us I’m sure. We are heading to Dallas, Texas in November for a creative grooming class, so I figure I’ll show off my entry for the hometown before we go…I’m turning my Poodle Jasmine into a “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader”. We have recently adopted a Bichon Frise, Bogey, and he will be coming to Dallas with us. He is going to be a “football”. I’m glad my dogs put up with me!
People ask me all the time, isn’t that torture to your dog? No! They actually enjoy it! Jasmine will jump up on my table by herself, ready for being fussed with. I can’t say she enjoys a bath; she doesn’t like it, and hides from me if she thinks one is coming. But she enjoys every other thing about grooming. The bath is just one of those things she has to put up with before the fun stuff comes.
If you are dressing up your dog for Halloween, remember a few things:
Make sure your dog is comfortable in the costume. Some dogs like to be dressed, and others don’t. I know Jasmine doesn’t like to wear hats, but Dreamer does. So dress them according to what they will tolerate. Make sure it fits well and you dog won’t step on it while walking.
Remember, not everyone loves your dog. We went trick or treating and some little girl was unfortunately going to every house we were and we kept running into her and she was terrified of dogs. Every time she saw Katy she screamed and cried. Stay clear of kids who are afraid of dogs.
Keep your dog under control! Keep your dog on a leash at all times and carry pick up bags with you! Your kids may get candy, your dog may get treats too, but if your dog leaves a gift on someone else’s lawn you will not be welcome there anymore, so pick up after your dog.
Remember dogs can be afraid of those scary costumes people wear too, and with all the extra attention, some dogs don’t tolerate it well and can get snappish. If your dog isn’t having a great time, don’t push it. Not all dogs enjoy kids reaching out for them quickly to pet them. If you have any doubts on how your dog will behave, don’t chance someone getting bitten, leave your dog at home in a safe place away from the door and trick or treaters.
If you make a costume for your dog that includes pants, remember to cut a space out for your dog to urinate! (See second paragraph above)
If you do get a few treats for your dog or share some of yours remember some very important things. Chocolate, especially the unsweetened bakers’ chocolate is dangerous for dogs to eat. If your dog has allergies to wheat, corn or soy and you get a few dog biscuits, it’s likely that at least one of those ingredients are in those…(you can come to my house at 1205 S. Brady St., I’ll have some dog treats that are ok for allergies to wheat, corn or soy.) Raisins are toxic to dogs! Do NOT feed your dog raisins, grapes, macadamia nuts, and watch out for candy that is sugar-free because it may contain xylitol a sugar substitute that is toxic to dogs.
If you take your dog trick or treating with you, remember your camera, keep all of the above in mind, and have some fun!
P.S. Oh almost forgot! I did manage to get my own website up and running, visit me at http://www.groomroompetspa.com/ Thanks! Sandy
September 19, 2007 I'm going "spa" in my salon now
I'm going "spa" in my salon now
I recently went to Chicago to a grooming show. These shows are held around the country and have seminars for groomers on all kinds of grooming subjects, business subject and offer demonstrations for grooming certain breeds of dogs. I’ve been attending this show in Chicago for the past 6 years. Every year no matter how much you think you know, you always come away with new tips and tricks and get that breath of life back into you so you can’t wait to get back to your own salon and use them. I’m sure hair shows for beauticians are similar.
The shopping for products at the shows is amazing! New products to try out, new shears to try on, grooming equipment, shampoos, conditioners, rinses, mousses, texturizers, volumizers, de-tangling products, tools, books, grooming clothes, as well as some fun gifts and things to sell in your salons. Well, all I can say is, I shopped ‘til I dropped. I always buy my shampoos and conditioner to last the entire year. Shows usually have specials and you don’t have to pay shipping when you can bring it all back in your car. It wasn’t until I added up my receipts that I realized how much money I spent! ACK! Guess I’ll be busy grooming dogs to make up for it.
I did discover a new product recently, and tried it out, and luckily, the company was at the show and had more of it for me to buy. It’s called “South Bark’s Blueberry Facial” for dogs. Oh my, the dogs turn into wet noodles when I use it on them. It works wonders on the nervous dogs, the blueberry aroma calms them down and I simply wash their face in it, and massage their faces and the dogs are in heaven. It has been a Godsend for the anxious dogs! I’m so impressed by the product I’m going “spa” in my salon now. Everyone gets a blueberry facial with their grooming. Dogs that hate baths seem to relax with this product, which makes me feel good too. That’s the entire point of grooming, not only to make the dogs look good, but feel good too! Happy dogs make happy owners and happy groomers. I’ve always kidded my clients about bringing their dogs to the doggy spa, but now, it’s not a joke. I only wish I could get the same treatment for me!
There are grooming competitions as well, and I can only dream of having a dog that looks that good, most are retired show dogs that the groomers use, which does give you an edge when grooming. After all I can’t make my poodle with her faults (albeit not noticeable to most people) look as good as a show dog. So while I can’t make her look perfect, (she’s perfect in my eyes anyway), I can enter her in creative grooming competitions. In the creative grooming class, you aren’t trying to make your dog look like the breed standard; you are trying to create something off the wall and unique! You get to use colors and dyes, and carve designs in the coat! You can even turn a standard poodle into an entirely different animal! I’m truly in awe of the creative groomers I’ve watched over the years. I’ve even entered a few contests myself, I turned a client’s standard poodle into a Clydesdale two years ago and won third place, and the year before that I won second place with my dog groomed to look like a tree with fall leaves, not an easy feat to color a black dog! Last year my dog Jasmine was turned into a “lobster,” complete with background of a restaurant, and I was dressed like a chef serving her up to the judge. Unfortunately, we didn’t place last year, but the competition was FIERCE! I would hate to be the judge of that class, because you are judging on the creative aspect, plus the execution of the design and the background or skit, and it’s an art. Art is in the eye of the beholder. In a regular class a judge is comparing the trim to the breed standard, did they show correct angulations of the rear legs, etc. However, creative grooming is an entirely different and fun class, and while I didn’t enter this year, because I’m saving my creative entry for Dallas, Texas in November, the entries were FABULOUS! The bad news is I will be competing against them in November and I’ve been wracking my brain to come up with something to top them. This is NOT going to be easy. They keep raising the bar and it gets harder and harder to compete! I’m enclosing a photo of two entrants in the creative class. These groomers are fabulous and wonderful people with a lot of talent!
On the left is “Wild, Wild West” a horse…and on the right is “Hoochie Poochie”…well the name speaks for itself!
And you thought groomers just scrubbed dogs….
September 5, 2007 Lost in Cyberspace
September 5, 2007
Lost in Cyberspace
I want to apologize to my readers who may have missed my column in the paper a few weeks ago. It seems when I emailed my column to the editor, it got lost in cyberspace, and she never received it. Sometimes I hate computers, although I really don’t know what I’d do without one now after using mine daily for the past several years. I’ve really become dependant on the internet for news and updates and it’s been an invaluable resource for researching information and looking up things. It has become the new library. My motto is, have a question? Look it up in the great big box of everything! Then internet has been my classroom, my encyclopedia, my teacher, my doctor at times, and has put me in touch with people all over the world that can share their life experiences with me at the click of a button.
I received a compliment the other day that I’ll never forget, a client told me that one of the things she loves about me is not that I’m local or convenient, or that I’m a nice person too, but that I will get the answer to a problem and not give up until I do. That was so touching to me, because that is how I work. I want to get to the root of the problem; I’m not satisfied until I do. A friend once told me that when I put my mind to something I’m a force of nature! Somehow, I never thought of it that way, but it describes me to a “T.”
I started grooming dogs 10 years ago. I volunteered at a vet clinic in Crawfordsville to learn it from their groomer. They thought I had a “knack” for it, and soon asked me if I’d like to work there so I did on my days off from my job at Bank One. I worked there until I was about 8 months pregnant and couldn’t reach the dogs anymore! That’s the problem with being “vertically challenged,” my arms are short too!
I opened up my own shop when my son was 5 months old, but I have to admit, I didn’t know much. It wasn’t until I discovered the “internet,” that I really began learning things about grooming I had never known until that point. I had avoided getting a computer because I didn’t want to “chat” with anyone; I just wanted to send email to my friends and family. Little did I know what was about to happen. I became hooked on finding information, and I found some online groomer groups that have put me in touch with seminars around the country, I’ve met some of these groomers at those events and we stay in touch. The wonderfully talented groomers who have shared their tips and tricks with me over the years have taught me more about grooming that I could ever have learned at a grooming school or by apprenticing with another groomer. They have been there for support when things go wrong, and they’ve given honest critiques. Through them, I’ve learned business strategies, marketing techniques, and a number of things you can’t learn on your own. I have the value of their years of experience, and luckily, they are generous enough to pass on their experience to me. I am truly blessed.
This is not to say that everything you read on the internet is the best advice or necessarily the truth, but I have enough sense to check out the rumors, ask others if something I read is feasible, and I usually find my way. This has allowed me to pass on important information on pet care to my clients, and to my readers, because you can’t hear everything you need to know on the 6 o’clock news.
The internet has opened up doors for me that I couldn’t have imagined! In fact, I was contacted by email in April by Adams Media to write a book! What are the odds of that? I wasn’t looking to write a book, it came to me, and so “The EVERYTHING Dog Grooming Book” will be published in August of 2008 and be for sale. To say I’m excited is an understatement; I have spent my summer writing this book and am currently in the revision stage. I get to leave my “mark” on the world! I’m sure without the internet that would never have been a possibility.
I’ve found some wonderful websites I’d like to share with you, I frequent these sites often, and I think you’ll find interesting information on pet care that you can use.
http://www.thepetcenter.com/ This site has articles by Dr. T.J. Dunn D.V.M. that are important and helpful to anyone with a pet. I’ve actually spoken with Dr. Dunn on the phone, and found him to be well informed, open to new information and a very valuable resource. In fact, I recommended him to be the technical advisor of my upcoming book, which he graciously did.
One site that has kept me up to date on the dog food recalls, and it also has some great articles on it is http://www.itchmo.com/ I get daily updates from this site, and can keep up with the latest pet news.
I’m also in the process of developing my own website, so hopefully soon I’ll have that web address for you. Yes, the internet has opened up a completely new world for me, and my career in grooming, training, and writing. Even though sometimes things go wrong and get lost in cyberspace, it’s something I would rather not live without, and those of you who may be intimidated by the internet, trust me, take a chance, look up some information and you’ll soon find yourself hooked! Who knows what doors the internet could open up for you.
Lost in Cyberspace
I want to apologize to my readers who may have missed my column in the paper a few weeks ago. It seems when I emailed my column to the editor, it got lost in cyberspace, and she never received it. Sometimes I hate computers, although I really don’t know what I’d do without one now after using mine daily for the past several years. I’ve really become dependant on the internet for news and updates and it’s been an invaluable resource for researching information and looking up things. It has become the new library. My motto is, have a question? Look it up in the great big box of everything! Then internet has been my classroom, my encyclopedia, my teacher, my doctor at times, and has put me in touch with people all over the world that can share their life experiences with me at the click of a button.
I received a compliment the other day that I’ll never forget, a client told me that one of the things she loves about me is not that I’m local or convenient, or that I’m a nice person too, but that I will get the answer to a problem and not give up until I do. That was so touching to me, because that is how I work. I want to get to the root of the problem; I’m not satisfied until I do. A friend once told me that when I put my mind to something I’m a force of nature! Somehow, I never thought of it that way, but it describes me to a “T.”
I started grooming dogs 10 years ago. I volunteered at a vet clinic in Crawfordsville to learn it from their groomer. They thought I had a “knack” for it, and soon asked me if I’d like to work there so I did on my days off from my job at Bank One. I worked there until I was about 8 months pregnant and couldn’t reach the dogs anymore! That’s the problem with being “vertically challenged,” my arms are short too!
I opened up my own shop when my son was 5 months old, but I have to admit, I didn’t know much. It wasn’t until I discovered the “internet,” that I really began learning things about grooming I had never known until that point. I had avoided getting a computer because I didn’t want to “chat” with anyone; I just wanted to send email to my friends and family. Little did I know what was about to happen. I became hooked on finding information, and I found some online groomer groups that have put me in touch with seminars around the country, I’ve met some of these groomers at those events and we stay in touch. The wonderfully talented groomers who have shared their tips and tricks with me over the years have taught me more about grooming that I could ever have learned at a grooming school or by apprenticing with another groomer. They have been there for support when things go wrong, and they’ve given honest critiques. Through them, I’ve learned business strategies, marketing techniques, and a number of things you can’t learn on your own. I have the value of their years of experience, and luckily, they are generous enough to pass on their experience to me. I am truly blessed.
This is not to say that everything you read on the internet is the best advice or necessarily the truth, but I have enough sense to check out the rumors, ask others if something I read is feasible, and I usually find my way. This has allowed me to pass on important information on pet care to my clients, and to my readers, because you can’t hear everything you need to know on the 6 o’clock news.
The internet has opened up doors for me that I couldn’t have imagined! In fact, I was contacted by email in April by Adams Media to write a book! What are the odds of that? I wasn’t looking to write a book, it came to me, and so “The EVERYTHING Dog Grooming Book” will be published in August of 2008 and be for sale. To say I’m excited is an understatement; I have spent my summer writing this book and am currently in the revision stage. I get to leave my “mark” on the world! I’m sure without the internet that would never have been a possibility.
I’ve found some wonderful websites I’d like to share with you, I frequent these sites often, and I think you’ll find interesting information on pet care that you can use.
http://www.thepetcenter.com/ This site has articles by Dr. T.J. Dunn D.V.M. that are important and helpful to anyone with a pet. I’ve actually spoken with Dr. Dunn on the phone, and found him to be well informed, open to new information and a very valuable resource. In fact, I recommended him to be the technical advisor of my upcoming book, which he graciously did.
One site that has kept me up to date on the dog food recalls, and it also has some great articles on it is http://www.itchmo.com/ I get daily updates from this site, and can keep up with the latest pet news.
I’m also in the process of developing my own website, so hopefully soon I’ll have that web address for you. Yes, the internet has opened up a completely new world for me, and my career in grooming, training, and writing. Even though sometimes things go wrong and get lost in cyberspace, it’s something I would rather not live without, and those of you who may be intimidated by the internet, trust me, take a chance, look up some information and you’ll soon find yourself hooked! Who knows what doors the internet could open up for you.
August 22, 2007 Dog Days of Summer
August 22, 2007
Dog Days of Summer
Yes, it’s that time of year; the dog days of summer are here. It’s hot and muggy, a typical Indiana August. Make sure you are treating your pooch to some cooling care to keep him comfortable during the hot summer. Here are some ideas.
Freeze some water in a plastic margarine tub or bowl, put this inside your dog’s water bowl and cover it with water, (you don’t want his tongue to get stuck on the ice!) this will keep your dogs water nice and cool all day.
Be sure to wash the water and food bowls thoroughly each day because flies are out and leftover food quickly turns bad. Besides, dogs tend to “backwash” into their water bowls so wash it out before refilling it.
If your dog likes water, get a kiddy pool and fill it with water for your dogs own personal pool. A shallow plastic container also works well for this purpose.
If you have a hairy dog, brush him thoroughly to get rid of the loose undercoat that is shedding heavily this time of year.
The easiest way to get the undercoat out is to bathe him thoroughly with a good degreasing shampoo; rinse and repeat of course . . . the reason you repeat is, the first shampoo gets rid of the dirt, the second shampoo gets rid of the oil that holds in the undercoat. Rinse well, then slather him in a good conditioner to soften up the coat and the undercoat will slide right out. You can use a wide toothed comb while the dog is in the tub marinating in the conditioner to help remove the hair. Wet hair combs out easier and it won’t pull on the dog’s skin as much. You want to try to comb the dog thoroughly while the conditioner is on the hair so it will slide out easy. Then rinse the dog well, and dry him off. Undercoat tends to shrink up as it dries, and it gets very tight and forms mats. This is why it is so important to comb out as much undercoat as you can while he’s in the bath. If you are blow-drying your dog, great, brush him out as you dry him and that will remove the undercoat and help him dry faster. If you have a very large dog or want to let him air dry, towel him off first. If he has long hair, don’t rub the coat with the towel, but squeeze it out instead so you aren’t rubbing the hair into mats. Periodically check on the dog, and brush him out as he is drying so he won’t develop mats.
If you bathe your dog outside, don’t use the cold hose on your dog please. There are fittings you can pick up at the local hardware store that you can put on your kitchen or bathroom faucet and hook the hose to it. Warm water always works better to shampoo dogs and it’s more humane. It doesn’t have to be hot, but cold water is shocking to the system and cruel. It’s one thing to play in the hose on a hot day, it’s quite another to be washed in cold water.
If you get your dog groomed or groom him at home, shave his tummy bare so he can lie down on the cool floor and get cool. If you have his hair cut, or cut it yourself, don’t cut it so short that you can see skin, that will put him at risk for sunburn. Removing the undercoat is more effective at keeping your dog cooler than shaving off all his hair. The reason being, shaving off the hair still leaves in the thick undercoat, only now it’s short. Undercoat has to be brushed and combed out, or you can use a tool like the Shed-Ender® available at CVS in the “as seen on TV” aisle. Just be careful not to apply pressure when you use any tool on your dog, he may think it’s a great back scratch, and you may think you are doing a great job at removing hair, until you look at his red, scratched up skin. Be gentle and take your time. It will be well worth it in the end.
Dog’s sweat through their paw pads, and by panting. If your dog is panting, make sure he has plenty of clean fresh cool water available at all times, and make sure his coat is well cared for. A matted coat is like wearing a heavy wool sweater outside in August. If your dog is matted, he will need to be professionally groomed.
A dog’s body temperature is higher than a human’s is also, normal for a dog is around 101 degrees, so you can imagine how uncomfortable they feel if they are left outside in the elements. If you are cool and comfortable in an air-conditioned house, make sure your best friend is too. If he’s tied up outside in the yard, in the heat with a heavy matted coat, and water that’s been sitting outside all day in the heat, my friend, you are being a cruel and neglectful owner.
Remember NEVER to leave your dog in the car even for just a couple of minutes in the summer. Cars get extremely hot in a very short time and your dog can suffer heatstroke, seizures, and death.
Dog Days of Summer
Yes, it’s that time of year; the dog days of summer are here. It’s hot and muggy, a typical Indiana August. Make sure you are treating your pooch to some cooling care to keep him comfortable during the hot summer. Here are some ideas.
Freeze some water in a plastic margarine tub or bowl, put this inside your dog’s water bowl and cover it with water, (you don’t want his tongue to get stuck on the ice!) this will keep your dogs water nice and cool all day.
Be sure to wash the water and food bowls thoroughly each day because flies are out and leftover food quickly turns bad. Besides, dogs tend to “backwash” into their water bowls so wash it out before refilling it.
If your dog likes water, get a kiddy pool and fill it with water for your dogs own personal pool. A shallow plastic container also works well for this purpose.
If you have a hairy dog, brush him thoroughly to get rid of the loose undercoat that is shedding heavily this time of year.
The easiest way to get the undercoat out is to bathe him thoroughly with a good degreasing shampoo; rinse and repeat of course . . . the reason you repeat is, the first shampoo gets rid of the dirt, the second shampoo gets rid of the oil that holds in the undercoat. Rinse well, then slather him in a good conditioner to soften up the coat and the undercoat will slide right out. You can use a wide toothed comb while the dog is in the tub marinating in the conditioner to help remove the hair. Wet hair combs out easier and it won’t pull on the dog’s skin as much. You want to try to comb the dog thoroughly while the conditioner is on the hair so it will slide out easy. Then rinse the dog well, and dry him off. Undercoat tends to shrink up as it dries, and it gets very tight and forms mats. This is why it is so important to comb out as much undercoat as you can while he’s in the bath. If you are blow-drying your dog, great, brush him out as you dry him and that will remove the undercoat and help him dry faster. If you have a very large dog or want to let him air dry, towel him off first. If he has long hair, don’t rub the coat with the towel, but squeeze it out instead so you aren’t rubbing the hair into mats. Periodically check on the dog, and brush him out as he is drying so he won’t develop mats.
If you bathe your dog outside, don’t use the cold hose on your dog please. There are fittings you can pick up at the local hardware store that you can put on your kitchen or bathroom faucet and hook the hose to it. Warm water always works better to shampoo dogs and it’s more humane. It doesn’t have to be hot, but cold water is shocking to the system and cruel. It’s one thing to play in the hose on a hot day, it’s quite another to be washed in cold water.
If you get your dog groomed or groom him at home, shave his tummy bare so he can lie down on the cool floor and get cool. If you have his hair cut, or cut it yourself, don’t cut it so short that you can see skin, that will put him at risk for sunburn. Removing the undercoat is more effective at keeping your dog cooler than shaving off all his hair. The reason being, shaving off the hair still leaves in the thick undercoat, only now it’s short. Undercoat has to be brushed and combed out, or you can use a tool like the Shed-Ender® available at CVS in the “as seen on TV” aisle. Just be careful not to apply pressure when you use any tool on your dog, he may think it’s a great back scratch, and you may think you are doing a great job at removing hair, until you look at his red, scratched up skin. Be gentle and take your time. It will be well worth it in the end.
Dog’s sweat through their paw pads, and by panting. If your dog is panting, make sure he has plenty of clean fresh cool water available at all times, and make sure his coat is well cared for. A matted coat is like wearing a heavy wool sweater outside in August. If your dog is matted, he will need to be professionally groomed.
A dog’s body temperature is higher than a human’s is also, normal for a dog is around 101 degrees, so you can imagine how uncomfortable they feel if they are left outside in the elements. If you are cool and comfortable in an air-conditioned house, make sure your best friend is too. If he’s tied up outside in the yard, in the heat with a heavy matted coat, and water that’s been sitting outside all day in the heat, my friend, you are being a cruel and neglectful owner.
Remember NEVER to leave your dog in the car even for just a couple of minutes in the summer. Cars get extremely hot in a very short time and your dog can suffer heatstroke, seizures, and death.
August 8, 2007 Animal Neglect and the Law
August 8, 2007
Animal Neglect and the Law
It’s summertime and it’s hot! If you are a responsible pet owner, your dog probably lives in your home with you, with food, water and, if he lives inside your home, you keep his coat up by regularly grooming the dog or having it done to prevent matting. However, there are plenty of instances everywhere of irresponsible dog owners. Look around your neighborhood, what do you see? Do you see dogs tied up on short chains with no water or knocked over water bowls? Is the water clean? Is the dog a matted wonder? If you see pets kept like this, it is against the law.
This information is from the website: http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title35/ar46/ch3.html
(Criminal Law & Procedure (Miscellaneous Offenses) 35-46-3-7 Abandonment or neglect of vertebrate animals
1987
Summary: Prohibits recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally abandoning or neglecting a vertebrate animal in one's custody.
Penalty: Class B Misdemeanor (35-50-3-3) maximum 180 days confinement; maximum $1,000 fine. Any law enforcement officer or other person with authority to impound animals who has probable cause can take custody of the animal involved.
4) "Neglect" means to: (A) endanger an animal's health by failing to provide the animal with food or drink, if the animal is dependent upon the person for the provision of food or drink; or (B) restrain an animal for more than a brief period by the use of a rope, chain, or tether that: (i) is less than three (3) times the length of the animal; (ii) is too heavy to permit the animal to move freely; or (iii) causes the animal to choke.
In my opinion, if you own a dog, you need a fenced yard. If you don’t have a fenced yard, then your dog must be confined inside your home, and you need to walk the dog regularly. Fences will prevent dog bites to anyone off your property. Fences also keep your dogs safe from traffic. Fences will prevent dogs attacking other dogs or other animals. There have been reports of cats that have been attacked by loose dogs lately. A fenced yard gives a dog space to run, and they won’t be as bored as one tied up on a chain or confined to a small kennel. Bored dogs bark incessantly, dig and are destructive, and are generally out of control when you let them off their chain. If you don’t have a fenced yard, you work and have no time to deal with a dog, and you don’t have the money to care for the dog properly; meaning flea control, heartworm preventative, vaccinations, spaying or neutering, and coat care, keeping the dog free of matted hair, then you don’t need a dog. Dogs are meant to be companion animals and are dependant on humans. If you can’t commit to doing it right, don’t do it at all. Shelters and rescues are full of animals that came from that same situation. It’s time to stop the madness.
Okay neighbors, now you have the facts. The law is stated above. If you see animal neglect or cruelty, report it to the police or animal control to investigate. You can remain anonymous.
Animal Neglect and the Law
It’s summertime and it’s hot! If you are a responsible pet owner, your dog probably lives in your home with you, with food, water and, if he lives inside your home, you keep his coat up by regularly grooming the dog or having it done to prevent matting. However, there are plenty of instances everywhere of irresponsible dog owners. Look around your neighborhood, what do you see? Do you see dogs tied up on short chains with no water or knocked over water bowls? Is the water clean? Is the dog a matted wonder? If you see pets kept like this, it is against the law.
This information is from the website: http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title35/ar46/ch3.html
(Criminal Law & Procedure (Miscellaneous Offenses) 35-46-3-7 Abandonment or neglect of vertebrate animals
1987
Summary: Prohibits recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally abandoning or neglecting a vertebrate animal in one's custody.
Penalty: Class B Misdemeanor (35-50-3-3) maximum 180 days confinement; maximum $1,000 fine. Any law enforcement officer or other person with authority to impound animals who has probable cause can take custody of the animal involved.
4) "Neglect" means to: (A) endanger an animal's health by failing to provide the animal with food or drink, if the animal is dependent upon the person for the provision of food or drink; or (B) restrain an animal for more than a brief period by the use of a rope, chain, or tether that: (i) is less than three (3) times the length of the animal; (ii) is too heavy to permit the animal to move freely; or (iii) causes the animal to choke.
In my opinion, if you own a dog, you need a fenced yard. If you don’t have a fenced yard, then your dog must be confined inside your home, and you need to walk the dog regularly. Fences will prevent dog bites to anyone off your property. Fences also keep your dogs safe from traffic. Fences will prevent dogs attacking other dogs or other animals. There have been reports of cats that have been attacked by loose dogs lately. A fenced yard gives a dog space to run, and they won’t be as bored as one tied up on a chain or confined to a small kennel. Bored dogs bark incessantly, dig and are destructive, and are generally out of control when you let them off their chain. If you don’t have a fenced yard, you work and have no time to deal with a dog, and you don’t have the money to care for the dog properly; meaning flea control, heartworm preventative, vaccinations, spaying or neutering, and coat care, keeping the dog free of matted hair, then you don’t need a dog. Dogs are meant to be companion animals and are dependant on humans. If you can’t commit to doing it right, don’t do it at all. Shelters and rescues are full of animals that came from that same situation. It’s time to stop the madness.
Okay neighbors, now you have the facts. The law is stated above. If you see animal neglect or cruelty, report it to the police or animal control to investigate. You can remain anonymous.
July 25, 2007 Summertime Flea ane Tick Tips
July 25, 2007
Summertime Flea and Tick Tips
Summer is a great time for dogs! More time outside, chasing squirrels and birds, running through the grass chasing the kids and it’s also bug season! Be sure to have your dog and cat on the best flea and tick prevention, my personal preference is Frontline Plus, but Advantage is also good. I stay away from the over the counter products because they contain permethrin or pyrethrins, which do kill fleas at least temporarily, but they are strong pesticides and you need to be aware that many pets have adverse reactions to such drugs.
Flea and tick dips used to be a popular way to rid your dog of the pests and many groomers used to use them, however, there is a lot of evidence now of those same groomers having autoimmune diseases that they think may be due to years of using those chemicals and having them absorbed into their skin. In addition, some animals have extreme adverse reactions to dips and frankly, it’s not worth it. There are much better products available now and you are crazy not to use them. Quit wasting your money on flea collars, powders, dips, and shampoos. You can get Frontline Plus, or Advantage from your vet or you can shop online for them. I’m even told that Rural King in Lafayette now carries Frontline.
Many groomers now will insist that pets be on some type of flea prevention such as Frontline Plus or Advantage so they don’t have fleas in their salons, or have fleas jumping onto other clients’ dogs. That really ruins a groomer’s reputation! Nobody wants to take their pet to a grooming salon and have it come home with fleas!
Just because you don’t see fleas jumping all over you or your house, doesn’t mean you don’t have them. I have a cat that NEVER goes outside, yet I’ve gotten lax in her flea prevention from time to time and noticed her scratching, and after combing through her hair with a flea comb, found one or two. How did she get fleas? Well, that’s simple, we brought them in the house on us, after kids playing in the yard, or mowing the grass, or the dogs brought them in from outside, and they jumped onto the cat due to them having Frontline Plus on them. Poor cats are flea magnets!
When you treat one of your pets for fleas, it’s important to remember to treat ALL of your pets at the same time and remember that even though it’s summertime and all bugs are out where we can see them, there really is no “flea season.” Indiana winters are not harsh enough to kill them all, and even when we do get killing frosts, your dog or cat will go outside briefly and the heat-seeking fleas will say “Hooray! Here comes a dog we are saved! Let’s hitch a ride on his back and get warm, oh and by the way, lets lay some eggs in the house so we can have our 2,000 babies.” I use Frontline Plus all year round. Just like heartworm prevention, if you get in the habit of doing it once a month, you won’t have to worry about heartworm, or fleas and ticks. The money you spend now for prevention is worth it so you don’t have to hire an exterminator, then deal with tapeworm from the fleas, the steroids and vet bills from all the scratching and allergic reactions to the fleas. Not to mention the hundreds of dollars it costs for heartworm treatment that your dog may or may not live through!
You wouldn’t let your children continue to carry head lice and not treat them, even though they got them innocently enough from another child, and you know what a pain that is to take care of, washing all the bedding, clothing, and everything in the house just to rid your home of those nasty louse!
Well, flea treatment is the same way. Too bad we don’t have Frontline for people; believe me I’ve considered putting some on my husband after he’s been mushroom hunting and finding ticks on him! Yuck!
Don’t forget that Lyme disease is also very prevalent in this area as well and I have several clients whose dogs have had to be treated for Lyme disease.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the saying goes, and believe me it’s true for your pets health! Get out your calendar; write down when you need to apply your flea and tick prevention and heartworm medications. Do it when you pay your mortgage or rent, so you won’t forget! Remember that Frontline Plus works best if you apply it when the dog or cat hasn’t had a bath within at least 72 hours because it works through their oil glands and if you just bathed them, there is no oil and it won’t be as effective. Schedule your pet’s grooming appointments around your flea prevention so you won’t have to worry about washing it off immediately after applying it or the dog being freshly groomed and you have to wait 3 days to apply it.
Once you get into the habit, it will become automatic and you won’t have to worry anymore about fleas, ticks, or heartworm. Your dog will thank you for it!
Summertime Flea and Tick Tips
Summer is a great time for dogs! More time outside, chasing squirrels and birds, running through the grass chasing the kids and it’s also bug season! Be sure to have your dog and cat on the best flea and tick prevention, my personal preference is Frontline Plus, but Advantage is also good. I stay away from the over the counter products because they contain permethrin or pyrethrins, which do kill fleas at least temporarily, but they are strong pesticides and you need to be aware that many pets have adverse reactions to such drugs.
Flea and tick dips used to be a popular way to rid your dog of the pests and many groomers used to use them, however, there is a lot of evidence now of those same groomers having autoimmune diseases that they think may be due to years of using those chemicals and having them absorbed into their skin. In addition, some animals have extreme adverse reactions to dips and frankly, it’s not worth it. There are much better products available now and you are crazy not to use them. Quit wasting your money on flea collars, powders, dips, and shampoos. You can get Frontline Plus, or Advantage from your vet or you can shop online for them. I’m even told that Rural King in Lafayette now carries Frontline.
Many groomers now will insist that pets be on some type of flea prevention such as Frontline Plus or Advantage so they don’t have fleas in their salons, or have fleas jumping onto other clients’ dogs. That really ruins a groomer’s reputation! Nobody wants to take their pet to a grooming salon and have it come home with fleas!
Just because you don’t see fleas jumping all over you or your house, doesn’t mean you don’t have them. I have a cat that NEVER goes outside, yet I’ve gotten lax in her flea prevention from time to time and noticed her scratching, and after combing through her hair with a flea comb, found one or two. How did she get fleas? Well, that’s simple, we brought them in the house on us, after kids playing in the yard, or mowing the grass, or the dogs brought them in from outside, and they jumped onto the cat due to them having Frontline Plus on them. Poor cats are flea magnets!
When you treat one of your pets for fleas, it’s important to remember to treat ALL of your pets at the same time and remember that even though it’s summertime and all bugs are out where we can see them, there really is no “flea season.” Indiana winters are not harsh enough to kill them all, and even when we do get killing frosts, your dog or cat will go outside briefly and the heat-seeking fleas will say “Hooray! Here comes a dog we are saved! Let’s hitch a ride on his back and get warm, oh and by the way, lets lay some eggs in the house so we can have our 2,000 babies.” I use Frontline Plus all year round. Just like heartworm prevention, if you get in the habit of doing it once a month, you won’t have to worry about heartworm, or fleas and ticks. The money you spend now for prevention is worth it so you don’t have to hire an exterminator, then deal with tapeworm from the fleas, the steroids and vet bills from all the scratching and allergic reactions to the fleas. Not to mention the hundreds of dollars it costs for heartworm treatment that your dog may or may not live through!
You wouldn’t let your children continue to carry head lice and not treat them, even though they got them innocently enough from another child, and you know what a pain that is to take care of, washing all the bedding, clothing, and everything in the house just to rid your home of those nasty louse!
Well, flea treatment is the same way. Too bad we don’t have Frontline for people; believe me I’ve considered putting some on my husband after he’s been mushroom hunting and finding ticks on him! Yuck!
Don’t forget that Lyme disease is also very prevalent in this area as well and I have several clients whose dogs have had to be treated for Lyme disease.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the saying goes, and believe me it’s true for your pets health! Get out your calendar; write down when you need to apply your flea and tick prevention and heartworm medications. Do it when you pay your mortgage or rent, so you won’t forget! Remember that Frontline Plus works best if you apply it when the dog or cat hasn’t had a bath within at least 72 hours because it works through their oil glands and if you just bathed them, there is no oil and it won’t be as effective. Schedule your pet’s grooming appointments around your flea prevention so you won’t have to worry about washing it off immediately after applying it or the dog being freshly groomed and you have to wait 3 days to apply it.
Once you get into the habit, it will become automatic and you won’t have to worry anymore about fleas, ticks, or heartworm. Your dog will thank you for it!
July 11, 2007 In Loving Memory of "Bob"
July 11, 2007
In Loving Memory of “Bob”
We had a death in the family this morning. Bob the goldfish died. I know what you are thinking, it was just a goldfish. Actually, he was a .28¢ goldfish from Wal-Mart to be exact. Nevertheless, he was a pet, and member of the family. He even had his own Christmas stocking!
Most people would simply flush the fish down the toilet, however in this family; fish go out with a little more pomp and circumstance. They get a full-blown pet funeral. Complete with tiny little box, and buried in the backyard, grave marked with a flower.
A few years ago, we lost “Ben” the Betta. I tried to convince my son to flush him, but he indignantly informed me that “Mom! God doesn’t live in the toilet!” Now you know why they get a funeral here.
Our pets aren’t the only ones that we do funerals for, if my kids find any dead creature, a dead bird, a baby bird that fell out of the nest or even butterflies, we have to have the ritual, get a box so the kids can bury it in the backyard. Once they found a dead hummingbird, it was so beautiful and to see it close up was amazing. I was fresh out of check boxes, (those work great for coffins) but I did happen to have a little box from McDonalds, actually it held Chicken McNuggets, so the bird was buried in a Chicken McNugget carton, Kleenex lined, of course.
I know this whole story sounds funny and silly, but truly, I’m glad my kids have hearts so big. At least I know they have empathy for animals of all sorts, with the exception of bugs, or wasps at least. A wasp stung my oldest son several years ago, and he has never forgotten it. We were at a store in Carmel once, and when I went to put the packages in the back of my van, they noticed a wasp. I swatted it and knocked it to the ground, sure that I had saved them from the attack of the killer wasp, but that wasn’t good enough. My son jumps up and down on the poor thing yelling, “DIE! DIE! DIE!”
Okay, maybe they aren’t THAT empathetic.
However, I do believe it’s important for children to understand death and dying, and funerals, at least for pets. They’ve yet to attend a human funeral, burying pets is traumatic enough. When your kids lose a pet, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you, have a heart, and let them grieve for it in their own way. Have a funeral for it if you can, and let them help prepare a final resting place. I’m reminded of the funeral scene in the movie “Cheaper by the dozen” when “Beans” the frog dies. Steve Martin gave a eulogy for him, “Beans was a good frog, he hipped and he hopped” . . . That still cracks me up! Let them work through their feelings; they may talk about it for a long time. Mine still talk about losing our pets from time to time. I think it makes them feel better to talk about them and I tell them how much I miss them too. It’s only natural.
While I don’t think Maus funeral home is in any danger of going out of business due to my sons’ pet “mortuary” service, maybe a pet cemetery isn’t a bad idea. I could see a line of children coming with their deceased pocket pets, and my kids making a coffin for them and providing a service. Guess I had better stock up on those disposable plastic containers for makeshift coffins; after all, God doesn’t live in the toilet.
In Loving Memory of “Bob”
We had a death in the family this morning. Bob the goldfish died. I know what you are thinking, it was just a goldfish. Actually, he was a .28¢ goldfish from Wal-Mart to be exact. Nevertheless, he was a pet, and member of the family. He even had his own Christmas stocking!
Most people would simply flush the fish down the toilet, however in this family; fish go out with a little more pomp and circumstance. They get a full-blown pet funeral. Complete with tiny little box, and buried in the backyard, grave marked with a flower.
A few years ago, we lost “Ben” the Betta. I tried to convince my son to flush him, but he indignantly informed me that “Mom! God doesn’t live in the toilet!” Now you know why they get a funeral here.
Our pets aren’t the only ones that we do funerals for, if my kids find any dead creature, a dead bird, a baby bird that fell out of the nest or even butterflies, we have to have the ritual, get a box so the kids can bury it in the backyard. Once they found a dead hummingbird, it was so beautiful and to see it close up was amazing. I was fresh out of check boxes, (those work great for coffins) but I did happen to have a little box from McDonalds, actually it held Chicken McNuggets, so the bird was buried in a Chicken McNugget carton, Kleenex lined, of course.
I know this whole story sounds funny and silly, but truly, I’m glad my kids have hearts so big. At least I know they have empathy for animals of all sorts, with the exception of bugs, or wasps at least. A wasp stung my oldest son several years ago, and he has never forgotten it. We were at a store in Carmel once, and when I went to put the packages in the back of my van, they noticed a wasp. I swatted it and knocked it to the ground, sure that I had saved them from the attack of the killer wasp, but that wasn’t good enough. My son jumps up and down on the poor thing yelling, “DIE! DIE! DIE!”
Okay, maybe they aren’t THAT empathetic.
However, I do believe it’s important for children to understand death and dying, and funerals, at least for pets. They’ve yet to attend a human funeral, burying pets is traumatic enough. When your kids lose a pet, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you, have a heart, and let them grieve for it in their own way. Have a funeral for it if you can, and let them help prepare a final resting place. I’m reminded of the funeral scene in the movie “Cheaper by the dozen” when “Beans” the frog dies. Steve Martin gave a eulogy for him, “Beans was a good frog, he hipped and he hopped” . . . That still cracks me up! Let them work through their feelings; they may talk about it for a long time. Mine still talk about losing our pets from time to time. I think it makes them feel better to talk about them and I tell them how much I miss them too. It’s only natural.
While I don’t think Maus funeral home is in any danger of going out of business due to my sons’ pet “mortuary” service, maybe a pet cemetery isn’t a bad idea. I could see a line of children coming with their deceased pocket pets, and my kids making a coffin for them and providing a service. Guess I had better stock up on those disposable plastic containers for makeshift coffins; after all, God doesn’t live in the toilet.
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