The Night Before Dog-Mas, a poem by Claudine Gandolti

"Twas the night before Dog-mas when all through the pound

Not a puppy was yelping or playing around;
Our leashes were hung, by our kennels with care,

In hopes that St. Bernard would soon find us there.

Chihuahuas were curled up, all snug in their beds,
While visions of doggie treats danced in their heads;
Max in his collar, on somebody's lap,

Had tucked in his tail for a midwinter's nap.

When outside the room there arose such a clatter,
My ears perked right up to hear what was the matter.

Away to the window I jumped up with glee,

And barked at the shadows that were cast by a tree.

The glow from the moon changed night into day,

And started me thinking, "woof woof time to play!"

When, what with my puppy-dog eyes did I see,
But a splendid dog sled, led by doggies like me.

With a regal furred driver commanding, not stern.
I yelped to the others, "That must be St. Bern!"
More rapid than greyhounds our saviours they came

And we barked and we howled, and called them by name.

"There's Duchess! There's King! Fat Chance, and bare Buffy!

On Fido! On Scooter! On Rover and Scruffy!

Go by the red fire hydrant and run past those trees!

Nothing can stop you, not even some fleas!"

As puppies at play chase after a stick,

And race to their masters so lively and quick,

So out in the field his canines all flew,
Catching the frisbees, that St. Bernard threw.

And then in an instant I heard at the door

The scratching and clawing of each little paw.
As I pulled in my nose, and was turning around,

Through the door St. Bernard came in with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his tail

His wood cask adourned with an icing of hail.
A bag of chew toys he had brought in with him,

And his mouth was turned up what looked like a grin.

His eyes how they twinkled!

His ears flopped, how merry!

His coat shone like crystal, his nose like a cherry!

His big floppy mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the fur on his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a bone was held tight in his teeth,
And his collar encircled his neck like a wreath.

He had a large face and a furry, round belly
That shook when he barked, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was fluffy and plump, a big cuddly, old pooch

And I laughed when I saw him and gave him a smooch.

A wink of his eye and a wag of his tail;

We knew right away we'd have homes without fail.

He howled not a howl, but went straight to his deed,

And took down our leashes that soon we would need.

He opened the door and families stood there,

With children, all smiling, and much love to spare.
He leapt to his sled, to his team gave a call

And away they all flew as if chasing a ball.

But I heard him exclaim as he chewed on a bone;

"Happy Dog-mas to all and to all a good home!"

Five Activities to Do With Your Dog That You Probably Don’t Know About

Skijoring

What is it? You know how Cesar Millan goes rollerblading with high energy dogs on The Dog Whisperer? Well skijoring is a lot like that. It’s a cross between dog sledding and cross country skiing, where the dog pulls his owner.

Who is it for? A dog that’s 30 lbs more, depending on your weight. (Obviously, tea cup poodles are not suited for this sport, unless you are a Little). Your dog should also have a heavy coat and snow resistant paws.

What do you need? A harness for the dog, skis for you and snow.

Where do you do it? See above regarding need for snow. There are several good sites about it on the net. If you don’t live in a snowy environment, however, you might want to look into dog scootering, which is basically the same thing.

Weight Pulling

What is it? If you know who Magnus Von Magnuson is, then you might want to check this sport out. Basically it’s just like the world’s strongest man contest (which Magnus used to participate in.) Dogs pull weights and the one who pulls the most wins.

Who is it for? Any dog that likes to pull. The contests are run by weight class, so, yes, your teacup poodle can participate in the 0-20 lb. weight class!

What do you need? A harness and cinderblocks for practice.
Where do you do it? Anywhere. They have pulls pretty much all around North America. To find a pull near you, check out the International Weight Pull Association.

Earthdog Trials

What is it? Rabbit hunting without the death. There’s a lot of barking and running through holes.

Who is it for? Terriers, dachsunds (hmm…that’s what that unique body-shape is for), all rabbiters.

What do you need? A hole? A rabbit? I have a feeling this is a sport you’ll need to learn from someone already doing it.

Where do you do it? Probably not Manhattan. There are groups all over, though. The AKC has a lot of information about the sport and a directory of clubs.

K-9 Drill Team

What is it? A group sport where the dogs move to music. It sounds kind of dorky to me, but if you played baritone in highschool, you and your dog may dig it.

Who is it for? Any dog with a sense of rhythm.

What do you need? Some music, a group of dogs and a little too much time on your hands.

Where do you do it? Anywhere that there’s enough room for a bunch of dogs to dance around. Dogplay has an article about how to choreograph a routine.

Dog Camp

What is it? Most camps are a meeting of a bunch of dog people where they learn new activities, train in obedience and agility and participate in typical camp activities like swimming and hiking with their dogs.

Who is it for? Any dog that likes to be active.

What do you need? Some vacation time and a bit of cash. Most camps last about a week and cost around $1,000.00

Where do you do it? There are camps all over, with most holding sessions in the summer. The American Dog Trainers Association and DogPatch both have listings of camps around the country.

Guide to Dogs: Emergency Veterinarian Services

While a sense of humor is an important characteristic for all dog owners, when disaster strikes, preparedness and a cool head can save the day. While dog owners don’t like to think it will happen to their dog, the fact remains that dogs get injured, swallow dangerous items or substances and become ill. Knowing ahead of time what to do can be the difference between life and death.
First and foremost, know who to contact and where to go in an emergency. When you call to make your first appointment with your veterinarian, you should ask about their after hours emergency procedures. Some veterinarians have in-house emergency response systems, with doctors on-call on a rolling basis. More often, veterinarians refer their patients to the local animal emergency clinic. You should know not only the phone number and address of this clinic, but also how to get there. You don’t want to waste precious minutes getting directions.

Good idea: If your veterinarian refers after hour emergencies to an emergency clinic, go to a mapping site on the Internet and print out directions to keep in the glove compartment of your car.

Frightening: Barbie Pooper Scooper

Somewhat horrifying and utterly intriguing, Mattel is introducing a poop-scooping Barbie this January. Mattel describes it as follows:

"Finally, Barbie has a dog that eats and makes a mess! Tanner the dog is soft and fuzzy and her mouth, ears, head and tail really move! You can open Tanner dog's mouth and "feed" her dog buscuits. Comes with a dog bone and chew toys that Tanner can hold in her mouth, too. When Tanner has to go to the bathroom, Barbie doll cleans up with her special magnetic scooper and trash can."

Things that bother me about this: the bone and the poop look disturbingly similar; the dog looks demonic; now I really want a magnetic pooper scooper, but I know such a thing does not exist (it's got to beat doning latex gloves and having the neighbors watch while you pick up 20 lbs. of dog feces!)

Things that are kind of cool: it may encourage kids to pick up real dog poop - actually that could be a problem too.

What They Do While You're At Work: The Feather Incident

Good news! Dr. J and Stewart are getting along quite well! And its not just when I'm around either. For instance, yesterday, Dr. J and Stewart decided to discover how many feathers are in a down pillow. The answer was quite impressive. This marks Dr. J's first photographic appearance on The Blog of Dog. I know the anticipation has been on par with that of seeing Suri Cruise. Feast your eyes on the lovliness of Dr. J in his self-made feather nest.

Couch Pawtatos: Dog TV Spotlight: Barkitecture

Through the miracle of Tivo suggestions, I recently discovered a rather odd show on the DIY network - Barkitecture. It's kind of like This Old House meets Animal Planet. The hosts are a carpenter and a veterinarian. I've only seen one episode where they installed an invisible fence and helped to train a Newfie to stay in her yard. It's not exactly must-see TV, but it does have some interesting information.

Prison Dogs II: Maynard

Our new prison dog, Maynard, is arriving in a couple of weeks!

Thank Dog Item: Remote Citronella Dog Training Collar

Dr. J and I welcomed our new foster dog, Stewart, this week. Stewart is wonderful in so many ways, he listens, likes to snuggle, enjoys life in a way that only a dog coming from unforunate circumstances can do. However, Stewart has one issue: he finds Dr. J irresistible. Yes, Stewart has a tendency to get all Isaac Hayes on Dr. J. Since Dr. J is not looking for a gay lover, this was causing a fair amount of stress in our household. We tried everything we could think of - cans of pennies, firm scolding, time outs (which I realize are probably ridiculous, but we were desperate!) Nothing curtailed Stewart's mojo from getting the better of him. Then, we found our saving grace: The SprayCommander Remote Citronella Training Collar.

Now, it would not be cool to use this type of device for everyday things. In this case, however, it was getting to the point where Stewart was going to need to pack his bags for a new foster home. The collar works by spraying a mist of citronella up towards the dog's nose when the remote button is pressed. So, when Stewart would start to slip into something a little more comfortable, I pressed the button. He got a shocked, what just happened look on his face and stopped. He's had the collar on for about 12 hours now. He's only attempted to woo Dr. J three times, substantially less than his 40-50 wooings in the same time period yesterday.

The collars aren't cheap, they run around $100.00 (we borrowed ours from our rescue organization,) but if it's a difference between being miserable and being a happy and healthy family, it's worth it. The collar is available at Amazon. Now Stewart will be able to stay with us until he finds his new family!

Cool Dog Sites: Baddog.com

As much as I love my dog, I have anti-dog days. One was the day that Dr. J, all of nine weeks old, decided to try to get up on my bed while I was in the bathroom. To make a long story short, in a battle between a laptop, which Dr. J pulled off the bed in his efforts to ascend, and a chubby nine week old golden bum, the golden bum will win everytime.

While these days are rough, they do lead to some fun stories to share with other dog fanatics. This is the whole idea behind Baddogs.com. Funny, frustrating stories are told from the dogs' point of view. Unfortunately, you can't search by incident type. I'd like to see categories, such as "Underwear: Entree or Dessert?" But you can search by breed or location. Still, it's a great way to know that others have dealt with the same frustration you are .... and will again.

Happy Thanksgiving: Slobber and Gobbles

Ah, the joy of Thanksgiving! The smells! The leftovers! Thanksgiving is really the ultimate dog holiday, since it's primarily about food. While your dog may not agree, however, turkey does not do a lot of great things for the canine digestive system. Bella Online has a pretty good articles on the potential pitfalls of slipping a bit of this and that to your pup.

They even have recipes for dog-friendly Turkey Dinner Loaf and Turkey Gobbler Treats. So, enjoy the celebration and don't give your dog anything that will have you standing out in the backyard at 3 a.m. saying "are you done yet?"

Cool Dog Site: Planetdog.com

I'm a crazy dog person, but I don't hold any illusions about the fact that Dr. J is, in fact, a dog. I do not dress him in a shirt and tie every day (although he has been known to wear a Halloween costume on occasion.) I have not spent $1000 on a dog bed that looks like a cruise ship. That doesn't mean that I don't like to pamper him.

The people at Planet Dog are crazy dog people too, but not weird crazy dog people. Dog-centric stores tend to cater to either breeders, who see nothing wrong with keeping their dog in an outdoor run year round, or the Paris Hiltons of the world, who believe that their pet is an accessory. Planet Dog, however, just has cool, useful dog stuff.

They even have a Chew-O-Meter, which rates the durability of each toy from 1 to 5, which for super-chewers like Dr. J is essential. Looking through their site, you can tell that they are dog people. And their customer service can't be beat. Last year I ordered golf-ball chew toys to give as gifts and they were rather oddly shaped when they arrived. When I contacted the company, they immediately sent out new, defect free replacements!

Suggested item: Orbee-Tuff® Bulb with Treat Spot™ for $9.95 comes in three different colors and would make an awesome Christmas gift.

Prison Dogs - Part II

So, Cal arrived yesterday morning and was all that we had hoped he would be. He had a peppy, but not obnoxious way about him and was pretty good about following commands, despite the craziness of coming all the way from North Carolina and being in a run for almost a month.

Cal arrived at the adoption clinic a few minutes before 10 a.m. and helped me to bring some things in. He walked perfectly on a leash. Within 10 minutes, Cal's parents arrived. I, of course, didn't immediately recognize them, but Cal did. They are a nice couple with two small children. The wife is a stay-at-home mom, who walks 4 miles per day and wants to try training Cal for agility work. They live in a beautiful house in Slingerlands with a big fenced in yard. When I brought him to the house, he somehow knew it was his and hopped right on the sofa and made himself at home.

Several people came in looking for Cal after we had already left. One woman was rather mean when he found out that he had been adopted. I hope this bodes well for the dogs that we will be getting in the future. It was great to see such a sweet dog get a perfect family.

Buying a Collar or Harness

Collars or harnesses are the only clothing most dogs wear. While fashion is important, function is essential. Collars are fine for most dogs, but those special canines possessing necks bigger than their heads should be in harnesses. You should consider the quality of the material, size and clasp when selecting a collar or harness. Pull, twist, yank and otherwise try to break the collar or harness in the store before you buy it. Don’t be shy. If it breaks, you can quietly place it back on the display and feel fortunate that it wasn’t on your dog at the time. Collars should be long enough to fit around your dog’s neck with two fingers tucked underneath. Harnesses should fit similarly.

The Dog Files

About.com has a practical article about creating a file of important information for your dog to be used in an emergency or by a dog sitter. Most of the suggestions are common sense, but there are some things that you might not think of, like keeping a list of an unusual commands.

The Perfect Collar for Water Dogs

So, my golden retriever, Dr. J, is a typical waterlover. In fact, despite being perfect in every other way, he tends to try to pull me into any body of water that is deeper than 2 inches. Most collars don't hold up to this treatment well. They get smelly and take forever to dry, which is why I was so happy to find Spiffy Dog collars at my local pet store. Not only are they practical, they come in a variety of fabulous designs. Dr. J is currently sporting a black Spiffy Dog collar with flames, cause he rocks it like that.

Dogs on Parole

I am so excited to be chairing the new Leash on Life program for Homeward Bound Dog Rescue of NY. The program takes abandoned dogs and brings them to a minimum security prison in North Carolina, where they learn basic obedience and manners in general. My first charge, Cal, a St. Bernard mix is arriving on Saturday and I'm already in love! To find out more about the program, check out the NC Department of Corrections

Welcome to the Blog of Dog

There are dog people and then there are those who live in minimalist decor, with cell phones permanently at their ears and wearing expensive shoes. Dog people don't pay extra for designer jeans with rips and fades because they get that look for free while bushwacking to pick up a carelessly tossed frisbee. Dog people smile at strangers because tomorrow, they may need their forgiveness for paw prints on their prada loafers. Dog people finish a piece of pizza and look around at the floor for a place to dispose of the crust (this can be embarassing when in a restaurant.) Welcome to the Blog of Dog.