Dog, Seal, or Pig?

This week I am going to switch gears a bit. I'm going to introduce you to another dog in my family. My sister Hayden also has a Chihuahua, her name is Matty. She got Matty about 4 years ago when she was a tiny, white puppy. She could fit in your hand. Matty soon began to grow, and grow and grow.  She had some help though. My grandmother who is the biggest animal lover on the planet, cannot stand to think about our sweet little pets only eating dry dog food. So she feeds them their own personal packs of ham. They are the 59 cent off brand packs that she calls dog ham. It doesn't stop there. She feeds them anything and everything. Whatever she is eating, they end up getting half. Matty is the worst though. When she was about a year old, she starting losing some of her hair. We worried about her but the doctor said there was nothing wrong with her. She grew fatter, and balder. Her pink skin underneath shows through her white fur. She is the most loving and kind dog but she is also the oddest dog I have ever seen. She is also jealous beyond belief. We joke and say she is handicapped because all she does is eat and lay in the bed. Matty also waves. When someone walks by her and speaks, she rolls to her back and waves back and forth until you come pet her. This is a picture of her trying to wave.

Guests that come to my house are amazed by her. They don't know if she is even a dog! We say she is a mix between a seal, a pig, and a dog. She snorts like a pig too. My sister Hayden rubs lotion on her chest and belly becasue it is so slick. No fur what-so-ever. Matty has a bond with my Grandmother that is unreal. When her husband is out of town Matty stays with her all week. When we go back to get Matty, my grandmother cries. Matty does not like her husband and barks at him so she cannot stay as long as she would like when he is home. Our house would not be the same without Mattie. She is a mystery that will never be solved.

Hot Weathered Dog

I hope everyone is enjoying the great Spring weather we are having! With all of the warm weather, of course, the beach and summertime is on everyone's mind. I started thinking about the last time I was at the beach back in August. A new sidekick was added to my beach trip, Isabelle. Now we had not really planned on her going until the last minute. Earlier in the Summer I had gone to the beach with my family, Isabelle and my sisters dog were left at home. The plan was that they would stay home during the day and my grandmother would take them with her at night. She has two dogs as well and they were not getting along with mine and my sisters Chihuahuas. So our dogs ended up staying home alone half of the time and at her house the other half. When my beach trip came around in August, I couldn't stand leaving her behind again. So I called my boyfriend Michael, who was waiting on me to arrive at his house so we could leave for the beach and told him we had a passenger! I packed her food and water and off we went! It was a long six hours to Holden Beach but we made it. Being a small town country dog, Isabelle doesn't get along well with leashes. We joke and say we are flying her because she jumps in the air the whole time we are trying to get her to walk. We waited until the next evening to take her down to the beach. She stayed in the beach house while we went out in the heat of the day. She was so cute running in the sand. Of course she tried to fight the other dogs who were politely walking on their leashes. I started thinking about how hot it is at the coast and how cautious a pet owner would have to be about not keeping their pet out in the heat too long. I found some interesting facts on ASPCA.com. When it is really hot outside let your pet inside to rest in the coolest area of your house, even if it is for a short time. Always have fresh cold water down for your pet, especially if they are outside. Don't take your dog on long walks on a hot day, their paws can burn on the hot pavement. Walk and exercise your dog in the early morning hours or at night when it is not as hot. Older or overweight dogs should not spend much time outdoors in the heat. Always rinse your dog off it it has taken a swim in the ocean. The saltwater could bother their skin and paws!

Show Dog??

Dogs, without a doubt, have their own, individual personality. Some dogs are lazy, some dogs are hyper, and all dogs have their own little quirks. Isabelle's most famous quirk is one I will never completely understand. She finds anything laying around, a Kleenex, a card, a dollar bill, a dog toy, even things that are completely too big for her to carry, and shows them to any and everyone who will watch. She picks the item up in her mouth and proceeds to walk up and down the couch or bed showing you what is in her mouth. If you are laying down she will walk from your feet to your head on top of you just to show her prize. The longer you tell her how good it is, the longer she will go! Everyone who has ever been around her knows the drill, Isabelle picks something up, and you brag on it. At times, she may hold whatever it is, in her mouth for 30 minutes! Also, when we wake up and she comes out from under the cover (yes, she sleeps with me under my cover), even though we have been together all night, she still picks something up and shows it to me. Christmas time was very exciting for her because there was wrapping paper and bows all over the floor for her, just her size!

I have tried to research and find information that may explain this behavior. I have not been able to find anything about a dog that does this. All I know is that this is her way of greeting people and she gets attention for it at the same time. Some of the things she chooses to show are quite funny. One of her favorite things to show is dollar bills. I have even had a $100 bill laying in my car if I have just been to the bank, and look over and she will be carrying it through the car. This past summer Isabelle went to the beach with my boyfriend and I. Every so often while he was driving, she would go over and stand on him and show him something. Her beach trip is another story! I will tell you about it next week along with some facts about dogs and jealousy. Here is a picture of her showing a receipt to him while driving to the beach!

City Dogs VS. Country Dogs

So I am a little late updating this week because I wanted to wait until today when Isabelle's surgery was over. She had her surgery yesterday, she was spayed and unfortunately she had 5 puppies developing! 5 puppies! As bad as I hate that I had to do that, the vet said it was the best choice that could have been made because carrying 5 puppies that were fathered by a dog much larger than her may have very well killed her. She is well, just very sore. She has slept most of the day. On to what I want to discuss this week, city dogs vs. country dogs. I spent the weekend in Charleston S.C. Most of the trip my aunt and I just walked around the city, shopping and site seeing. Covering every sidewalk were people walking their dogs. This caused me to think about how different the lives of country dogs and city dogs are. I live in a very small town and am fortunate to have a large back yard that is not close to a major road. My dogs can run free and I never have to worry about them. I was thinking about how different my days would be if I lived in a crowded apartment building in the middle of Charleston or New York City. No matter what the weather I would have to get out and walk my dog numerous times during the day. I also would have to find a place for her to get exercise because she would not be able to be free in my yard. Last year while I was in New York City I came across another interesting fact. We were there in the middle of a blizzard! Every dog I passed had on a rain coat and rain booties. I was amazed that almost every single dog had these on! I researched these dog raincoats and found that Bloomingdales has a whole dog section on their website. The cheapest raincoat I found was $18 and that was on clearance.

I found this information online from the city of San Francisco. This information has to be turned in along with your application to rent:

1. References from veterinarians, neighbors, former landlords, and others that the pet is well kept and the owner is responsible;
2. A packet of information about the pet, including vaccination records, proof of sterilization and licensing, and certificate of completion of obedience class; and
3. Shows a sense of responsibility about pet care by becoming a member of the local animal welfare society
4. and also agrees to
   • Clean up after the pet inside and out;
     Pay a pet deposit and repair any damage the pet may cause;
     
   • Sign a pet policy agreement;
     
   • Keep the pet under control at all times. 

When I got home from Charleston my little sister informed me that Isabelle had a tea party with her and my mom. Here is the proof to show it, and to show that maybe deep down country dogs wish to be a little higher class sometimes!

Spring Shedding

I will start off with telling you an update from last week. The boy dog ended up getting to my Isabelle so now we are trying to find out if she is pregnant or not. We are hoping not because if she is she will not be able to have the puppies. The dog was so much bigger than her it would really hurt her or possible kill her. She has an appointment next Monday to have the surgery. So on to another subject... those of you who have dogs have to experience shedding whether it is light or heavy. I find little black hairs on my clothes all the time. I hate it! I started trying to figure out what I could do to stop the shedding.

I came across a product called FURminator. They make shampoos and sprays but their most popular thing is the shedding tool. It is a comb but it has sharp teeth and cuts out the dead undercoat. I have not bought the actual FURminator brand yet but I bought an off brand just to see how it works. The drawback to this product is that the lowest price is $43. It goes up for larger dogs. You can pick the long haired or short haired tool. The tool that I have works very well. You have to do it several times a week but it gets so much extra hair off of her. The FURminator products can be found at Petsmart.

Love Sick

I have had a bit of a problem with dogs at my house this week. This is a subject that many pet owners want to avoid talking about, and even thinking about. Apparently my Isabelle has been a hot item on the town this week. About a week ago I noticed a little shaggy dog outside my house. I had never seen it before so I assumed it was a stray. I felt bad for it and took food out for it to eat. I later discovered he was not hungry at all, he was hot on the trail of Isabelle. She is going through her heat cycle and it makes me very uncomfortable. She is a year and a half old and I have not had her spayed yet. Her male suitor has stayed here, night and day, for a week solid. He is quite bigger than her and tries to attack her. I have had to go out with her on a leash or stand with rocks or a stick in hand when I take her out. He barks all night! Thursday night it was quite bad. I had to go outside in the middle of the freezing cold night and throw coke bottles at him to try to scare him away ( I know funny picture)! We have tried everything and he will not leave. I hope this week he will know it has ended and his job here is done!

I know I am going to have to make her an appointment to get spayed, but I have heard some bad side effects, as well as good ones. The pros are the obvious, preventing pregnancy as well as cancers. I have heard that the surgery could change a dogs personality. People have told me that it could make dogs lazy and not as full of life. I have read several articles on the internet and most of them seem to disagree. Some people have said that it could make male dogs have a slight change in personality in some cases but not for females. There is also a threat with the anesthesia on little dogs like mine. I would like to know if any of you have had experiences with the surgery. I do not want to have it done and make her personality change, but I do not want to take the chance on her getting pregnant by a dog like this one who is much larger than her and could really harm her.

Longing for Love

Coming home to your dog looking out the window for you can either be the most heartwarming moment, or the most heartbreaking. Most every time I leave my house I have no worries, because Isabelle is looking out the back dash of my car, laying in "her spot" going wherever I may be going. Believe me, when I have to tell her no, it not only breaks her heart but mine as well. I tell her no on mostly, only 2 occasions, when I go to class, or when I go to church, although she has been known to sit in my car and wait on me to get out of church. When I get home, she is sitting in my upstairs window sill watching, longingly, out the window for me to return. My Mother has to go upstairs and retrieve her numerous times throughout the day because once she goes up my stairs, she can't get down.

Many of you have told me that you have pets at home as well. You may not be in a position where you can commute from home as I do. I know that dorms do not allow pets and most apartments will not allow them either. So you have no choice but to leave your animals at home, which can be so heartbreaking. I ran across some interesting information. Lees- McRae College located in Banner Elk, North Carolina where I am from, has recently opened a pet friendly dorm. They are allowing pets under 40 lbs. to be allowed in the dorm rooms. Students are allowed to have fish, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, birds, ferrets, cats, and dogs. I think it would be great if ETSU turned one of it's older dorms into a pet friendly dorm. If enough people inquire about this to the housing department then maybe we could get the housing officials to discuss this. Please tell me what you think.