Monday, December 25, 2006

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!"

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

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.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

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.

Friday, December 01, 2006

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.