The Dog Days of Summer

The kids are finally back to school and that means the beaches are once again open to dogs and their owners.

Today we took advantage of the gorgeous September weather and headed for Cordova Bay for a fun romp in and out of the water.

Later on we washed the salt off our fur at Beaver Lake.

We've always maintained that on-leash walks, while better than nothing, just cannot compare to the fun and energy burning that off-leash romps provide.  After watching the video we think you'll agree.

10 Minutes to Disaster -- Leaving Pets in Parked Cars

With the summer months upon us, we are at the height of pet travel.  With most pets traveling by car, it's time for a reminder about the dangers of leaving your pet in a parked car.  The temperature inside a car can skyrocket after just a few minutes.  Parking in the shade or leaving the windows cracked does very little to alleviate this pressure cooker.

If it is 26 degrees outside, inside a car -- even with the windows cracked -- the temperature can reach 37 degrees in 10 minutes and 43 degrees in 20 minutes.  A dog's normal temperature is 38 degrees.  If it reaches 41 degrees, cell and organ damage begins to occur.

Heatstroke Symptoms include:

Exaggerated panting; bright red gums; rapid or erratic pulse; thick saliva; anxious or staring expression; weakness and muscle tremors; lack of coordination; convulsions or vomiting; collapse; seizures or coma.

Emergency Treatment

If your dog shows symptoms of heatstroke follow these instructions:

• Immediately move the animal to shade;
• Wet the dog with cool water including foot pads and around the head;
• Fan vigorously to promote evaporation.  This process cools the blood reducing core temperature;
• Do not apply ice.  This constricts blood flow which inhibits cooling;
• Allow the dog to drink some cool water;
• Take the dog to a vet as soon as possible for further treatment. 

 Vets may apply supportive measures such as intravenous fluids to rehydrate the animal and oxygen to prevent brain damage.

Getting Help

If you see a dog in a car on a warm or humid day who you believe may be in trouble, ask stores to page customers.  If the dog is in distress call your local SPCA, animal control or police immediately. 

World's Smartest Dog?

Was your dog anxious during our thunderstorm this weekend?

One of my clients hardly got any sleep this weekend because her dog's anxiety level during our thunder and lightning storm was over the top.  The only solution that seemed available to her was a tranquilizer.

However, I met a lady today at Beaver Lake that had the same problem which she was able to alleviate without medication.  The product is called the Thunder Shirt.  Once placed on your dog it uses gentle, constant pressure to calm your pet, effectively aiding anxiety, fearfulness, barking and more.

If you're interested, go to www.thundershirt.com to read about it and watch their video.  The price is just $39.95 and comes with a money back guarantee.

Friday the 13th ...just another day with the dogs.

Chrissy

Friday at last.  Not because it`s the end of the week.  I`m almost always visiting pets or walking dogs on the weekend as well.  No, the reason I enjoy Fridays is because I get to walk Chrissy who is a beautiful white Samoyed who was recently rescued from the U.S.  I don`t normally walk dogs individually...it just doesn`t pay.  But I make an exception for Chrissy because her owner, a very interesting 80 year old lady, serves me coffee afterwards and we spend a half hour discussing religion, politics, and just about anything else that comes up.   

Butter in her fav seat

 Afterwards it`s time to pick up Buttercup, a very vocal cockapoo with an attitude that`s going to get her into trouble someday.  We`ve been spending a lot of time together because I walk her 5 days a week and she gets to go on all my walks.  She refuses to sit in the back with the riff raff, preferring instead to hog the passenger seat up front.  Her other endearing trait is that she loves to wallow in every mudhole we come across.  It`s a very rare day that she returns home as clean as when she left.

Mauzer in the Riff Raff section

With Butter settled in her seat we head across town to Esquimalt for our next client...a very fit looking boxer by the name of Mauzer.   He`s a relatively new addition to the gang, this being only his second outing with us.  But he`s a great dog.  Playful and tolerant, not at all as dangerous as he looks. 

Where`s my tuna?

Before we head back across town for more additions we have to make a stop to pet a cat.  Thomasina has trained her owner to feed her canned tuna twice a day and now that he`s gone to Edmonton for a month I have become her new slave.  Most cats are pretty aloof and could care less about you as long as they`re getting fed on a regular basis but this one loves company and by the time I leave I`m almost always covered in white cat`s hair.

Mauzer and Barley 

It`s now time to pick up Barley, a golden retriever who`ll be staying with us for a couple of days.  He`s waiting anxiously at the door, along with his leash, bed, and a box of food.  We get everything bundled into the van and it`s off to pick up Diesel and Sophie...two high energy mutts that can`t wait to join the others in the riff raff compartment.

Sophie

Next stop -- Mt Doug. We go to the parking lot at the end of Glendenning Road because it`s a dead end, hence no dangerous traffic.  When I open the door to my van there`s an explosion of fur as energetic dogs have only so much patience.  Within seconds we`re hiking the trail.  Well at least I`m hiking.  My furry clients are bounding back and forth, stopping to sniff or pee, charging each other in a general free for all...releasing all their pent up energy as though they just got out of jail.  They`re having so much fun that I can`t help but feel sorry for all the dogs that have to sit at home while their owners are at work.

Bobbo is our next stop.  She's a reclusive and furry grey cat who pokes her head up the stairs from down below and immediately disappears when she sees that I'm not one of her humans.  I fill up her dish with two day's worth of crunchies, check her water, and clean out her litterbox.  A quick security check of the house and we're off.  I take Butter home first, followed by Diesel & Sophie and then head down to James Bay to feed, water, and litter scoop a couple more cats who want nothing to do with me.

I get a call from a lady I met the night before who was looking after her landlady's pug, Coco.  I've never seen a fatter pug.  It had to be forty pounds.  She had to go away for a couple of days and asked if I could take it for walks while she was gone.  I agreed, although I hated the situation.  She wanted to leave Coco alone by herself for forty eight hours, broken only by a couple of walks.  This would be fine if Coco was a cat.  But dogs, clever as they think they might be at winning the survival game by conning humans to care for them, find themselves in a real pickle when their slaves are no longer there at their beck and call.  (Cradle to the Grave politicians might want to pay attention here.)  At any rate her call was to tell me that her landlady had returned and could she please have her money back which I was more than happy to agree to since I was pleased that Coco wouldn't have to be left alone.


With Mauzer and Barley still in the back it's time to head home where four more dogs are anxiously awaiting their turn.  Zoe, Shasha, & Indie are currently sharing our home with us, along with our own dog, Bailey.  They greet us with uncontained excitement when we arrive and Indie and Barley--both golden retreivers-- race around the backyard, wrestling and play biting one another.

Colwood Creek Park

 We are fortunate to have a wonderful off-leash park only a few blocks away so I load all six dogs in the van and away we go.  At 129,058 sq metres, Colwood Creek Park is one of the largest in the area . It has a large open grassy area great for running and ball throwing.  It also has a creek running through it that is just too enticing for many dogs to resist.

Zoe is a brindle colored greyhound that I have been walking off and on now for several years.  Never a racer, she has a wonderful disposition and I just love to take her to the open fields where she can do what she does best...run!

Fun at Colwood Cr Park

 Collwood Creek meanders lazily through the park and is very muddy in some sections so it can be a challenge to keep the dogs from those areas.  On more than one occasion I've had to take dogs home to hose them off before returning them to their owners.

Our dog, Bailey

Eventually it's time to leave so it's back to the van.  We take Mauser home in Esquimalt and then it's over to Thomasina's to give her the rest of her tuna plus a little bonding time.  Then one more kitty visit before heading home.  Is my day over?  Not quite.  With four furry guests sharing the house it never ends. Feeding time is an experience in itself.  I find out very quickly that Barley, our newest guest is an insatiable food glutton.  After inhaling his own dinner he quickly noses in to help out the slower eaters.  Hmmmm...looks like Barley will be eating alone from now on.

Later on in the evening I have one more stop.  A nurse from Nanaimo who works 12 hour shifts just moved to town and she has 5 little rescue dogs...most of which are quite old and feeble.  Tonight I just have to let them out of their cages for a pee break outside and then put them back again.  It's a good thing she's doing and it gives me pleasure to be able to help out.

Our Ad in Victoria's Time Colonist

Since running an in the Times Colonist supplement last weekend we've had a rash of new clients...most of whom are looking for a safe, loving home for Fido while they go away on holidays.

Now that we've moved from Esquimalt to Langford we have a lot more room to accommodate our furry guests.  We've also doggy proofed the backyard fence with chicken wire along the bottom to help contain any Jack Russells who might come our way.

We're still limiting the number of guests to 3 maximum (ideally) which means if you're looking for a place for your dog we really encourage you to give us as much notice as possible.

A Doggy Summer