I feel like that some people burn out with their dogs because things are always the same. I’m not saying dogs need as much entertainment as humans because they don’t. I feel though that we need to keep things moving in a positive direction with our dogs. I understand that . Dog parks are not for everyone. I get it I do not have a big yard or even a place to walk my dog in my neighborhood so going to the dog park is a really good thing for my dogs. Just like going to the gym is a really good thing for me. I find that I need to learn and grow in the Dog world in order to be the best dog mom possible. So I read books I study I’m taking a canine specialist course I watch YouTube videos and listen to podcasts and read books and do everything I can to learn as much as I can to make my dogs world the best that it can be. We can always improve right my level of improvement might not be the same as someone else’s but I still can improve. If you’re going to be a dog guardian, owner/mom or dad, you must research and learn and don’t stay stuck in the old mindset. Things that we knew about Dog‘s 20 years ago might not be relevant now. A lot of things are old tales that have no truth whatsoever. I understand, all of the information can be overwhelming. It is for me it’s hard for me to sort out what is good what is bad one day you hear grain free is great the next you hear it’s awful raw feeding kibble wet food fresh food freeze dried, which one is the best? Holistic vet care traditional vet care heartworm preventative natural preventative flee preventative don’t use flea collars,pesticides, I get it there so many different things out there and it’s hard to know what is good and what is not. I do not have all the answers I’m sorry to say. I’m still figuring it all out and changing things as I go. I have changed dog food so many times in the last five years I cannot tell you. I’ve tried supplements, I’ve tried different veterinarians. It took me so many years just to find a good veterinarian. I would find one and say oh this is the one and then they would do something that I totally didn’t agree with and I’d move on. For so long I did not even trust a regular vet. I go back-and-forth with dog groomers I would have one for a while and then they would do something that upset me and I move on and pet sitter and the whole bit it’s hard to find rel rel.I do not have all the answers I’m sorry to say. I’m still figuring it all out and changing things as I go. I have changed dog food so many times in the last five years I cannot tell you. I’ve tried supplements, I’ve tried different veterinarians. It took me so many years just to find a good veterinarian. I would find one and say oh this is the one and then they would do something that I totally didn’t agree with and I’d move on. For so long I did not even trust a regular vet. I go back-and-forth with dog groomers I would have one for a while and then they would do something that upset me and I move on and pet sitter and the whole bit it’s hard to find good reliable sources in the Vet community or even pet community. Period first of all when it comes to a service such as a veterinarian or groomer make a list of things that you want and don’t want. Example for a groomer I need someone who can cut a bichon and make them look good. That was the biggest problem I had with groomers. Of course affordability is great proximity matters, so those three things. Guess what I found someone who was inexpensive very educated good with animals and the proximity could be closer but I was willing to sacrifice that to find the other things that I liked. Also a lot of people don’t agree with cutting shelties or trimming them and I needed to find a groomer that was not going to argue with me about that. And so I found it and things have been going really great. I also noticed recently that she had done some things in her business to make things more efficient such as making cards with dogs name owner‘s name the way they like their dog cut so you don’t have to tell her every time I love working with people who try to make their businesses more efficient. So I’m happy. he also works with his local animal shelter which I like that as well. So I found of it. Those things might not matter to other people but they matter to me. I’ve also had to work with my Vet on some major health issues with dogs that unfortunately we’re not fixed and they passed away so I’ve dealt with that and I know how he responds in those types of situations. I went to a vet once and I had a dog who was on her deathbed and they convinced me to pay a lot of money for treatment that did not work she still died and I was very upset I feel like my dog suffered and I wanted to euthanize humanely of course and they argued with me. I went to my vet that I’m with now with the same health issue unfortunately with another dog and they said euthanizing was the humane way to go and they were all for it. Another thing I do is sometimes I recall some of my past negative situations with my new vet or new groomer not name dropping necessarily but just saying I went to a place and they did this and this wasn’t fair or I didn’t like it so how do you feel about this issue. Not to put someone else down but just to say I wasn’t happy with the service or the situation how would you handle it. That usually helps. When it comes to pet sitters dog walker things like that unfortunately I’ve had a lot of negative situations so I am a stickler I will ask questions I will research I will argue the issue to death because daycare for pets or dog sitting or whatever you want to call it is a big hot topic with me. So yes if the person seems impatient with my questions or my myWhen it comes to pet sitters dog walker things like that unfortunately I’ve had a lot of negative situations so I am a stickler I will ask questions I will research I will argue the issue to death because daycare for pets or dog sitting or whatever you want to call it is a big hot topic with me. So yes if the person seems impatient with my questions or my demands or requirements yes I will not use that person. Unfortunately I have not found a lot of good quality pet sitting. Most of the time I take my animals with me. I know that’s not for everyone and I respect people who have pet sitters or dog walkers or board their dogs. Everyone needs to do what’s best for them, but for me that causes a lot of anxiety and with me now fresh feeding and my dogs taking medication, it’s just very hard for me to leave my dogs with anyone. That is the extent of what I’ve done recently I do have a trip coming up and I might board one of my dogs but I’m feeling a lot of anxiety about it so we will see.
And so I understand it’s not not be a permanent situation unfortunately, so I still have to educate myself about dog food options in fact this month I actually purchased some freeze dried food that’s like a mix that all you have to add is the meat as just a alternative to making it fresh all the time I haven’t tried that out yet but I’m always researching and learning and it would be great if I could find a way that I felt was good and nutritious but a little cheaper which I probably cannot but I understand that some people cannot do fresh food or raw food or even higher quality kibble. Ifeel like everyone needs to do the best that they can but the key is educating yourself and just making sure you’re making the most informed decisions.The thing that frustrates me about dog owners is when they do not choose to educate themselves. Education is out there I get it not everybody has the Internet but there’s books there’s libraries there’s podcasts there’s YouTube there’s something out there to help you educate yourself. Do not just rely on someone to tell you because someone might not have the right information I’m not saying all my information is right. I try and I educate myself and I listen to a variety of sources by podcast I read I study my textbooks things like that but I’m still learning. it took a while even with the fresh feeding,for me to feel really confident with my decision and in fact until I got there bloodwork and their check out I was really concerned. Before I started the fresh feeding journey I consulted with several veterinarians, read a lot studied a lot ask a lot of questions and even while fresh feeding was still learning. I’m still looking at things and learning and consulting and calling people it’s an ongoing process.
Paws of Happiness 