For My Animal Rescue Friend, Dagmar Merrill

Dagmar Merrill lost her dog Mason on Dec 22, 2011.

A stray dog approached her while she was out with her 2 dogs and, as Dagmar explains it, there was a complete bloodbath. One of her dogs, Mason, was a sheltie and the dog on the attack was a pit bull. Dagmar says the pit pinned down her sheltie and "wouldn't let go" no matter what she did. Dagmar's daughter heard the noise and came to help. Between the two of them they managed to break up the dog fight. Dagmar said after the attack the pit bull looked to her for praise.

That is as devastating as the attack. It seems the aggressor has been receiving positive enforcement for being violent, as evidenced by the fact that he looked to Dagmar for approval.

Dagmar has a chip in if you can help. She has enormous vet bills for Mason, who died as a result of the attack, and for her other dog, Malichi, who is still in the animal hospital. Any amount, no matter how small, will help.

The dog that captured my heart

Whether wise or not, I'm hooked up with hundreds of animal advocates on Facebook. We cross-post stray and homeless animals, trying to spring them out of kill shelters and find them warm and loving homes. Of course, I fall in love with 3 out of every 5 pets I try and help but this one has completely captured my heart.

Just look at those eyes. His sweet face begs for understanding, for a safe place to live out his days. The gal that got him out of the kill shelter named him Petey, of course.

Yeah, I know Petey looks a lot like our sweet girl - and maybe that's part of the appeal. When Frosty looks at me like that I'm a puddy in her paws. But I don't think that's the only reason I can't stop thinking about this pup. There's just something about this one that I can't shake.    

Those of you who follow this blog know how much I want a friend for Frosty but our circumstances are not suitable. Unfortunately, we cannot add to our pack until we sell our condo (which has been on the market for 3 years - don't get me started) and buy a house with a yard. And yes, I know I've become attached to other dogs and written about them (When Will We Get Another Dog?). But look at him again. Let me help you, here's another shot:

Petey is 10 months old and located in S.C. but transport can probably be arranged, certainly to nearby locations. He gets along great with other dogs and with children. This is a sweet, precious puppy that needs a home quickly. I've joined forces with several others animal lovers to try and help him. Let me know if you have any interest and please help spread the word about Petey. Thank you.

A Dog, a 30-Foot Window and a Thanksgiving Miracle

Our dog is a shy, fearful American Bulldog mix. When we have large crowds at the house, she gets agitated. Under those circumstances, she’s more comfortable in the upstairs guest bedroom where she can lounge on the bed and look out the window. So that’s where she was yesterday during our Thanksgiving celebration.

The meal started at noon, so we put Frosty in ‘her’ room and made sure she had a favorite toy, plenty of water, and her blanket. One of our guests brought a small child with a big voice; the little guy yelled and squealed for 2 hours—a sound our dog’s not accustomed to hearing. In retrospect, I’m sure that commotion caused her additional stress.

Once thanks were given and everyone was sated, the crowd began to thin. That’s when the husband goes upstairs to spring our sweet dog from captivity and let her enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

Where is Frosty?

What do you mean?
Where is she?
In the bedroom.
She’s not here.
Yes she is.
No she’s not. She’s not in here.

Upper middle

Confused, I take the stairs 2-at-a-time. He looks under one bed as I crawl under the other. We fling open closet doors and turn over chairs. She's not in the room. We comb the house. No sign of her. It’s like she vaporized, vanished. Then my heart drops through the floor. We left the window in her bedroom slightly cracked, no more than 1/2-inch. It's now fully opened. I looked down; it’s a 30-foot drop. No way. It couldn’t be. The husband follows my train of thought and we fly back down the stairs and out the front door. That’s when the nightmare began in earnest. A broken Sego palm and crushed Lantana confirmed my worst fear. Our dog somehow opened the window and jumped from the third story.

It took all of my strength not to crumble right there but I knew we had to find her immediately and get her to the emergency vet. A large-scale search commenced, friends and strangers joined the effort. 5 hours passed and day became night. I was in anguish. The mind can go into dark places; I was sure she was broken to pieces, hiding in pain, waiting out the inevitable. I tortured myself with what-ifs.

After over 6 hours passed (she took flight between noon and 2:00pm) a neighbor and I prepared to drive to an area that hadn’t been canvassed. Before we got in her car, I called for Frosty once more.

She came trotting up to me, apparently unscathed. No scratches, bruising, limping, swelling, whining… nothing. I was so tired and overwrought I thought it was a mirage. But it was real. It was her. 

She seemed fine. Since she’d had enough excitement for one day we all went to bed. First thing this morning we took her to the vet. After a thorough exam, the vet was as astonished as we were. In fact, he said this was the most amazing thing he’d seen in his 30+ year practice. He laughingly told us the dog in the next room broke his leg jumping off a couch. Our dog didn’t even have a superficial wound. Not one bump or bruise. All her bones were fine, her internal organs checked out. It’s as if the 30-foot jump/fall never happened.

What I’m thankful for today:

• Miracles
• Friends and family that will drop everything and circle the wagons
• Outstanding neighbors, the ones we know and the ones we didn’t know until last night
• Super supportive on-line friends, especially those that follow @sweetestdog on Twitter
• A tough dog that’s built like a tank 

The long drop

Greenies Original Smart Curve Toy: Product Review

When I saw the Greenies Original Smart Curve Toy on sale, I jumped on it. I’m not a pet owner that goes overboard with toys but I do like for her to have something to chew on other than my shoes (a story for another day…). I usually buy the Kong brand of dog toys because she is an aggressive chewer and Kong toys hold up under her powerful jaws. We haven't tried Greenies, the design looked dog-friendly and the price seemed reasonable so I was willing to give it a try.

Product Design

The shape is interesting. The chew toy is designed for a dog to hold one end steady while she chews on the other, which has teeth cleaning nubs. Apparently, that’s supposed to be the business end of the toy. The package claim states: “It’s unique shape allows your dog to chew with comfort.”

Product Material

Greenies Original Smart Curve Toy is made out of nontoxic rubber. The packaging claims: “A tough, durable toy made with natural rubber.”

Price

I got the product on sale at a local pet supply store. The sticker SRP was $16.99. It was reduced to $14.99 and then put on the clearance table. I paid $7.99. 

Use

Frosty had one end (the holding end, not the business end – apparently she didn’t read the directions) destroyed in seconds. Of course I was supervising her, thank goodness. Hunks of Greenies rubber were everywhere. Amazed at how flimsy the toy now seemed, I got the pieces up and reread the packaging. I quote: “For a more exciting experience, peanut butter or dog paste may be spread into the grooves on the brush portion of this toy.” Fair enough, I didn’t read the instructions either. The brush portion of the toy was still intact so I spread peanut butter on the that end and stood over Frosty to see what would happen. She started working the peanut butter end but again, within seconds, she was pulling the hard rubber nubs off the brush. Mind you, the product is one complete piece of molded rubber and she was destroying it effortlessly.    

Conclusion

We’re going back to Kong dog toys.

Do you have a favorite dog chew toy?

 

Greenies is a trademark of Nutro Products, Inc. and it’s affiliates. This is my experience only, I have no association with the manufacturers or distributors of Greenies dog toys and treats.

I'm Shy

Happy Wordless Wednesday

Pedigree Adoption Drive Wants Your Ideas

Just in time for the holidays, Pedigree is adding new Dogs rule® gear and apparel to their product line--and they want help. They're calling on all you animal advocates and dog lovers to come up with creative ideas for the line. I read through the suggestions so far and some are tremendous. I’ve even thrown a few ideas over the fence. 

If you have doggie product ideas, or if you have gear and apparel ideas for dog-loving humans, shoot them over to Pedigree. Here's how to get hooked up:

• See what they already have here - DogsRuleGear.com
• Then go here to submit your ideas - Pedigree Adoption Drive > Dogs Rule Gear

You never know… your idea may be the next greatest Dogs rule® product ever. And most importantly, all proceeds help shelter dogs find loving homes. Please donate your ideas today to help the homeless pets this holiday season.

Road Trip

Happy Wordless Wednesday