Posts Tagged ‘Dogs’

“Is this food? I’ll check." That's how dogs think – I'm convinced of it.

Oh yes, our pet dogs may be cute and furry, they may have impeccable manners and sweet dispositions, but make no mistake, beneath the well-coiffed exterior of even the most innocuous-looking teacup poodle lurks an unstoppable eating machine. Socks, furniture, TV remotes, door-to-door salesmen – it's all on the menu for our canine companions, who live in a constant and barely restrained state of temptation to taste everything.

Take Sophie, a basset hound in Colorado Springs, Colo. Apparently Sophie devoured no less than 31 nails, her own rabies tag and a chunk of siding – all in one sitting. That's just amazing. There's a certain kind of steady dedication in that that I can't help but admire a little bit. Granted, its a dedication to doing something monumentally stupid, but bassets aren't known for their keen intelligence. Sophie's fine now, thankfully, with the help of a vet who was probably a bit shocked when he/she expected to look at X-ray and saw a photograph of hardware store.

None of my dogs have ever been so ambitions, but I’ve seen a few interesting things disappear down the doggie gullet. Rocky, a collie/mutt my parents got just before I was born, showed a keen canine sense of irony by gobbling up – and getting very sick over – a plastic hospital bracelet she rummaged out of the trash.

Photo: TheGiantVermin

When, Toby, another of my family’s sadly departed pooches, went through a period of devouring whole bushes, some neighbours suggested we lace the soil with Tabasco sauce. In theory it would sting Toby out of her digging. In practice, she ate huge amounts of the spicy dirt – and paid dearly for it when, uhh, things made their way out the other end.

Since my girlfriend and I have had Bobo – our inherited Bichon Frise – he’s been pretty lax about munching on things: He’s too small to reach up onto tables, and his little mouth can’t really come to grips with the bigger things he’s probably got an eye on. That said, before he came to live with us it seems one Christmas he devoured a nativity scene, Jesus and all. That’s probably bad karma, but it’s less of a risk than eating one of my girlfriend's shoes, so it’s good he’s ditched the habit.

I’d love to hear your I-can-laugh-about-it-now stories of the odd and unlikely things your pups have munched down. But be sure to include the happy ending – no one likes a story where the dog isn’t safe by the end.

Watching my dog chase a balloon around the house, or chew happily on a stick for hours on end, I’ve come to question the wisdom of spending money on pet toys. Part of me understands: you love the little guy and want to spoil him, and besides – it’s a toy for you, too. But another part of me knows full well that dogs don’t really distinguish between, well, “toys” and “garbage,” and would be just as happy playing with something you had lying around the house.

Photo: ginnerobot

With that in mind, I’ve cobbled together a list of tried-and-true DIY dog toys. No assembly required.

The empty plastic bottle

Dogs lose their minds for these. Just screw the cap on an empty 660 mL or 2 L (depending on the size of dog) bottle, and watch the fur fly. Cheap water bottles make a crunching noise when chewed, so they’ll be munched on happily for hours. Sturdier soda bottles tend to

escape grasping mouths and skitter away erratically – meaning they’re that wonderful kind of toy that the dog can play with by himself – and they’re great for a playful-yet-harmless bop on the backside.

Like any toy, of course, keep in mind your pet’s propensity to eat, rather than enjoy.

The old towel

It’s a time-tested standby, and no dog can resist a tug-of-war with an old towel. Just remember that once that towel hits the floor, it’s not yours anymore: dogs of all sizes tend to adopt their towel as a security blanket, and will carry it around the house until it's in shreds.

Photo: jaybergesen

Balloons

This might best kept to small dogs with small mouths, lest the balloon to become a very quick snack (and, trust me, you don’t want that). There’s a drawer in every kitchen that has a few forgotten birthday balloons in it, so find yours and Fido’s got a new toy. The balloons float teasingly and are hard to trap, bouncing off swiping paws and poking noses. And, of course, there’s the darkly hilarious moment when your startled pup’s toy bursts. Good fun for everyone – but be extra careful your dog doesn’t eat the pieces of burst balloon.

Say what you will about movie violence, but there’s one thing that I’ve come to think of as hard truth: most people can handle an almost infinite number of human deaths on-screen, but if the dog dies, they’ll damn near walk out of the theatre. I call it “The Independence Day Effect,” after the scene were pretty much all of Los Angeles explodes, but the audience (and I witnessed this in the theatre) held its collective breath until the return of Will Smith’s golden lab. I distinctly remember applause and cheering (and not just from me) when the dog finally leaps to his master and safety, oh-so-dramatically close ahead of the giant alien fireball.

But not all movies give us that happy let off when the dog comes bounding to safety. In some movies the dog doesn’t make the improbable escape from the exploding skyscraper. In some movies the dog isn’t around at the end when the world is saved from the robots/aliens/international terrorist stereotypes. In some movies the dog dies.

Those movies suck.

Here’s a quick list of a few movies that, if you're like me and your enjoyment of the flick hinges on the safety of the dog, you'll want to be wary of.

• Old Yeller (1957) – I hate you, Disney, for making this movie. It’s a classic, of course, despite the fact that everyone knows what’s coming. Famous for bringing tears to the most hardened of moviegoers’ eyes, the scene where Old Yeller dies has traumatized generations of dog-lovers.

• I Am Legend (2007) – Will Smith, who passed the test in dog-friendly Independence Day, lost his canine cred with audiences when his character’s beloved German shepherd didn’t live happily ever in I Am Legend. Sure he cried, but I’d rather he saved the dog.

• Marley & Me (2008) – At least this is a true story of a retriever that lived a long and happy life. And, I know, this is mostly about the dog’s happy life and well-natured antics. But still, the dog-lover in me still wishes they departed from the book, and Marley ends up living on a farm in the country where he has lots of space to run and is really happy forever.

• The Fly II (1989) – The worst of the lot. The innocent golden retriever (why is it always goldens?) suffers horribly from cruel bad guys and twisted science before being relieved of his misery by Eric Stoltz. (Good man, Eric.) No wonder this film got such poor reviews.

If you know of any other movies dog-lovers should avoid, please do leave a comment below. As for me, I’m off to re-watch something with Benji, Hollywood’s safest pooch since 1974.

My pup, being part lab, loves to eat anything. I'm talking dog food, treats, sticks, socks, USB keys ... I've even caught her a number of times with glass in her mouth. Because she loves to eat she has been great to train, as she does anything for food. As I like to know exactly what goes into her mouth (sometimes this is easier said than done), I decided it was time I made my own treats for her.

I tried my hand at these Dog Breath Biscuits. They're super easy to make and my doggy just loved them. By making your own dog cookies, you'll reduce the amount of packaging you bring into your house, you'll be sure there are only wholesome ingredients in her food and you'll save money.

Now, if I could only keep her from darting at squirrels ...

Do you make your own dog or cat treats?

Last weekend, my boyfriend, Kipp, and I went out and adopted ourselves the cutest dog in the whole world (see photo below)! Things have been running quite smoothly with our four-month-old labrador/collie mix. She's housebroken, she can stay alone in the house for up to two hours at a time (without causing too much trouble - the odd chewed plant and a chewed up favourite slipper aside) and she's already our new best friend, madly wagging her tail whenever she sees one of us.

But, I do have one little complaint. Dear little Scout is getting in the way of our attempts (more...)