Paws of Happiness

It is easy to get into the way of thinking where you project your once needs and desires onto your dogs. Most of the time what humans feel that dogs need or want is not even accurate. Example I was hiped up about getting my dogs pictures with the Easter bunny and very disappointed when I was not able to do that this year. My dogs didn’t care. That was for me not them. Another example Halloween costumes I always want my dogs dressed up for Halloween to do what? It’s not like they’re going to go trick or treating. Dogs don’t care. Christmas presents. I had a friend who would post all the time around Christmas get your dogs Christmas presents it’s so important. Important to whom? The dogs don’t know anything about Christmas. Thanksgiving special meals or Christmas special meals are nice and cute to share with your dog but they don’t require that they don’t understand. Food is food to them. They’re always going to be in for food whether it’s Thanksgiving or just Tuesday

Humans focused on the past yesterday the day before a past trauma. Dogs focus in the moment. They live in the now. What happen today. They don’t care about yesterday or what did not happen yesterday. I take and seen your dogs most of the time and it is amazing how quickly they adjust to my home. I gave them a new name a new lifestyle new owner knew everything and they adjust within weeks.

Dogs really just need basics, food,shelter, love, exercise, attention, they need medical care and safety but they probably don’t think about that. So when you think about what a dog really needs. It is totally different than humans seem to believe.

If I had my way about it the dogs would have so many more things. Orthopedic dog beds. Fancy dog dishes. I even once purchased an automatic water filter that filtered out their water. It ended up being more trouble than it was worth and kind of expensive to keep up it was also hard to keep clean. The dogs didn’t require that and most of them probably didn’t even like it.dog clothing. I came to the conclusion that I was only going to put clothes on my dogs that needed them for warmth. Now I have certain styles that I enjoy but I know that’s purely for me and if the dogs don’t like clothes I don’t put them on them. That was my stance.

As far as fancy dog beds some dogs have arthritis, or other physical issues where a really nice dog bed is necessary but most of the time I have found that dogs are just as happy to curl up on an old bathroom rug as they are a fancy dog bed.

When it comes to food of course dogs usually love to eat. I have found that they enjoy the cheapest low quality dog food just as well as the fancy stuff. Now as humans we have to make safe healthy decisions for our dogs when it comes to their food but as far as their preferences most of the time their preferences do not lineup it with what is healthy, just like humans and sometimes they prefer the cheap stuff rather than something expensive.I will say careful when it comes to food. I have a couple of my dogs now that they have been having home cooked meals that will not eat kibble. Under any circumstance which can be difficult in an emergency situation. The others don’t care. They would eat some low quality kibble just as soon as they would eat their homemade cook food. Yes some dogs desire other dogs around to keep them company and some dogs prefer to be the only dog.

I’ve tried to become aware of what dogs want and need versus what I might be projecting on them. I tried to really pay attention to likes and dislikes and I speak of them often. Dogs definitely need an advocate. We need to be advocating for our dogs rather than trying to enforce views, and preferences based on what we want.

I have one dog who gets cold very easily and seems to really enjoy dog clothing. When I get a shirt out she can’t wait to put it on and even start sticking your head through the loop. So that Dog obviously likes clothes and when I want to dress up a dog I dress her up and she enjoys it. Well some of my other dogs don’t really like clothing.

Some of my dogs prefer crunchy treats and snacks rather than mushy ones and some just like food.. So I try to keep that in mind when I’m picking things out some of my dogs like crunchy some of my dogs like everything.

Several years ago I started takingdogs to the dog park. I learned very quickly some of them enjoyed it and some of them did not. The dogs I have now some of them really like it and some of them just enjoy going somewhere. Thankfully I like taking my dogs places in the group that I have now seems to like to travel so it works out well. If it was not the case we would have to make some changes but I’m so glad the group of dogs I have at this point is really conducive to my lifestyle. Items such as orthopedic dog beds dog clothes doggy playmates, trips, sports activities might not be necessary for every dog or even appropriate.not to say fun frivolous items do not have A place in the world. Sometimes it’s just fun to do things. Such as pictures of dogs with Santa Claus or Easter bunny. Well not necessary if the dog is not stressed out by the whole activity why not do something for fun? You only live once and it’s always fun to have fun with your dog. Sometimes I take my dogs for a walk in the regular park. Not all dogs would be cut out for that sort of activity and maybe not even all of my dogs like it but some of them do and it’s OK to do it’s a good source of exercise, training and it’s a bonding activity. I try to make it possible for them to have time to be dogs. Recently we went to a dog park and one of them rolled in something dead. It was not something I enjoyed or liked or even approved of but it happened. I think it was good for the dogs just to be dogs. Getting in the mud playing barking being loud being active. A lot of things you can’t do in the home. I love humans need to understand the things that dogs need to do to be natural and happy are very different than what we would choose for them. Running after squirrels, sniffing the ground, using the bathroom under a tree. Those are the things they like and enjoy even though it’s hard for us to understand. I think dogs need time to just be free be wild be loud be fast be natural.

I do not like boarding my dogs or leaving them with people so I always try to take my dogs when I go on trips. I have done this several times and there are some things I’ve learned that I would love to share with you.it is a good situation to take dogs. Also you need to go over with a friend all your dogs personalities they’re good points they’re bad points the worst things that your dog might do and of course your dogs needs. Make sure all needs wants expectations and requirements for everyone including the Dog lineup. I would strong training for any dog that’s going to do any sort of traveling whether it’s in a cabin in a car to a friend‘s house. If you are going to take your dog out of the house for any regular activities they need training. Obedience, recall. You need to see how your dog reacts in a different environment. Does your dog like people? Other dogs, is your dog specific with the size of other dogs that likes? Also does your dog get along with other animals such as cats, rabbits, hamsters. You also need to decide how your dogs going to travel in the car. Are you going to use seatbelts like I do, crate, or some other situation to contain your dog in the car. It is very important that your dog cannot be roaming around the car while people are driving. Another issue would be potty breaks along the way how far are you going to be driving in the car. For me most of the time we go three hours or less and my dogs usually don’t need a potty break especially if they’ve had plenty of time to go outside before they get into the car. My dogs enjoy riding in the car and they usually sleep so it’s not a problem especially on the way home, but some dogs are antsy or anxious in the car and you might have to think of medication. Factor in your dogs personality. Some dogs just do not do well outside of their home. It might be best for someone to come into the home and take care of them, some dogs do OK with staying with other people, some dogs prefer being boarded and then some dogs like to travel. Every dogs personality and handler situation have to be considered. For me personally if I’m not going to be going out a lot once I get to my destination my dogs would rather be with me but if I’m going to be somewhere where they’re going to be stuck in a crate in a cabin or hotel the whole time a couple of my dogs would much rather go stay with someone else. My dogs mark at least my small ones do so if you have a spot in your home where your dog to have an accident my dog will find that place repeatedly. So sometimes I have to compromise. Example this last time I went to my friends and I took my dogs but a couple of them had to go to Doggy Daycare at the local vet while I was there just during the day. So they weren’t around during the day but they were with me at night so they were make sure there is a designated area for your dogs to relieve themselves. Whether that the grassy area or a certain place in the yard or maybe even a potty pad. Make sure you clear that with whoever’s in charge of the establishment whether it’s your friend or the owner, and make sure you clean up after your dog. Remember you were responsible for any mess your dog makes or any property they destroy.OK with that. Example my dog kept getting into my friends cat food so I bought some more cat food because no they didn’t requirement but that’s just a conscientious dog owner that’s always going to clean up their dogs mess. I also bring cleaning products with me such as disinfectant wipes or disinfectant spray, just incase. Some times dogs no matter how clean they are can bring an odor especially if someone’s not used to that particular dog or having a dog at all. Always be conscientious of smells and stains. Keep your dog‘s time retain in mind and if you cannot implement the same routine just keep in mind your dogs might not do as well. I feel like potty break should be more frequent and the dogs needs and routine should be taken into consideration. Example my dogs are used to sleeping in a bed so I was sleeping in an air mattress and they kept getting in bed with my friends. Of course I asked my friend and they were OK with it but most friends probably wouldn’t like that. Also another thing would be their eating schedule or they used to eating separately eating at a certain time or they’re used to dogs being around that they cannot share food with. All those things should be taken into consideration when you’re traveling. My dogs eat in the morning only sometimes they get treats throughout the day but my dogs love sharing their food with one another. If they’re around dogs they eat on their food throughout the day and little portions, it’s hard for my dogs they tend to gobble. So they’re not used to food being left out. So when I’m around people who let their dogs eat like that I have to make sure my dogs are contained or watch them closely or alter the way that we feed dogs. Biggest thing is if you’re staying with friends you need to make sure they’re philosophy for dog hair matches with yours. Example I know of people who do not believe in dogs being in the house, they live their dogs out on chains. Someone like that would not be a good person for me to stay with. My dogs are in bed, treated really well, care for really well and not abused or mystered. So you just need to make sure you and whoever you’re with or on the same page.Biggest thing is if you’re staying with friends you need to make sure you were on the same page with food. Are the same or at least similar. You might have to make some compromises but definitely do not compromise in a way that would hurt your dog or damage your relationship with your dog. Sometimes learning from other people can be a good thing and you can implement new tactics with your dog that might be helpful but do not compromise to the point where your dog is suffering. Example don’t compromise to the way of your inside dog gets put outside on a chain or hast to spend the night outside. Also try to make sure your dog somewhat has a good time they might not have a perfect time and there might be some things that just cannot be helped. I understand that but try to make sure they get plenty of exercise of course food and water they are safe and they’re not miss treated.

A lot of people are finding that it’s great to have their dogs at the workplace. I’ve done a lot of research and talking to people about this. Now, I have never taken a dog to my workplace but I have a lot of thoughts about it. In some situations I feel like it’s probably great. I do believe that dogs do not belong at all workplaces and all workplaces are not conducive to dogs.first of all I feel like any dog brought into a workplace needs to have a good amount of training. Possibly even pass the canine good citizen test. They should have excellent recall, the handler should be in control of the dog at all times. The dog should also be friendly well socialized and of course under treatment from a vet. Vaccinations are very controversial so I’m not even sure where I stand as far as that goes but the dog should be in good health and good temperament. Of course there should be adequate places for the dogs to go to the bathroom and of course stimulation for the dogs and adequate exercise. The dog should not have an reasonable expectations. Such as a dog being tethered to a desk for 12 hours a day. Also there probably should be a way to seclude the dog in an office behind a closed door or baby gate just in case. The dog should also be friendly with people and of course of other dogs are coming into the workplace the same requirements should be met through them. A dog should not have the risk of being attacked from another dog. Also employs allergies and sensitivity should be considered. Not to mention if the dog is in a workplace with a lot of people it should be known if others are afraid of dogs or maybe just have a strong dislike of dogs. I feel like in the workplace everyone’s needs should be considered including the dog. As far as meetings and if the owner is going about the building consideration should be made for the dog. Is the dog going to come with when the owner leaves the office or the workspace or is the dog going to be contained in someway such as a playpen, gate, closed door crate something. That should be considered and of course cleared with management. Maybe that will be days that wouldn’t be good for the dog to come to work. Such as maybe there’s only a few days a week that are conducive for the dog or maybe the dog can only come one day a week. Schedules should definitely be checked and everyone’s needs and schedule should be considered. Are there some days when outsiders are coming into the building more? Are there some days that the owner is not going to get as many breaks to take the dog to the bathroom? I can’t really think of any factory manufacturing jobs that would be conducive to bringing a dog to work. I saw a situation that was sort of like a retail store where the owner was bringing a dog to work but it was a mess. The dog got into some of the merchandise and it was hard to contain the dog when the owner was in meetings. I also feel like it’s not a good thing to expect coworkers or management to care for the dog when you’re busy. Another situation that I saw to be reasonable was when a dog was brought into a speech therapy place for kids. I think that is a good environment to bring a dog. 

A lot of people say things about dogs being off leash. Here are my opinions. I feel that if your dog can be off leash, in your private property, or even a friends private property or a secluded environment that’s great. It is annoying when you have dogs that have to be constantly tethered or contained in someway just to keep them nearby and safe.I feel like when it comes to a public park, not a dog park, hiking trail, or even vacation resort. It would be best to have dogs on leash. I,just feel like you never know what could happen in a situation such as a public park or hiking trail. Wild animals, aggressive dogs or even dangerous people. It would be better to have your dog close to you and contained in case of an emergency. As far as dog parks I feel like they are for vaccinated friendly dogs with dog handlers who are able to control their dogs. If the dog has a chance of having diseases, has a weakened immune system due to age, or is aggressive, a dog park is not a good place. I also feel like puppies should be a certain age before they should go to dog parks. Yes dog parks are not the ideal situation, but some people have situations where they cannot exercise their dogs properly and dogs do need exercise and I feel like socializing with other dogs is a good thing for some dogs. Some people are totally it’s dog parks and dogs being off leash. Every dog, handler, situation, and circumstance are different. Not one rule of thought can go for every single dog and handler. I have, one dog, who is great off leash. Great obedience, great recall, very friendly so off leash situation‘s are wonderful for her. I only do it in a controlled environment such as private property or somewhere that’s fenced in.

A few years back a friend of mine who was Caucasian said you are the only person of color that I know that has animals. I will say I have dogs I do not have anything else. I thought about it and at first off that was a little strange. Then I went back through my childhood an adulthood and thought about all the people of color I knew who did not like dogs. In fact growing up in the 80s and 90s, the people of color that I knew were the ones that were strongly against the fact that we had our dog a beagle German Shepherd mix living in the house full-time. I remember when a lot of people came over we had to put the dog away. They would get really upset about the dog being anywhere near them. I don’t have friends like that now that I’m an adult. Although I don’t have a lot of people coming over in the house, especially in these days and times. My family and we are all people of color always had dogs. Although I remember my Family did have objections to my childhood dog living in the house. A lot of my family members did leave their dogs out on chains, my mother always taught me that was wrong. My family talked about my dog being in the house all the time, but I’m happy to say from what I know of my family members nobody has a dog living out on a chain now. Thankfully I always attributed that to a generational thing. My grandmother, and older family members were of the generation where that was done, my cousins and people closer to my age have their dogs in the house. There. I just attributed it possibly to where I live in the south maybe there’s just not as many people of color in my specific small town. In fact I got really concerned and wanted to know other people of color who had dogs and love them so I joined a social media group for women of color who had animals. I could not find a specific group on social media for women of color who had dogs unfortunately. Which is kind of sad or maybe just shows the lack of the share number of women of color who have dogs. I was happy recently to find blog and podcast specifically from women of color who had dogs. When I was looking up women of color and dogs on social media all I could find was pitbull clubs and groups. Which I thought was really stereotypical. Then I started to think other than me everyone in my family who has a dog actually does have a pitbull but I live in the south where Pitbulls and Chihuahuas are prevalent. The other thing is the one person in my family who did not have a pitbull other than me actually had a Chihuahua. I will say one of my relatives dogs developed some issues from not being spayed at all advanced age and I do not think my family is super great at spaying and neutering their dogs. Not sure if that is a economic issue which I kind of think it might not be I think it’s just more of something in my area in the south where I live. Well say I have found many people in my area in the south who are not people of color who are resistant to spaying and neutering their animals. People still have in their heads that you can make money from selling puppies which infuriates me. These people a lot of times do not even have purebred dogs and are definitely not breeding for the betterment of the breed. A relative recently talked about years ago how they bread pit bulls. This was a long time ago before I actually had the education that I have now. I started to go back and say did you test did you do this did you do that and then I stopped myself and thought well they’re not breeding now and that was a long time ago and it’s silly to go over everything and to try to figure out what kind of breeder they were. The good thing is they’re not breeding now. The overpopulation problem is more prevalent in the south and the lack of education when it comes to dogs as prevalent in the south. Many times recently I have found that dog shelters allow people to foster dogs and leave them outside 100% of the time. I could not believe it when I put in an application to foster through a shelter and they asked me did I prefer dogs living inside or out I was like why on earth would you let somebody foster a dog that’s going to keep them outside. I have a feeling that they would’ve even been OK with them living outside on a chain. Which is very sad. Recently I saw a post from a shelter looking for some dogs to be in a home because of course the shelter was overcrowded and I do not even think they had room for the specific dogs. They were smaller dogs like dachshund Chihuahuamixes and they said these are outside dogs so they need

People argue with me when I say things are just different in the south. I’m not saying all southern people are bad pet owners because they’re not. I’m just saying the rules, expectations, education level lots of things are different in the south I’m not so sure that it has to do with ethnic background or race, it could, but I think it’s more where you live and what’s allowed what’s expected and what’s known.always been a highly motivated person I’ve never been resistant to change and I love to educate myself and learn so of course I’m going to try to do the best that I can do when it comes to anything. Just for the few people of color that I know that have dogs I can’t say the third terrible dog owners but I can’t say that they’re the best. I can say that they function pretty well when it comes to the way things are done in the south. The same as what the pictures of. I just had a talk with that same person talking about how it’s not right for dog food to be all these multi colored morsels. That’s dye to make it look more attractive. I still see people feeding the dogs table scraps, and not using flea preventative. Quality of life for dogs.

I grew up in the 80s when most dogs were out on a chain 100% of the time. It was not strange or even commented on. In 1988 when I was in second grade, I got a dog. She stayed in the house 100% of the time and never ate table scraps. She was housebroken, flea and worm free, and ate a relatively good brand of dog food. Most people that I knew at that time if they purchased dog food, which most of them did not it was a very low in quality. Table scraps were the majority of their dogs diet. Not sure how because I had a older mom for that time, I was always taught dogs were not to live outside on a chain. That was unfair and if you were doing that you should not have a dog. I was taught the dogs did not eat table scraps and that you bought the best brand of dog food you could. I was taught that vaccinations were important that we were never able to afford them and going to the vet with something you should do if you had the money. Unfortunately most people around me and my low income neighborhood did not have the same thoughts when it came to dogs. If your dog got sick it just died. That care was never talked about. I’m sure some of that was economic status they probably just did not have the money, but I’m not so sure even if they did have the money if vet care and vaccinations would’ve been considered. No I know now some people do not like vaccinations but usually it’s people who have done research. I know there’s a lot of controversy when it comes to dogs in their care nowadays and that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m sure back then no one did any research because there was no Internet so I’m not sure how they would have done research. I remember once in middle school I got a dog book and read it and wanted to implement a lot of the things that I learned in the book, such as training, and the care of my dog but of course back then things were way different and that was strange to get a book and try to implement new practices in the care of your dog, now that’s common place. It always broke my heart to see dogs living outside. I just thought that was not a fair life. I wanted to do better back then but did not know how. I wanted to take my dog to the vet to get vaccinations and things like that. I remember when we got our dog spayed around 1990 that was a really new innovative idea in our community. I remember telling people proudly that my dog was spayed and that she would not have puppies. The fact that my dog had never had puppies was foreign back then. I’m not saying we were the first to get our dog spayed of course because we weren’t but we were the first of the people that we knew. I was thinking recently about the first time I saw a leash. We had a leash for our dog and we used it but it was like an old plastic retractable lease that we probably got at the dollar store. I remember the first time I saw a better leash. I remember thinking that the retractable kind was the only kind there was. Most people did not even have a leash further dog. Of course yes we had a chain for our dog that we chained her up when she was outside. She did not live on the chain, and only was out there for potty breaks but back then everyone had a chain but nobody really had a leash. I remember when my grandmother put her cat on flee preventative. I knew that you could get it for dogs but we couldn’t afford it and I remember her talking about a new innovative product that would keep your animals from getting fleas. I remember once a kid coming to my house and saying I don’t want your dog near me because it has fleas. I said my dog does not have fleas. The kids said of course your dog has fleas they all have fleas there’s no way to keep a dog from getting fleas. We did get flea collars and things like that and our dog did not have fleas but of course back at that time people just did not know that there was a way to prevent fleas. So many things are different now than they were back then. We know so much more and have information at our fingertips. There’s no reason for ignorance anymore. We’ve came so far with advancements in our pet care, pet health and information. There’s no reason to be stuck in ignorance. Pets are a huge responsibility and there’s a lot to taking care of them. It frustrates me to people talk about how in their day pets didn’t stay in the house and it was OK to let your dog wander the neighborhood. They don’t understand why Raby shots are required and there’s rules to taking care of a dog and people take dog care so seriously. I always say well in your day there wasn’t car seats, or child labor laws or whatever, does that mean we stay stuck in bad things when we learn better we can do better.

I follow a lot a blog post and people on social media. I found in the Dog world there’s a whole lot of controversy. When I really got into studying dogs and trying to be a better dog owner. I started watching television shows, documentaries, following podcasts, reading books and of course, taking my canine specialist course.

I found very quickly when it comes to training there’s many different schools of thought. Positive training, balance training, aversive training. There are people who admire well-known dog trainers in the media and there’s people who despise those same trainers.unfortunately on some things you have to decide where you stand and it’s okay to say you’re not sure and to do further research on your own. It’s very important to follow your own compass, and figure out what you want for yourself and your dogs and, to remember just because something works for you and your dogs, does not mean it’s going to work for everyone. I also understand it’s not always my Choice and my opinion when it comes to someone else and their dogs really does not matter. I try to follow the positive training methods and they work for the most part for me and my dogs.

I have looked into Balance training. I follow podcasts of people who do balance training. I have found it really does not look like something I would want to do personally. I respect people who do it and understand sometimes it is necessary. In fact I believe that my obedience class that I participate in in my neighborhood, offers Balance training for people who are finding issues with positive training. Basically the obedience trainers do what works for the family which I feel is the most important thing in dog training.for doing something that is a training method that’s well respected. As far as other controversial issues there is one that I am doing that a lot of people find fault with. I have a couple of dogs on medication. When I first mentioned it to someone who was studying to be a dog trainer she told me medication was not right. It made Dog zombies and she did not agree with it. She basically told me I would need to rehome my dogs rather than put them on medication. The thing is I do think we live in a overmedicated society and people rely on medication too much. I’m not saying medication is not necessary, I think we live in a society that relies on it too heavily. Medication is the cure for everything. So, I took the idea of putting my dogs on medication very seriously. Given correctly. Of course you have your veterinarians support behind you when you make the decision to try medication and you need to make sure your dogs are in good health and rule out all health issues medical issues or other problems before you go to the medication route. I did all of those things. I tried other things in conjunction with medication such as obedience training and I would like to get her in agility. I saw a major difference within a couple of months of putting her on medication. Major improvements with training and socially. Also the bond between her and I got so much stronger. My second dog that I put on medication has been in my home over three years. Her separation anxiety was getting worse. She was destroying property getting out of crates escaping any sort of boundary messing up doors things like that and finally I decided after careful reflection to put her on medication. Her medication has just started and she’s only been on it for one month but I am seeing small improvements I do not think this separation anxiety is nearly as bad and I hope to see it dissipating along the journey. Within their budget, and limitations. I didn’t understand that but I also found last year I started eating healthy losing weight exercising and I guess that just project it onto my dogs. There are other things such as rawhide that people have arguments about in the Dog world. I have used Dog rawhide, in the past and never had a problem with it. I understand the horrors of it and I try to avoid it now but it’s not some thing I get really worked up about like some people do. I get worked up about seeing dogs living on chains. That really frustrates me I don’t understand why people would get a dog just to keep it outside tied to a tree or a steak all the time. Never bringing it in. Basically having a yard dog or a porch dog or some such nonsense as that. I feel like dogs are meant to be companions I understand dogs like to have jobs and I’m not saying they can’t have jobs. I feel like they can be a member of the family and have a job just like a person does. Having a job does not mean they have to be treated like some wild animal or indentured servant. They can be a member of the family and still do their job. There are some things that I understand you have to have boundaries. Such a service dogs. They have to have rules, regulations, and a certain conduct as well as they have to be treated in specific ways. They do not live out on chains or stay on the porch. They have their jobs and are still a member of the family.

The last controversal issues that I feel strongly about is people who have big traveling ability and money to do something like that then of course if it’s possible then do it but as for everyone else breeders might be a good source of getting a dog. Anyway, these big breeders who have large properties and large amounts of dogs. They keep the dogs outside all day and then put them in a crate at night. So these dogs are not exposed to home life. Yes they have veterinary in cara water food their coats are taken care of and all their needs are met perfectly. Yet these dogs are not socialized. Then when they get too old to breed and need to be retired they talk about putting them in nice pet homes which is great but these dogs don’t know how to be a pet. If you’re planning to do something like this you need to socialize the dog and treat it like a pet. I have gotten several of these breeder moms and as far as physical care they had been taken care of. But socially they did not know how to be a pet. They did not know how to live in a home. They knew a crate in a yard. They didn’t understand home life and being a member of the family and being expected to interact with someone. That was extremely hard and foreign to them and I feel like it’s a disturbist to these dogs. Yes you want them to be pet and to have the life they deserve. One breeder said to me I want them to curl up on someone’s couch and watch television. Options , First socialize these dogs hire help if you have to or scale back your breathing to only have enough dogs that you can socialize. Yes The puppies are socialized OK the Mom‘s need to be socialized as well or they need to keep these moms forever. I’m not speaking of puppy mills. Never get a dog from a puppy mill. Puppy mills are terrible rotten places. In someways I guess these moms are sort of like puppy mill survivors on a smaller scale, but I do believe there is a difference between responsible reading and a puppy mill. I also think there is a difference between these people who don’t really there is a difference between a responsible breeder and a puppy mill. I also think that sometimes we all make mistakes with our dogs because of lack of education or oversight. No one is the perfect dog owner and that’s important for everyone to remember.

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.

I would say Olivia is my most challenging dog. The thing is she is my smallest dog and my youngest dog. She’s some sort of Maltese mix. I know that her owner passed away when she was about a year old. She went to live with an acquaintance of mine for a year and that did not go well. Basically she said Olivia was a terrier. She tore up crates she was loud she jumped on things she screeched she was a terrier. She drove my friend so crazy that she paid $500 to a taxi cab to drive her to me for hours from her home just to get her out of her house. Within 24 hours of me agreeing to take her this dog was at my house. First Olivia was pretty easy. She was quiet a little shy she love to cuddle. Her fur is silky smooth she doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. She doesn’t shed I’m like this talking is amazing. I took her places we had a lot of fun together she’s my only dog that really plays with toys. And she can be so funny. Yeah that was the honeymoon. Quickly I all the behaviors that my friend had told me about. The jumping. The screeching, eating drywall, chewing up Internet cords, chewing up headphones, ripping up flooring. You name it and this dog has done it.

At one point I slept with her on a tether to me just to make sure she didn’t destroy anything while I was asleep. You might as well forget letting her sleep in a crate oh and when she was in a crate either she destroyed the crate or destroyed things around the crate one time she pulled my bedspread into her crate and tore it up. Yeah that dog. Anyway now I’ve got this problem where I cannot keep her contained and a crate she opens the latch or choose something or break something to get She kept jumping up on the side of the buggy, but everyone thought she was a little cute princess she got lots of compliments lots of pets and lots of attention. I’m assuming her bad behavior was due to her being excited. Also I don’t think her behavior was that terrible it was just a little much. But she went to Home Depot. We will definitely have to try it again to work on that behavior. She knows how to walk on a leash but today you would’ve thought she did not.

I started my journey as a foster dog parent this past fall. I’ve had around seven different Foster’s. Most of the time it has went great. I cannot honestly say that any of the dogs that I have fostered have been unpleasant. I can really honestly say I have really enjoyed most of them. They’ve all held a very special place in my heart. Unfortunately, I’ve had to make some hard decisions when it came to them though. On two separate occasions I’ve had to relinquish my fosters. One time went really well and the dog was able to go back to its original owner. I’m hoping things went well for it for the rest of its life. I don’t really know because I haven’t kept in touch with them. The second time I had to relinquish a foster was just yesterday. Unfortunately, I had to send her back to the shelter which was super hard but I know I did the right thing. The first time when I had to really question my foster she was a female German shepherd boxer mix of sorts. Around five years old. She had been living in a home with a very aggressive dog but I was told that she was extremely good with other dogs. I did not see the warning signs of the situation and walked into it very unequipped to deal with the situation. The first thing was I took her from a private person, and decided to foster her. With no backing from any agency for medical or anything. I thought I would be able to find her a home on my own. Big mistake. I would advise anyone who plans to Foster to go through a rescue or shelter that way they have financial help and just a lot of physical help with decisions and situations. From the very beginning she was a little snappy with my personal dogs. She was snappy with me and my family at first, but then she got over being snappy with my immediate family but she continued to be very snappy with my personal dogs. Not only that, she was very aggressive with new people–the vet, anyone else except my immediate family to the point where she bit someone. The situation got worse and worse as far as her being aggressive with strangers and she got increasingly aggressive with my personal dogs. When the veterinarian refused to treat her without being sedated, I knew I would not be able to find her a home and that same day she jumped on one of my dogs. I had to call her former owner. Thankfully, I still had her information and told her what was going on and told her I would not be able to find this dog a home nor did I feel safe doing it. I told her I didn’t know what would happen to this dog. She might possibly be euthanized if she wasn’t able to take her back and thankfully, she did take her back. Then she admitted to me that she had had some problem with her slightly but nothing she could not handle and that she thought things would be better when she got her away from that other aggressive dog. Unfortunately, it was too late. I suggested training and told the owner she should take her back if anyway possible and she did take her back. I made some firm fast rolls at that point. I would only take in foster dogs from shelters and rescues. I would also look for aggression. No aggression whatsoever would be tolerated either toward dogs or people. The second foster situation that I dealt with was recently. I took in a dog without meeting her first which is a big mistake but it was a desperate time, desperate measure type of situation and it just worked out that way. The shelter assured me that she was good with dogs. She came in and was great with my dogs. Unfortunately, the confrontation was over food so, yes, understandable but her personality totally changed. I did feed separately but they had received treats around each other several times before and nothing major had happened so I was caught off guard when she got into an altercation with one of my dogs over a treat and went way too far. Fortunately, no one was hurt but I could not allow that to happen so I had to ask the shelter to take her back which they did. I also made another rule at that point–I’m not going to take on dogs bigger than my dogs. I just don’t wanna handle that. I don’t feel like I’m equipped to handle that and so I’m only going to take in small dogs. I know when giving out treats and feeding you should do them separately and I usually do, but things had been going so well I just didn’t think that something would happen like that. Plus, the fact that her personality totally changed. When we were trying to get her in the car for the shelter to take her back she was pulling and resisting. The shelter worker was not even able to handle her on her own which told me that dog was very strong. She was a lab mix and so she should have been very strong and I was glad that her medical problems were subsiding to the point where she felt like she could be her true self. The only thing is her true self just wasn’t a fit for my home. Third dog I’m going to mention was not a foster at all. She was actually a dog that I took on. Again I took on a dog I had never met. A young girl had gotten a dog in high school and after she graduated and got a job decided that she did not want the dog anymore. Which is a very sad thing. The dog had been very well taken care of. The dog came to me with luggage. I’m telling you major luggage it seem like this girl did nothing but spend money on her dog. She had a whole wardrobe full of outfits, toys, leashes, clippers, brushes, bandannas, and more dog stuff than I had ever seen. This dog was loved. At least it seemed that way. Not sure what changed. She just decided she didn’t want her. The excuse she gave me was after starting her job she just felt like she did not have the time for her but she only worked a 40 hour work week which is very normal so I’m not sure what the real reason she got rid of the dog was. I suspect it had something to do with aggression but I can never say so for sure. Immediately, when I met her at a Cracker Barrel to pick up the dog and all her luggage, the dog snapped at me. I thought it was going to bite me. That shocked me and I said, “Wow does she do that often?” She said, “Oh, did she snap at you? Oh, she never does that…not sure what’s going on. It’ll be OK.” and quickly handed her to me. Dog was a Shih Tzu mix and only about 13 pounds so she wasn’t a big dog. She wasn’t ominous or anything like that. The girl also seemed to want to give her away very quickly. She was asking a price for her and when I hesitated and said that I’d have to think about it she said, “Well, if you can take her today I will let you just have her.” I thought that was odd too when I said that the lady lived about an hour from me and I wasn’t able to travel that far that day she offered to drive her to me. Was all very strange. My suspicions are that they had some issues with aggression possibly after some sort of event. I feel that someone was mean to this dog and then she started having aggressive tendencies afterwards but I can never prove it. What I do know is after she entered my home, it was very apparent that she was not happy living with other dogs. She always snapped at me from time to time when I tried to pick her up and did not act like she liked me at all. I always felt like she possibly had an issue with certain kinds of women with high-pitched voices. She loved guys, especially with deep voices. She never settled in and we gave it a year. She was not happy with the other dogs in the house. She was not happy with me. So, I made the decision to find her another home. I found an older woman with a deep voice no kids and no other dogs. She was going to be her constant companion and get lots of attention which the dog loved. She loved car rides and she did not like to be left home alone. She also wanted to be the apple of someone’s eye and she loved this woman from day one so I know it was a perfect fit. Who knows… maybe her previous owner-the young woman-had done something because she had a high-pitched voice. She was great with kids. She was also great with men and women with deep voices. All the situation‘s have taught me a lesson. I can look on them and think I made some really bad decisions (or I can say I made some unfortunate decisions), but at the end of the day everyone had a happy ending. I’m glad that that dog got out of the home with that young woman especially if something was happening to her. For that woman to be as frantic about getting her out of that house I have to believe something bad was happening or had happened. So I’m glad that I found the new owner that was perfect for her. As far as the Foster Dog who was aggressive, I’m glad I was able to keep her just long enough for her owner situation to get better where she could take her back. As far as the last Foster Dog that had to go back to the shelter I believe her story has not ended yet and hopefully something better will be her way really soon. All these situations have led to a better understanding of the canine world and fostering and rehoming for me. Knowledge is power.