Hot spots

From the title of this post, you might imagine I'd be writing about sunny location and warm environs. After several months of cold, damp weather, I would love to find myself right now in a nice hot spot...maybe Phoenix, or the Big Island, or a Mexican seaside village.


However, most dog owners know that the phrase "hot spots" does not refer to an exotic locale, but a frustrating and painful lesion that dogs can often incur as a result of allergies (or in some case obsessive-compulsive behavior).

Spring is springing into Oregon despite the continued chilly temps. As the trees start budding, Gracie's allergies start blooming. I'm not really sure if she is allergic to the tree pollen, but this time every year she suffers from skin rashes.


In years past, Gracie has developed a severe rash on her belly and thighs called pyoderma. It's a type of staph infection that requires antibiotics. I have tried to be extra vigilant this year to keep that area clean and sprayed with her topical medicine. I guess that's why the hot spot that developed on her chin surprised me.

I had noticed her rubbing her chin on her paws off and on, but did not think much of. Then one night, she jumped off the bed, and I noticed a silver dollar size stain of blood on the quilt.

Naturally, these events always take place at night or on the weekend, so as a pet owner you are faced with the dilemma- emergency vet or wait for morning? We waited. Monday morning, we showed up at the vet's office.

Grace is now on a course of antibiotics as well as some topical medicine. It's been a week and it looks some better but not much. We have a check up scheduled for next Monday.

As I look out the window at this cold, wet, windy day in Oregon, I'm wishing Gracie and I were dealing with a different kind of hot spot.

Walkies

When I first brought Gracie home - at 8 weeks - my backyard was not fenced. So Gracie learned at an early age how to walk on leash. After the fence was built, I still found myself going outside with her. By then she was so use to me being with her out back, she wouldn't go out by herself. I've tried to tell her on several occasions that dogs love being outside by themselves. But alas, she'd rather be with me. The downside to this...I often find myself standing out back in the rain, cold, and wind at 2:30 in the morning, while she sniffs around for the right potty spot.

Gracie and I go for a lot of walks. One of my objectives in bringing a dog into my life was to make sure I stay active. I know myself - I'm prone to sitting on the couch like a lump. Gracie makes sure we have a nice balance between lumping around on the couch and exploring the neighborhood. We are faithful walkers with at least one walk each day, and most days two walks.

Here are some tips I've learned over the years:

• Invest in some good rain gear and some good walking shoes.
• For the winter months, be sure to wear high visibility colors or safety vests, especially if walking in the mornings or evenings. This includes the dog as well.
• Use the right leash. Extension leashes are great, but not suitable for all occasions. They don't allow for total control. So you either need a very obedient dog and one not prone to distractions or you should use a shorter leash. I like the 6 foot leather leash. It is much easier on my hands than a nylon leash.
• Use the right collar. As a young dog, I used a Gentle Leader harness on Gracie. It was helpful in teaching her obedience on the leash. As she got older and stronger, it was no longer sufficient. We then switched to the prong collar (after receiving proper training in using this type of collar). Now, most of the time, I can just use her regular flat collar on walks.
• Use care crossing drive ways. Sometimes it is not always easy for the driver to see you as he is backing out of the drive way. Stay alert.
• Carry a cell phone.
• Be a good neighbor. Pick up after your dog.
• Be a good neighbor - Part 2. During our snowy weather, Gracie and I continued our walks. I would notice the newspaper carrier was not able to make his usual front porch delivers due to the weather. So I would toss my neighbors' papers closer to their front door for them.
• Know your dog. If she always looks for cat poo at a certain home, try crossing the street so the temptation is no longer there.
• I like to listen to audio books on my MP3 player while walking Gracie. Be sure to keep the volume low, though. You need to be able to hear traffic and other sounds to keep you both safe.
• Use care when meeting other dogs out for a walk. Some dogs can get aggressive or anxious when meeting other dogs on a leash. Be sure to check with the owner before letting the dogs take a sniff. If you have to, cross the street to avoid any unnecessary conflicts.
• Have fun. Walking with your dog is a great chance to connect with your dog, enjoy the outdoors, meet your neighbors, and get some exercise. Don't look at as a chore, but as something you get to do!

Happy walking!

The Sleepover

Gracie had a guest this weekend, a six-year old yellow lab named Sockeye. Sockeye and Gracie had not met before, so it was a bit dicey to introduce a new dog to our home for a weekend visit, but something told me they would get along. And they did.

Gracie seemed glad to have a playmate and we had several sessions of wrestlemania in the living room. I only had to interveen twice when it appeared one of the dogs was getting irritated. At that point, we'd all go out back and get somre fresh air. I was grateful to have Sockeye here for what turned out to be a miserable weather weekend - gusting winds and driving rain. I scooted the coffee table out of the way which opened up the floor plan a bit for them to wrestle and play chase. Sockeye enjoyed rooting through Gracie's toy box and pulled out all of the toys. With each toy she pulled out, Gracie would take away as if to say "I was just going to play with that." Nevermind that she hadn't played with the toy in over six months.

Sockeye was the perfect house guest. She didn't chase Mungo. Her first night here, she quietly curled up on the floor next to the bed. I woke up about 1:30 a.m. and looked at her. I patted the bed and she jumped up. Of course, both Sockeye and I were regulated to opposite corners of the bed since Gracie likes to sleep on the diagonal...on her back...front and rear legs stretched out.

It was a great weekend. I wonder if a second dog might be in our future?



Sockeye wanted to play with both the football and the frisbee!



Checking out the toy box.

Wrestlemania: Revenge of the Sockeye

Spring in the Park

Honest. There was a patch of blue sky on the horizon when I left my house for the dog park. The storms always come from that direction so I thought it would be fine. I swung by my friend Charla's house to pick up her little dog, Hanna. Hanna and Gracie are best pals. They are the Mutt and Jeff of dog world. Gracie, an 85lb chocolate lab, friendly, wiggly, and casual. Hanna, a 15 lb rat terrier, suspicious (at best), stiff and formal. Charla has been battling a head cold, so I thought I'd help by giving Hanna some much needed exercise at the park. Like I said, the weather seemed to be OK.

Our weather has been screwy so far this year. Far more snow than is typical for our low elevation valley. And just when we think we've seen the last, the forecast calls for more. We woke up this morning, with just a dusting of snow. It was gone by 9 a.m., but back by 11 a.m., and then just as quickly gone again.

I thought it would be OK.

When we got to the park, it was busy as usual for a Sunday afternoon. A very light sprinkle of rain had started. Nothing to worry about. In Oregon, you quickly learn to perform activities in the rain lest you spend 6 months locked inside. We headed into the open field.

Gracie chased her ball. Hanna chased Gracie. Then Hanna chased a few birds. Then back to Gracie. Then to me. She zipped, zagged and zigged around the field. Good I thought. She'll be nice and tired for Charla.

As we came around the back side of the field, the rain picked up. Hanna, a worried look on her face, glanced back at me. "It's OK," I said. Then tiny hail began. Hanna really looked worried now. The hail was piling up on her black fur. Her large ears sagged and her tiny nub of a tail tucked tightly under. She ran to me. "Up," she said. I scooped her up. Then the snow started. Sideways snow.

Meanwhile, Gracie strolled along checking her regular pee-mail stops and leaving a few messages of her own. When I looked back for her, the snow was covering her brown fur. She didn't seem to mind. She had her ball. That's all that really matters at the park.

I set Hanna back down and she took off for the car. As far as she was concerned, Gracie and I could lolly gag around in this cold, wet white stuff all we wanted but she was not going to. Gracie and I had to hustle to keep up with her.

We all scrambled to get into the car where it was dry and warm. I was soaked and both dogs were soaked. We had one towel to share. Gracie and I opted to let Hanna have the towel. She shivered and shivered until I got her dried off.

It was quite an adventure for Hanna. I bet she'll sleep really well tonight.

Tough Times

Last Friday I got an email from a fellow dog-lover at work. The original email sender told of her family's financial troubles, a lost home, and a new apartment that didn't accept dogs. She has two labs - a chocolate and a yellow. The two females are best friends, inseparable. But now the woman had to face two devastating prospects: first, the loss of her precious companions; and, second, the probability that the dogs will be separated from each other when left either at the shelter or rescue organization.

My heart broke - not just for the fate of these two pals, but for a family in distress, having to make tough choices. For half-a-second I had the urge to adopt the two - Cookie and Coco. Get real, I then told myself. My house is barely large enough for Gracie. The backyard is not particularly dog-friendly. It suffices for Gracie because most of her activity comes from me walking her or taking her to the park. Throw two more dogs in the mix and I would be in way over my head. Next consider the cost to keep one dog, much less two or three. Dog food, treats, vet bills, etc. And, for me, the ultimate decider - my cat, Mungo. He's been with me the longest. His health is questionable and costly. He tolerates Gracie, but two other bounding, over-enthused labs would be the final straw for him. I had a vision of him packing his bag and heading down the road.

So, I deleted the email about Cookie and Coco and said a silent prayer that a benefactor would come along to adopt, or foster, both of them until their owners can get back on their feet.

In the recent issues of Bark magazine, there's a short article about "soup kitchens" for pets. It profiles a shelter in Georgia that distributed 4000 pounds of dog food and other pet supplies to area owners. Our animal shelters are struggling to meet the need in our communities. My local shelter, the Willamette Humane Society, is closing one day a week in order to save money. This is loss of jobs and loss of a resource for people struggling to keep their families together. Pet food donations to my local shelter are used to support the AniMeals - a program affiliated with Meals on Wheels. While delivering nourishing food to area seniors, they also deliver pet food.

Between the email from Friday and the article in Bark, I'm reminded of my good fortune, my resources and that I need to be helping. We all have areas we are passionate about. Mine is dogs and the value they bring to a person and family's life. I can't even begin to imagine what I would do if faced with the need to abandon Gracie or Mungo for any reason. If I can help one pup or one cat stay with his family, it will be worth it.

I encourage you all to consider the needs of your community - be it person or animal - and act. I think we're in this economic mess for the long haul. But I hold out hope that by neighbor helping neighbor we will make it through.

The sun is shining, why are we inside?

It's a fair question. Usually when the sun is shining - and even on days when it isn't - Gracie and I head to the dog park. As the daylight hours lengthen, we can even manage an occasional weekday trek if I get out of the office right at 5 p.m. and traffic isn't too crazy on the drive home. But our outings were thrown off track last week.

It began as an annoying cough Wednesday morning. By Wednesday night, I knew I was in trouble and Thursday morning found me achy, congested, coughing, red-eyed and cranky. I stayed home, curled up in the recliner blowing my nose every 30 seconds and trying not to break a rib from coughing. I hoarsely told Gracie she'd have to go potty out back. No walks today. No dog park.

She took the news in stride and, for the most part, tried to play the role of nurse offering me her Pig for comfort. (No thanks, Pal. Even with a stuffed up nose, that thing doesn't smell so great!)

Friday rolled around and I was still down for the count. Gee whiz, anyone catch the person who threw the brick at the back of my head? Gracie sat forlornly, chin upon the window sill staring outside at the beautiful sunny day. Sorry, girl. I barely made it to the couch today. You'll have to settle for out back, again.

Saturday brought a glimmer of hope that this flu bug was moving on. I rallied in the morning for a trip to the dog park. When we got home, I slept for 2 hours.

Today another minor improvement. We got to the dog park this morning and I only needed a one hour nap afterwards.

Nicknames

I've been thinking about the nicknames we give our dogs. The thought entered my mind while reading one of my favorite blogs, Nigel,Sola & Co. Mr. Author tells the story of how their chocolate lab, Truffles, joined their family and earned the nickname Fudgepants (here's the story). What a great nickname for a chockie - on so many levels!

Gracie has several nicknames. As a puppy, I suspect Gracie thought her name was actually Dammit Gracie. She was a wild, Tasmania-devil of a puppy. I have also had occasion to invoke her full given name - much like our mothers do when we are in trouble - Gracie Lou Freebush. Sandra Bullock fans will recognize this name as her character from the movie Miss Congeniality. As our adventures at the dog park testify, Gracie has easily won this title. Other nicknames come and go depending on the circumstances and events.

But the one nickname that has endured is Bug. The evolution of this nickname is a bit long and windy. It began with Gracie's first "precious," her stuffed toy called a Lambdoodle. (Pig is now her "precious.") Lambdoodle was her first toy. The toy that she cuddled with on the long drive home from the breeder. It was the toy the comforted her on those long nights in the crate as I tried to resist the urge to bring her to bed with me and the small puppy whimper was replaced with the Baa Baa of Lambie. Alas, after several months, Lambdoodle was lost in a horrific puppy diarrhea accident. Forever gone, but not forgotten.

So the nickname for Gracie began as Doodle. Then became Doodlebug. Then Doo-bug. And finally Bug.

Do you have nicknames for your pups? I'd love to hear the stories.