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December 13, 2002 - Volume 33 Materials in this newsletter are the sole possession of the authors and Dog Company. Please do not copy or use in any fashion without written permission |
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Dog Note Even we dogs know it is the season of gift giving. Please don't buy a dog as a gift for anyone! Dogs are living beings, and we live a long time. When you want to choose one of us as a "LIFE LONG FAMILY MEMBER AND FRIEND," it should be carefully thought about, talked over (between family and a dog trainer so you get the perfect pet for your family) and planned by everyone involved. Don't count on the supposition that once everyone meets the new dog, things will be great and everyone will just fall in love. We dogs want it to be a lifetime commitment.
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Walkin' in a Doggie Wonderland (to the tune of Winter Wonderland!) Dog tags ring, are you listenin'? Smell that tree? that's my fragrance In the meadow Dad will build a snowman, Straight from me to the fence post, Woof... Sweep
Classified HOME WANTED: Ozzie, a terrier cross dog is one year old and needs a home. He is neutered and has had all his vaccinations. He would be good with a family and/or another dog, too. Call Brenda for more info. at 727-3956 Gift Certificates: Looking for that last minute gift for the person who has everything? Give them a gift certificate for Agility classes or Flyball. Or, maybe a certificate for obedience lessons. It's great for kids and adults both. Call Peni at 656-1659 or woof@dogcompany.com Calendars: Looking for something to give the "hard to buy for person"? Phur Photos can put your dog's picture on a calendar. 652-3125 or phurphotos@shaw.ca for info. Wanted: Your 'articles', your 'For Sales', your 'Want Ads', your birthday wishes, your letters to Mam'selle, your names, your ......... ????? By Wed. Dec. 25 .... for the next Woof, please...... mailto:peni@dogcompany.com
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ASK MAM'SELLE Dear Mam'selle, Dear L. L., Been there, done that, tried all that begging myself. You'd think that I could have gotten away with it too - with my pity approach - "Oh ...but she's deaf and doesn't understand." Yeh, right! My parents know better than to give in to pity! I do know that in our family of dogs, none of us have ever had people food other than when we are on long hikes, etc. Our parents will give us the last part of the carrot or the last part of apple (when they are done) when we stop for a break. My parents will give us fruit or raw veggies, which we all love! Now some of my housemates who are 14 years old, are very active and can keep up to us girls with no problem because they've eaten properly all their lives. Peni says that the "Good" food for dogs is scientifically superior for all a dog's nutrient needs. People food is just a filler and not good for us. There are many people foods that are even toxic to dogs like onions, some spices, Turkey and chicken bones, fish bones, and chocolates to name a few. So if we don't get it, we will learn to leave it alone and we will be healthier for it. By the way....... stay away from the "Christmas" OOOps... Festive tree.... tinsel and ornaments can kill dogs and chewing through the lighting cord will do more than curl your fur. All the best of the season to you all!!!!
Phydeau Phun Then there was the dog who was roaming down the street when he saw a park bench with a sign that read, "Wet Paint".... so he did.
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Tips and Tales by Miss Trouble Awwrright ! Call the SPCA ! Call the Humane Society ! Call the CRD Animal Shelter ! Call Peni !! Call someone !! I'm being sorely mistreated and starved. Yeah, that's rightŠ you heard meŠ. starved!! You know that I go to Flyball, right? Well, I have this snazzy red harness I wear. Mom went to put it on me a couple of weeks ago and, oops. it was too tight. All the other fur faces looked at me and kind of snickered in a doggy way. Of course, I was embarrassed; Mom shouldn't have called attention to it, but when she couldn't get it done up, I guess people were bound to notice. Mom shouldn't have been too surprised though. One of our friends, Deena, had commented that I looked like I had put on weight, but Mom said she didn't think so. (She should have kept thinking that way!) But now she knows - and my life has changed - and not for the better! I'm already eating pumpkin mixed with my tinned food, so Dad (who is the prime breakfast giver) has just cut the amount he gives me down a bit. He also made the dry amount I get smaller. But the worst blow of all is that Mom told the neighbours I was on a diet! Of course, Auntie Jessie stuck up for me and said I didn't get too many treats over there, but Mom asked her to cut back on the few I get anyway. And Uncle Jack on the other side only gives me a couple when they come back from somewhere so that's not often but Mom said, "Fewer, please." Fine thing' it's okay for me to go visiting and I'm supposed to be well mannered, but doesn't a guest always get offered something? It wouldn't be polite to refuse now, would it? As well as all this diet business, I heard Mom talking about exercise too. Something tells me that we're going to be doing a lot more walking. Hey, that's okay with me. I love to get out and see what's happening in the world. I can handle that easy. What really scares me about all this though? Mom threatened to take away my whipped cream. It's just not fair!! At this holiday season, with all the good treats around... I'm on a diet!!
Woofs of Wisdom The great pleasure of a dog is that you make a fool of yourself with him
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Traveling with Teddy and Theo Each year, Gail and Carol leave beautiful Victoria for about 9 months to travel throughout North America and of course take along their most precious, "Teddy" and "Theo".... that's us. We are Chihuahuas - a 3 and a 1 1/2 year old. We wouldn't consider going anywhere without Carol & Gail. They're fun to be with, good travelling companions, well behaved most of the time....... and, let's face it - they adore us. Prior to Departing: Each year as our journey takes us east and then south, we must have our vaccinations up to date. Since we are in warm weather pretty well all the time, we boys need to be on Heart Guard year round. A trip to the vet ensures we are both healthy and able to travel for extended periods of times. We also travel into Mexico (homeland of our ancestors) so a Health Certificate and current rabies vaccine is a must. We both feel that a good first aid bag is also a must. Gail and Carol have put together a terrific "doggie first aid bag." Theo & Teddy's First Aid Bag (T & T First Aid)
Another thing we do is to stock right up on our dog food before we leave. We stay so much healthier if we keep to the same diet! On the Road: While we're traveling, we try to ensure that Carol & Gail are exercised before heading out in the morning. During the trip, they are more than content to lay on the couch (Geesh, who's driving!) of the motorhome or just sit. We make sure that they put our water and food bowls out and full all the time, so we can just wander back to the bowls whenever we feel the need. Most important is we also try to stop every 2-3 hours so Carol and Gail can relieve themselves and get a bit of exercise. We use only bottled water whenever we are in the US or Mexico. This way we ensure no one gets sick. At our Destination: The idea of leaving anyone locked up in our motorhome for extended periods of time just doesn't sit well with either of us, especially when it's real hot outside. If we do have to leave anyone in the motorhome, the air conditioning is always left on or the windows are left open. We also ensure they have plenty of water. We are closely supervised around children (all dogs should be, even if they like kids) and visitors to our motorhome and even outside. Outside, Carol & Gail always make sure we all have a shaded area to go to. If we are in an area that has coyotes, snakes or scorpions, etc., they're always outside whenever we are. Theo and I like to ensure nothing happens to them. |
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Visiting the local towns and tourist attractions can be a bit of "pain" having dogs but we very well behaved and Carol & Gail are real charmers, so we manage. Most of the time, we get to go with them. They pack up a bag of dry food in a ziplock bag, bottled water, and a few treats and off we go. Recently we were in New Orleans in the French Quarter and noticed that many of the restaurants and bars had dogs in them. We were thrilled! Gail and Carol stopped at a local bar to have a beverage and we boys just sat on one of the bar stools. Whenever we are stopped at a campground for any length of time, our routine is always the same. We exercise first thing in the morning to avoid the heat and we try to practice Peni's training techniques whenever we can. (We'll be back for more lessons again this year!) All it takes is some common sense to keep Gail & Carol and ourselves happy and healthy. For us it's easier traveling with "the Girls" because we are full-time RVers and live in our motorhome year round!
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Crating Continued I read Sweep's piece on the Indispensable Crate in the November 29th issue, and I wanted to add my two cents. That article spoke a lot about the new pup; well, I was already two years old when I came to my forever home. The day after I arrived, my parents bought me a crate. I was not interested in trying them on for size in the store, and even for the first few days, I would put up a fight when I had to go in. During the first week, my parents sat with me for a while and gave me cuddles and cookies for being a good dog in my crate, and that helped me relax. Since then, my parents have moved my crate to a more common area of the house, and I spend even more time in my crate, but it's by my choice! When I get tired of trying to talk them into playing ball, I'll go into my crate because it's a lot more comfortable than just lying on the floor. And I know that when all the lights are being turned off that it is time for bed, and I go to bed on my own. I don't understand people who say that crates are cruel - I love mine! I also wanted to say, that contrary to Sweep's family, I don't ride in a crate in the car. That doesn't mean that I get total freedom though! My mom says that she wouldn't let a child ride without a seatbelt in her car, so a dog should be no different. First off, I could get badly injured in an accident or I could become a projectile and injure someone else in the car or a good Samaritan could open the car door to help after an accident, and I could run away in fright. My mom's car is pretty small for a big-dog crate, so they bought me a seatbelt of my very own. She did a lot of research on the different types out there, and found the Ruff Rider Roadie and the Canine Auto Champion to be the best. She says that she bought the Champion because they had a more informative website, and the Ruff Rider left her with a lot of unanswered questions. That's important when you are buying a product without seeing it. It took a little time to get used to it, but now I get really excited when I see my seatbelt because it means that I get to go! I even try to help by lifting up my feet, but Mom says it doesn't really help much because I don't usually get them in the holes. Oh well, at least I try! So if you read Sweep's article, and thought, "I can't crate my dog in the car because [state your reason here]" now you know there is another option out there. If your dog is an important member of your family, you owe it to your family as well as your dog. D.N. (that's Dog Note!) Links:
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Slick's Flicks GRRR ... Wuff! Yep, it's time to pop the popcorn ( I like mine with a bit of butter) and a big bowl of water. Family Flicks........ Bugs ! funny and the kids really got into it! Adult Movies.............National Lampoons Christmas. Chevy Chase. It was funny all the way through. Geeesh.......... I can smell the popcorn now! REMEMBER TO LICK UP ALL THE CRUMBS OFF THE FLOOR
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Cleo's Craft Fair Calendar Only one craft fair this time.... that's the Last Chance Christmas Craft Fair at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. It runs Saturday(14th) and Sunday(15th) from 10:00 to 4:00, but I did see that in Bastion Square, downtown in Victoria, there's something called a festival. It said that there will be artisans and craftspeople so that sounds sort of like a craft fair. It's goes from 11:00 to 6:00 every day, right through to Sunday the 15th. Another thing I know is that Emmy's studio (you saw the poster last issue) is open 'til Dec. 23. And finally, there's something called the Winter Market in Sidney. That's out on the street (Beacon Ave) and it's on Saturdays (14th and 21st) from 5:30 to 8:30 in the evenings.
Happy holidays to everyone.
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Happy Holidays to all!!!
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