Dog Handling Effects of Winter

Dear Ollie,

Enough is enough. I love snow and can rise to the challenge of romping or digging in the frosty, white stuff with the best of them. But we’ve had more snow in Chesterton than is necessary to make a nice winter. In fact, I think we may have more than Vancouver, Canada where the winter Olympics is being hosted.

Here’s my problem; my paws hurt and my owner makes me wear a leash when we walk on the lake. I don’t need a leash because I do come when I am called. The whole experience is humiliating and did I mention that I walked on our snow covered driveway yesterday, and my paws hurt?

 

Malden, the Slovac Cuvac

 

Dear Malden,

I get it. You’re sick of winter and your paws hurt. Well, mine hurt yesterday too when my woman-human took me out on the front lawn. O.K., we were outside the front door where there is a two foot high snow drift and no lawn. Anyway, we walked on what used to be the lawn and I was fine until I trotted over our driveway and wow, did my paws hurt. I raised them up one at a time and put myself in the “brake for sore paws” position. My woman-human got my message. “Poor Ollie,” she said. And indeed she was right. She scooped up some fresh snow from the drifts and washed my paws. It was great and I was cured. Yours and my paws hurt because salt and other substances used to remove snow from sidewalks, driveways and walkways stuck to our feet. If not treated, we could lick the substance off and may suffer digestive tract inflammation or worse. Tell your owners to wash your paws and your tummy fur with warm water and a damp cloth after outdoor excursions.

So you live near a lake? Well, I do too.  My woman-human lets me run loose because I weigh only 16 pounds and she knows that when the ice fisherman set up shacks on Lake Louise, the ice is at least 9 inches thick. You, Malden are a big dog probably 80 to 100 pounds. The rules are different here. Winter has other dangers besides sore paws. Two dogs about your size, a Labrador retriever and a Chow/Lab mix were rescued two weeks ago by the Valparaiso Fire Department. They both fell into a pond located in the Stonehenge subdivision of Valparaiso.

Assistant Valparaiso Fire Chief Dan lamb said that if a dog goes into the water, the owner must call 911 immediately and NOT try to rescue the dog. “We have special suits, life preservers, a floating rescue sled with a paddle and we’ll be there in 3 to 5 minutes,” said Lamb. “There’s a good chance that the human will fall through the ice too,” he said. Jim Mercon, a Valparaiso resident did go through the ice on Lake Louise to save his large dog 10 years ago. “I remember this fiasco as though it were yesterday,” he said. “My body temperature went down to 80 degrees before I was rescued.” That story had a happy ending as both man and dog were saved by the Union Township Volunteer fire department.

Unfortunately, only footprints heading to the Kankakee River were left when 310 pound David Smith of Manteno, Illinois was exercising his chocolate Labrador dog and presumably fell into the icy river near the Sumava Resorts in Newton County.

Malden, stay safe and warm this winter and I hope that someone remembers you on this Valentine’s Day with two pairs of lovely red booties for your sore paws. 

 

 

Remember, Rescuing one pet can’t change the world…but the world will change for that one pet

Dogs riding in cars...and one flew out the window

Dear Ollie,

Please print this letter as a warning to all dog owners who love to take their pets for rides in the family car. I am a responsible dog owner and I love my three dogs very much. All of them love to accompany me on short trips in the car. I know that when the temperature is over 70 degrees, even with the windows down, dogs can quickly succumb to heat stroke and die if left as little as ten minutes in an enclosed car. Even with the air conditioning on, things can happen, like the car stalling or running out of gas. Last Thursday, the weather was absolutely   beautiful so I took my three dogs (one puppy and two adults) to Deep River Park in Hobart for some healthy exercise. They love to chase leaves and just enjoy walking the trials. Yes Ollie, I do pick up their dog poop to make the walks pleasant for those who walk later. After we walked and played, I loaded the three critters in the back of my van and took off for home which is less than three miles away. The dogs have a large dog seat in the back and are able to jump off and get water. They are not strapped in and don’t wear any kind of harness. I have always felt that they were safe because the large dog seat is fastened to the car and was fabricated from heavy metal with a lot of crash resistance. Well, I must admit when I got home, I opened the back of the van’s hatch, pulled stuff out and left the three dogs inside until I had free hands to carry them out. My dogs weigh 23 pounds, 15 pounds and the puppy is six pounds. There is a fall of more than two feet from the door at the back of the van to the driveway. When I came back out to the driveway to get the three dogs, I was dumbfounded to find only the two adult dogs waiting to be transferred into the house. The little guy had vanished. I was in a panic. Did he jump off the tailgate to chase a squirrel? In my haste, did I leave him at the park? I could not imagine where he could be. I called for him in the neighborhood and there was no puppy. Then, I drove back to Deep River Park thinking I left him there, but I knew better.  Of course, he was nowhere to be found. Then I telephoned the Porter County Shelter and they wrote up a lost dog report. In tears, I phoned the Hobart Humane Society. They had a little puppy in custody matching my dog’s description. A kind couple had brought him in after they witnessed him being “thrown out of the back window of a car traveling on County Line Road”. “I’ll be right there,” I said, and I was. Apparently, the back windows of the van were open enough for him to fall out when I turned from the park south on County Line Road. He must have been perched on top on the dog seat and lost his balance. He had a few scrapes but wasn’t any worse for the experience. I want to thank the staff at the Hobart Humane Society for their caring and professionalism and the kind young couple, who stopped their car, picked him up off the road and took him to the shelter. If they hadn’t taken the time to be concerned, the little puppy could have been hit by another approaching car. “All is well that ends well,” Shakespeare wrote. I am thankful that there are good people in this world who care about animals and they happened to be there when I made a very dumb mistake.

Signed,

Dumb, Dumber & Dumbfounded

 

Dear Dumbfounded,

You have said it all.

 

Remember, rescuing one pet can’t change the world…but the world will change for that one pet

Dog gets stuck in Doggie Door

Dear Ollie,

Today, I found myself inside out. Yesterday, I was outside in. I am a 22 inch high pure white Samoyed dog.  I love to play and what I have in my owner’s laundry room is a doggy door installed on an outside wall that goes right into a fenced patio. The door was installed when I was just a pup so I could go in and out of it all day when my owners were gone to work.

Recently, I got stuck going in the door and stuck going out, I looked ridiculous.  My back yard space is concrete. I just love to dig in dirt and used to drag in the house all kinds of stuff. So now I am sunning myself on concrete.  I hate it. I am the happiest when I am rolling in something that smells awful to my human but wonderful to me. I love chasing squirrels up the trees and howling at the full moon. I look forward to a walk on my leash, playing with toys and chewing stuff. I am having a lot of trouble. My owners are talking about giving me up. Help me Ollie.

Sam, the Samoyed

 

Dear Sam,

Having a doggy door in your laundry room can be a great idea. Most owners invest in fencing for a run or a yard for their dogs, but few build a concrete patio with a doggie door access.

After all, you are a dog and that’s O.K. I always say that a dog is a dog and all the things you speak about loving to do are things that dogs love to do. Your human needed to understand that you would grow big someday, the doggy door would be too small, a concrete patio wouldn’t cut it and you would most certainly grow up and end up acting like a dog.  Humans go in and out of relationships all the time.  But when a relationship between a dog between a dog and their owner goes bad, the dog has no control over his destiny.

Acquiring a puppy and then believing the pup won’t grow up and not fit in a doggie door is really ridiculous. Because the human does not understand their dog, many good dogs end up abandoned on the streets or in shelters or dog rescue groups. Sure, nobody can guarantee that every dog and owner relationship will work out but the same can be said of most things.  Clearly, your owner had no idea how big you would grow. He or she may be trying hard to be responsible but is missing the obvious. First, you are a dog and second, the doggie door is too small because you grew. Many of the local pet stores like Brandt’s in Michigan City or PetsMart in Merrillville sell doggie doors in all sizes and materials such as plastic or metal.  PetsMart even has dog trainers who can help people train their dogs to use these doors. I’m hoping that your owner gets the idea that concrete is silly and your dog door needs to be bigger before you get so stuck that you can’t move or get hurt. This situation really worries me.

 

 

Remember, rescuing one pet can’t change the world…but the world will change for that one pet

Dog bites a strangers pants. Stranger demands money for cleaning fee.

Dear Ollie,

My owners are very angry with me. I am staying out of their sight and bouncing around the house only when called. If I throw my head up in the air and catch a whiff of something delicious cooking in the kitchen, then l make an appearance. I guess that I’m just plain lucky to still have a dinner bowl.

Last month, my entire family traveled to California to visit my owner’s daughter who resides in Napa Valley. When my humans planned the trip, they telephoned every hotel, to ask if they were pet friendly. So we stayed at an Embassy Suites that assured my family it was pet friendly.

Here’s what happened to us. We were all in a lovely room on the first floor away from the lagoon and the ducks and geese but near to a stairwell door. I was returning from a walk when my owner turned me loose to run to our door and greet their daughter. I was jazzed by the freedom but very alarmed when I heard noise, and a huge banging as the stairwell door opened and two men came barreling into the small vestibule.  I turned, I lunged and I bit. Well, I didn’t actually bite him in the flesh but there was worsted wool flying in the wind. He wasn’t hurt but he demanded $250 to pay for his pants. Personally, I have tasted better wool and I think he was lying about the cost. If that weren’t bad enough, when we checked out of the hotel we were charged a $150 cleaning fee for me. . What an insult to a dog that is perfectly house trained. Now you know why my owners are angry with me. It cost them an additional $400 in vacation money. How do I get back in their good graces?

Lloyd

Adopted from the Northwest Indiana Humane Society

 

 

Dear Lloyd,

Yes, you are lucky to still have a dog dish. But, having said this, just because a hotel or motel advertises that they are “pet friendly” does not mean you are welcome to chase geese and other water fowl. Your owners must ask the right questions. Such as, “Are there special rooms for pets and/or do you add an additional “cleaning or damage charge” added to my room bill if I bring a pet on property?” The term “pet friendly” means different things to different hotels or motels. For instance, the Kimpton Hotels do not charge extra for pets. In fact, each pet is given a goody bag at registration and a welcome letter from their director of pet relations, who happens to be a dog too. The Westin Hotels charge guests with dogs a refundable deposit against damage etc. It is important for your pet owners to do this type of research before planning another holiday because every property is different.

Regarding the flying worsted wool incident, you should not have been unleashed because clearly, you can’t mind your own business. Dogs jump if they are excited, overstimulated, or think there is was danger.  Chalk that one up to a lesson for your owners. Dogs around people need to be leashed. Have patience Lloyd, your owners will get over their shock of losing a perfectly good $400 and you will be welcome back into the family.

Remember, Rescuing one pet can’t change the world…but the world will change for that one pet

Yorkie Afraid of Local Dog Park

Dear Ollie,

 

Well, I finally made it to a dog park last week. While other dogs were running and jumping and chasing things in the park, I sat in the car with my nose pressed to the window. On the drive over to the park, my owners talked up the dog park as a place that I could exercise and they could spend a couple of hours with other people. Usually, people who go to dog parks are the very same people who like their dogs and they like other people who like their dogs too. Most regional dog parks are established, funded and cared for by dog owners. However, the one that I visited, Canine Country Club on Sturdy Road in Valparaiso, is owned and managed by Valparaiso residents Teri and Bob Gray. Bob is a teacher at Wheeler High School in Union Township and Teri works part time but with her degree in psychology, she is practicing what she knows in the dog park environment and admits that, “People are harder to deal with than dogs.” My owners bought a membership in the park and I was elated. Ollie, you must wonder how I know all these things. Well, I know what I know because I listen to everything that goes on in my house. That is how I learn.  The park is open from 7 a.m. to dark and Bob told my owners that it is a quality place for exercise and socialization. But so what? I didn’t get to exercise because I was in the car and never got out.  Well, maybe that is not entirely true. I was out once but I barked and scooted backwards and I wouldn’t stop barking or scooting no matter what my owner did.  Then, I was put back in the car for what seems like forever. 

Signed,

Twinkie, a very small Yorkshire terrier

 

Dear Twinkie,

In a perfect world, you still would not be perfect. If you were perfect, you would be so well mannered that you would play off leash and return to your owner at the first summons. It’s not a perfect world, and we already know that you are not perfect. So, we have fenced in dog parks and hope that the dogs attending are well mannered. Some dogs will never fit into a dog park environment like my brother Oscar because he barks at everything that moves. Or, my friend Rosie who hates dog parks because she finds the parks to be overwhelming and frightening. Dogs should already be well socialized before they are turned loose in a dog park, Terry said.

Writer Cheryl S. Smith wrote in a book titled, “Visiting the Dog Park,” that every dog owner should know their own dog.  Teri agrees. She has a special fenced in run on her 4.5 acres for very small dogs like you Twinkie, but many dog parks don’t encourage tiny dogs. The risks are many such as; being viewed as prey by a larger dog, being run over by large dogs playing or being tripped or kicked by dog owners who are not looking down at the grass. To enjoy the park experience both dogs and owners need to know the rules and follow them.



 

Remember, rescuing one pet can’t change the world…but the world will change for that one pet