Dogviews

Greenies Good for the Gut?

I'm a little late on the Greenies post front. Some of my fellow bloggers have written on this before me. One of my favorite sites, Dogma, wrote about Greenies earlier this year.

For those of you in the dark, there have been some lawsuits and complaints by some that Greenies are dangerous, can cause choking deaths and are not digestible.

There are many comments on the Dogma site, some stating that their dogs have died from getting Greenies stuck in their throat, or from parts of the bone obstructing their bowel. Other say that based on the millions of Greenies sold, that they are indeed safe.

I have three dogs (well, two and one foster). They LOVE Greenies. Just going to the Greenies cupboard causes them to quiver with anticipation. I could get my dogs to jump off a roof for a Greenie. But, they have had problems with them. My cocker got a case if Irritable Bowel Syndrome that sent him to the emergency vet clinic. My Standard Poodle has barfed up bits of Greenies. I can only assume that they both have problems digesting the treat. Generally, they have no other digestive problems. However, I don't give them rawhide, either.

The owners of Greenies have announced a new formulation that is supposedly easier to digest and chew. I'll try them for my dogs. But, if I find already-chewed Greenie bits on my new carpet, they're outta here.

I do applaud the PR department for their approach to this. They found a problem, supposedly solved the problem, and were up-front about it. I think dog-owners will give them credit for that, and give the treats another try.

Halloween for Hounds

People are dressing up their pets for Halloween, according to FamilyFun.com, an online community for families, produced by Disney Online.

According to the site, 30% of visitors plan to dress their pet up for Halloween. And it looks like there is no shortage of costumes to choose from. Costumecraze.com has great ideas for kids and pets. You can find everything from a Buzz Lightyear costume to simple Halloween Bandanas. My Google search found 4.2 MILLION results for Halloween costumer for pets!

If you have a small dog, trixie+peanut.com has a hilarious selection, from giraffes to caterpillars.

Or if you don't have a pet (and why in the world would you be reading this?) you can go to FamilyFun.com and learn how to make a Dog Walker costume!

Howlin' Halloween

OK, I crack myself up!

I got the dogs Halloween t-shirts from Old Navy and they glow in the dark. A little background...I don't dress my dogs up normally. I know that's hard to believe, based on the photos here and my last post about doggie parachutes. OK, they do have sweaters.

My husband is the photographer in the family. He tried to tell me how to take photos of their glow-in-the-dark shirts. It didn't really work out, but it's funny, anyway. Can't you tell they glow in the dark? You should have seen me -- by myself -- trying to get these dogs to sit still and turning off the lights, etc. I'm scaring myself.

So, this one is wierd, I know. But, this is my attempt at creative photography. See, they do glow in the dark!

Funny Cocker Spaniel & Traveling with Your Dog

I've been debating lately over what is the best way to travel with my dogs. When I take the entire gang: two standard poodles and a cocker spaniel, it's a load. Fortunately, I have a large SUV with lots of room in the back.

My worry is that in even a minor accident, my poor pooches will become projectiles, hurt me and my family, and hurt themselves. I could put them all in crates, but that takes up a lot of room and I've read stories about these plastic kennels not holding up to impacts. And, what if the crates become projectiles?

For awhile, I've been attaching tethers to their collars, so that when I get a flat tire on the tollway (that really happened to me) and have to open the back hatch, I don't have dogs running into traffic. But, my husband recently informed me that even in a minor accident, the force of the tethers jerking on their collars would probably break their necks. I didn't like that scenario at all.

So, my newest solution, and I think the best to date is traveling harnesses that attach to the tethers, which are securely fastened to tie-downs in the back and a special device in the middle seat. The Travelin' Dog Car Harness is the best I've seen on the market. It's super easy to put on and that's important. I've had other car harnesses that were impossible, and not made with the tough construction of the Travelin' Dog model.

I also found a website, www.canineauto.com that has all kinds of products for traveling with your dog.

So this story goes on...

When I get all the dogs strapped into their harnesses it looks like a bunch of dogs ready for flight training. I pretend and tell them they have to get suited up with their "parachutes." It's pretty funny, even for someone as cynical as me. Vino, the cocker spaniel, however, doesn't think it's funny at all.

Vino LOVES car rides. He loves them so much that he gets himself worked up into a potty frenzy most of the time. By this, I mean, he usually has to go out to poop when I say, "Wanna go for a ride?" The other day, I had him buckled into his harness and the poodles were already out the door. Vino was frozen in place in the middle of the kitchen. All the prodding and cajoling in the world would not budge him.

So, I opened the back door so he could go take a break out in the potty pen. Still wouldn't budget. Finally, I sort of dragged him (that buckle on the top of the harness is handy) out the door, and he wouldn't budge off the patio. So, I de-harnessed him and he took off for the potty pen.

It seems Vino thinks that if he just freezes in place, he won't have to "experience" his new car harness. It's kind of his way of throwing a temper tantrum. I'm not too worried, though. As much as he loves riding in the car, he's sure to get over this soon. Ya think?