Found By A Hound

It’s only been two weeks since we said goodbye to our boy. After only a few days, a stray showed up where our horse is boarded. The barn owner thought of us immediately. Of course, she understood our loss. But, she called us right away with the news of this wonderful girl. I decided I wasn’t ready. Although I have been very resistant to the idea, I have also been selling myself on it while trying to find her a home. As I tell people about what a wonderful girl she is, I find myself wanting to take her in more and more.

She is a cute hound mix. She looks like a cross between a Beagle and Basset Hound with long legs. When she sits and stretches her head back to look at you standing behind her, you just melt. I guess I am a sucker for a cute face. She would definitely need some work on the leash, but that is an easy task. We don’t know about her inside habits, as she is living in a goat pen because the barn owner’s dog hates her unfortunately.

My family brought her to our house the other day to see how our other dog and her get along. It seemed to go pretty well. I know it would work out if we took her in. We have already named her Florabelle. I guess that makes it even tougher for us to find her a home besides our own.

When we were in the process of adopting Douglas in 2005, we had to let our Doberman go. We postponed the adoption for a little while, but continued. Now he is gone, and we are in a similar situation. Everyone has his or her own “rules” on how long we should wait. But, it is funny how things just happen. Finding a family companion just happens. You don’t always go looking for it.

Retired Greyhound Racer To Family’s Best Friend

Douglas started his life April 5, 2001 as Zam Lenny Go, offspring of the sire Molotov (record breaking racer in the US Hall of Fame) and dam Lenny Lumina. He raced from August 2002 until July 2004. 2003 was the highlight of his career, when he won half of his races, and retired from racing in 2004.

He found his way to Arizona Greyhound Rescue in Tucson, AZ. That is where we found him in December 2004. He was a standout dog that was very handsome. We couldn’t help but be drawn to him and took him home. AGR renamed him Douglas after an Arizona City, which we chose to keep. It was a fine name for such a fine animal. “Doug the Dog.”

Douglas spent much of his time “roaching” (lying on his back) on his bed. He seemed to enjoy just lying around with us. But he did enjoy occasionally showing off his speed. We would take him in the back yard and get him going. Boy was he fast! Then he would go back inside and sleep until it was time to go to bed. Sometimes it seemed like he was more of a cat than a dog.

He loved people. Everyone that came in the door was met with great enthusiasm, sometimes too much. He would quiver with excitement and jump up on people. Not good for an 80 pound dog to be jumping up on you and stepping on your feet. Once you starting giving him some loving, he would calm down and just enjoy it.

Douglas and I were the only ones in the house who liked cheese crackers. So, I would open a bag, he would come running, and I would “accidentally” drop some on the floor as I ate them. He would happily clean them up for me. Those were some of our greatest bonding moments.

In 2009, he started showing signs of lameness in his right front leg. We thought it might have been a thorn in his paw from a mesquite tree at some point. It persisted and we took him to the vet to investigate it further. We eventually found out that it was bone cancer.

There were a few options, which included amputation, that didn’t really give him great longevity that was worth the treatment. So we decided to just manage the pain that he had in his leg. After a while, the pain medications that we were giving him just weren’t enough. He would still wake up in the middle of the night growling and whining. We would give him even more, but then he was just intoxicated from the medication most of the time. It was time to say good-bye to Douglas.

On September 12, 2009, we said our final good-byes to him. He was the first animal that I have been so close to since I was a child. His funny moments and his quirks were what made him Douglas.

I miss my boy.

Pets now fly first class

Flying a pet has always been stressful for the owners and especially the pet. There has always been two options, check them as luggage, or drive. But, the days of watching your cold and scared dog or cat being loaded in to the cargo hold of a plane are gone. Now pet owners have a safer way for their pets of all sizes to travel by air. It is a new airline exclusively for pets called Pet Airways. The only humans that are allowed on board is the flight crew.

I can’t imagine being put into this loud, cold, dark space in the plane for hours. I would say that is borderline cruelty. The animals that travel by air are treated like a piece of luggage. We have all seen what happens to your bag. Your dog or cat has the same chance of getting lost as any other baggage. The death of your baggage isn’t an issue, but the death of your pet IS. Did you know that over 100 pets died during traditional air transit as cargo in 2005?

Another great thing about Pet Airways is that the Pet Attendants are trained specifically to care for your pet in flight. When you check your pet in as luggage on even the best of airlines, you get baggage handlers that may know little or nothing about caring for animals.

Here is what happens when you fly your pet on Pet Airways:

1. Drop your pet off at the Pet Lounge

Check in your pet no less than 2 hours before departure. You can check in as far out as 72 hours before departure. Your pet will be boarded at the PAWS Lodge until the flight.

2. Potty breaks

When you fly your pet traditionally, they often must hold themselves for a very long time. A potty break is given to your pet within 2 hours of departure and the time since the last potty break is monitored. The trained Pet Attendants will be sure to give regular potty breaks along the way.

3. Pets board the plane

The trained Pet Attendants make sure that they are comfortable and their carriers are secure in the fresh air cooled cabin. You don’t have to provide your own carrier, that is included for free. After takeoff, you can even monitor your pet’s flight.

4. A trained Pet Attendant monitors your pet during flight

Your pet is checked every 15 minutes during the flight. After landing, all pets are given a potty break and moved into the Pet Lounge for pickup.

5. Pick up your pet at the Pet Lounge

Now that your pet has traveled safely and comfortablely, it is time for pickup. If you can’t pick up your pet right away, it’s OK, your pet will be boarded overnight at the PAWS Lodge.

I have to say that this is a huge leap for us as pet owners. We now have the freedom to travel without stress and worry about what our pets are going through. Finally, a company that understands how important the comfort of our pets are to us.

The airline’s first departure will happen on July 14, 2009 and serve New York, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Denver. They will add service to other cities as they grow. The introductory price will be $149 one-way. The price will increase to $249 at some point. I will definitely fly my pets on Pet Airways the next time I travel with them.

How do you stop your dog from licking

My greyhound began licking his foot a couple years ago. It started getting very raw, so we would tell him to stop. After a while, he just couldn’t stop. We then started to get concerned. We tried wrapping his foot and sour apple spray, but it didn’t stop him. He would gladly lick the spray, and chew right through the bandage. Finally, we figured out how to cover it with a sock that he couldn’t get through right away. We wrapped the bottom half of the sock in duct tape. It usually took a few days for him to work through that. We thought we found the answer.
Well, it did usually take him a long time get through it, but sometimes he would manage to pull it off. The elastikon tape that we put on would not be tight enough. We had to be careful not to put it on too tight of course. As soon as he got it off, or worked through it, he would lick his foot and ruin three days of healing in a few minutes.
After about a year of this fight, we finally decide to mention it to our veterinarian. He suggested continuing with the plan and see what happens. There was no change after a couple more months. It just seemed like it would not even start healing.
We took him back to the vet and got some antibiotics and a recommendation to soak his foot twice a day in a betadine solution. We decided to try using an e-collar. We were afraid to use that before. We keep that on most of the time so his foot can stay dry.
We have had tremendous improvement in two weeks. His foot looks great, he doesn’t seem to have the same interest in licking it anymore, and we aren’t going through socks so fast.

Update 06/05/09
He has really shown some real progress. You can hardly tell which foot has the problem. When we take the e-collar off, he ignores the foot. After a while, I guess he remembers that he is obsessive about licking it. Then we have to stop him and put the collar back on. I imagine we will be going through this routine for at least another month to ensure that his issue is over. I don’t want to go through it all again.

The Best Natural Dog Foods Are Made At Home

You will find many dog foods in the store that claim to be the healthiest for your dog. Even the best natural dog foods are far from natural and healthy. What many people don’t know is that dog food companies are largely unregulated, and put things into that food that is anything but healthy. In fact, commercial pet food has been linked to thousands of deaths in the US. I don’t know if I want to spend the money to slowly kill my dogs.

There is an easy solution… make your own natural dog food. The best natural dog foods are those that you make yourself. It really is easy. The general ingredients include meat, rice, vegetables, and vitamin supplements. There are many dog food recipes that you can try, or you can come up with your own. Just make sure that you know what vegetables to stay away from. Find out which ingredients are best to put into your dog food recipes.

The many reasons the best natural dog foods are made at home include:

• You know what is in your dog’s food
• You can add your dog’s favorite ingredients
• Your dog will live longer and happier
• You will save money

Don’t continue to feed your dog the garbage that commercial dog food companies are selling. Learn the truths about the dog food companies, and make the best natural dog foods at home.

Take a moment to look at my lens on how to make your own natural dog food.

Meet me!

I am a human that is passionate about animals…not in a PETA sort of way, but an ASPCA sort of way.
I graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Animal Science, have worked as a veterinarian assistant, and am a proud owner of horses, dogs, and fish. I have a firm understanding of the health and care of animals, and am learning more every day. I know you will find something here that will help you provide an excellent quality of life for all your pets. I am working on my website at EquineK9Etc.com . You will find even more there. Keep an eye out for me!