Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Guilty Dogs and Jealous Owners…Day One Hundred and Forty One

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Have you seen the video about the guilty dog and the cat treats?  I admit the video pissed me off slightly and probably for a couple of reasons.  The major one being, after the guy puts this dog through an incredible guilt trip over something that took place probably about five minutes after he left the house, he sends the dog to the “penalty box.”   More than likely from the looks of where the dog was heading, the penalty box is probably a bedroom, but it still made me mad the dog was punished well after the fact.

I tried to replicate the video with Delilah, but she would have none of it.  Instead she insisted I document her “Faux Paw” with still photos.

Delilah’s Faux Paw
 

Then to further thwart me in my attempts to garner public attention for our cause, she refused to make faces for the camera.  She insisted the faces made by the dog in the video were unflattering and that she was too pretty to present herself in that manner.  The most I could get her to agree to was a picture of her looking contritely at her alleged Faux Paw; only after I assured her that she did not look fat in the photo.

Are you sure I don't look fat?

The second reason (if I’m being completely honest and I must be) is that I am jealous.  Jealous that some things just seem to come naturally and easily to some people, while here I sit plugging away on the social media circuit trying to garner attention for my dogs and my book.  Now that’s a judgment on my part, because how do I know this guy hasn’t been trying; and has finally succeeded?

If you know me at all, this is an incredibly difficult thing for me to admit, because I generally try to be a person who 1) is supportive of other people and their successes and 2) does not judge others.  For me to admit I have a flaw such as jealousy is pretty big.  Personally, I don’t care to feel this way, but I’m not sure how to change it.

Perhaps what I need to do is to turn my thoughts internally; to look at what I term a success.  You’re reading this blog by your own choice, right? 

Shouldn’t that be considered a success on my part?

Poo Sticks…Day One Hundred and Forty

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My grandson has a book named “Pooh Sticks,”  (or something along those lines) in the story Winnie the Pooh and his friends play a game with sticks by dropping them into the brook to see which stick gets to the finish line first.

Since this blog is

1) About my dogs and

2) Poo is spelled differently than Pooh, you would be correct in assuming this blog is not about my dog(s) dropping sticks in the brook.

WARNING: THIS BLOG IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH A QUEASY STOMACH. 

I have a dog that eats poop.  

Notice the words are “whispered”.   That is because I am embarrassed, mortified and disgusted; similar to the time I had to go to the computer store and say that my computer had a virus.  (Like I actually let my computer sneak off and do something nasty.)  

The fact of the matter is that lots of dogs eat poop, whether it be their own or (GAG) some other dogs.  Yes, I know this for a fact because I have been researching solutions for this problem which is why I am sitting here with a queasy stomach writing this blog.  There is actually a name for this disgusting habit; Dog Coprophagia (go ahead, Google it, I can wait.)

Now I won’t say which dog is partaking in this really disgusting habit (Delilah) but I will tell you this is becoming a problem for me and how I interact with my dog.

1) I don’t want her to “kiss” me.

2) She licks everything, from the floor to the counter, so I now must become a cleaning fanatic (I don’t like this.)

3) Her breath smells and when she burps or farts; (just use your imagination on this one.)

From what I’ve read, opinions are mixed about why dogs do this and what can be done to prevent it.  I read that feeding them pineapple will stop the habit.  So every morning the dogs get a spoonful of pineapple mixed in with yogurt in their breakfast.  So far that hasn’t stopped her.

Delicious pineapple and yogurt to go with the green bean filler.

 

I did find a natural product, Solid Gold S.E.P. , the S.E.P. stands for “Stop Eating Poop,” naturally I ordered 2 containers, (God, I’m desperate) but besides that the only solutions I found were:

1) Teach your dog to defecate on command (seriously, WTF? I can’t get my dog to come when I call her and you want me to teach her to poop on command?)

2) Clean up after your pet immediately so there is no opportunity for munching (really, I don’t want to clean the counter continuously, why would I want to follow the frigging dog around the yard?)

3) Always take the dog out on the leash (I have a fenced in yard specifically so I don’t have to do this) and yank the leash when she makes a move for the poop.

4) Put hot sauce or something equally distasteful on the poop piles so she won’t eat them (really if I’m out in the yard looking for poop piles, I might just as well pick them up.)

I guess my only option is to go out in the yard to see what I can pick up, and I will sit here holding my breath; waiting for my Solid Gold S.E.P. to arrive.

God help me.

Who would think someone with this sweet face would have such a disgusting habit?

The Truth About Garlic…Day One Hundred and Thirty Nine

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People are always a bit surprised when I tell them I do not use a topical flea and tick prevention medicine.   As I have stated before, I personally feel putting something on my beloved pet that is poisonous enough to kill a biting insect is detrimental to my pet.  Instead I use a natural insect spray and feed the dogs…garlic.

What’s that you say?  You heard that garlic is bad for dogs.

Yeah, I heard that too. 

I decided it was time to research the topic and find out once and for all.  Now when someone asks me about garlic and dogs, I can give them the proper answer.  So here it is.

Yes garlic is bad for your dog;  if he/she eats about 50 cloves of it.  According to sojos (natural food and treats for pets) garlic has many medicinal uses and has been used for thousands of years.  

Springtime Inc. has a wonderful webpage that references studies completed on the healthy benefits of garlic, studies such as:

Insecticidal and Repellent Effects

Low Cancer Rates Associated With Regular Garlic Consumption

Immune Stimulant Effects of Garlic

Antioxidant Effects

Antidote for Heavy Metal Poisoning and Other Toxins

I’m sure if we really looked; we could find many more studies and articles touting the healthy effects of garlic.  The key as with anything, is moderation my friend.  Everything in moderation.

I will tell you of the one serious side effect I found from using the garlic; the dogs get gas, and it really smells.

While garlic will help keep the fleas and ticks off your pets; it will NOT keep your dog from running like a lunatic into muddy water.

What? It's just a little mud!

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