Cool Down The Hot Dogs!

Cool Down the Hot Dogs!

Wow, it’s hot outside! And if you think so, so does your dog. Dogs don’t sweat. Well, they have sweat glands on their paws, which is sometimes why you might see wet paw prints, but they mostly keep themselves cool by panting.

One obvious way to keep your dog cool on a hot day is to provide plenty of fresh, cool water. I toss a few ice cubes in Willow’s water bowl. She loves to bob for them in her dish, then she carries them away and chomps on them.

Another obvious thing is to provide shade for your dog. A dog house in the middle of the sun is not shade. Even a car parked in the shade is a tragedy waiting to happen. If you must, then have two keys and leave the car running with the A/C on. Otherwise, you may find a brick through your car window, or worse, a dead dog. Temperatures can climb from 78 to 125 degrees in 6 to 8 minutes! If you are lucky enough to have a small dog like I do, you can carry her inside with you. I place Willow in the kiddy seat of the shopping cart at the grocery store. Nobody says anything and if they do, I'll tell them to go take a hike. Yesterday, I carried Willow into the bank and said she was my seeing eye dog.

You can also give your dog a shave, or have it done by a groomer, but be advised that dogs can get sunburned. Be careful the first few days and expose your dog to the sun in short doses. Also, some dog coats require special care in shaving or you might mess it up, so ask an expert first.

Your dog’s paws can also get burned on the pavement or concrete. Test it out with your feet first. If it’s too hot for your bare feet, it’s too hot for your dog’s paws. Believe it or not, you can buy doggy booties if you want.

Let your dog decide if she wants to go out on a hot day. If she sniffs the air, takes a quick pee, and heads back to the door, maybe she knows it’s too dreadfully hot to walk. If you do go out, take a doggy water bottle, or your own if you don’t mind sharing. 

doggy water bottle

Other cool ideas are kiddy pools, cooling beds, body wraps, bandanas, etc. Oh yes, the pet marketers are making a buck off of hot dogs.

If you have a pool, you can take your dog for a swim. Running through the sprinklers can be a fun game too. Other cool ideas are: mist your dog with a water bottle, turn on a fan, take a cool towel and rub the under side of your dog with it, or set it down for him to lie on. I take a hot water bottle, fill it with water and stick in in the fridge. After it’s nice and cold I wrap it in a towel and let Willow lie on it, but I keep an eye on her because she’s a chewer and there is potential for a watery mess!

I also make her cool treats in the freezer. Her favorite is a kong stuffed with peanut butter and set in the freezer to harden. It’s cool and keeps her busy for awhile.  Another favorite is crushed up milk bones in beef broth. I set it in the freezer and then break it into chunks for her to eat and play with. Oh yeah, must not forget the standard disclaimer: Remember to supervise all treats to avoid any possible choking hazards.

frozen peanut butter kong

frozen beef broth with crushed milk bones

In closing, watch for signs that your dog may be overheated: excessive panting (fast and noisy), sluggish and disoriented. They may even convulse or collapse. If you suspect your dog is in any danger, give cool water (not icy), wrap her in a wet towel and head to the veterinarian ASAP.

Just Chillin’

Debbie & Willow

Debbie is a Pet Sitter/Dog Walker Extraordinaire at Paaawz Pet Sitting  =)

www.Paaawz.com

Willow's Rescue: Part Two

Operation stealth mode consisted of sneaky walks and trying to keep Willow quiet, since I didn’t want to risk losing my security deposit or getting kicked out before I had a new place lined up. The real challenge came when I had to go to work. In the beginning she had extreme separation anxiety. If I left the room she whined and anything longer than a few seconds resulted in sounds comparable to a squealing pig being led out to slaughter. I couldn’t leave her at home alone because we couldn’t risk being discovered.

Luckily, my dog-loving boss, Kim, let me bring her to work with me until I found my own place, which I promised would only take two weeks. I tried keeping Willow at my desk, but every time I had to leave to do something the squealing ensued. We decided to keep her in the warehouse where another dog-lover, Lois, was more than happy to look after her. She whined, for sure, but soon became used to her new routine. 

True to my word, after two weeks I found a nice little one bedroom condo for rent with the help of my realtor friend, Alma. Once Willow knew she had a safe place to live she began feeling more secure which helped her separation anxiety immensely. I found some training tips on separation anxiety and tried them all. I figured if I threw enough mud at the wall something would be bound to stick! I started with giving her a treat and leaving the room for 1 second, then 2 seconds, etc., until I was all the way up to 5 minutes. Tedious, but it helped. I also left music on for her when I wasn’t home. Since I’m a musician, I had the awesome idea of putting my own music on, thinking the sound of my own voice might calm her. It worked! —or maybe it was the frozen kong filled with peanut butter—whatever! The mud was sticking and that’s what mattered.

Willow playing with her big friends

Everything was new to Willow. She had never been on a leash, never been to the vet, never played with other dogs, never been to the park, etc. She was very timid and scared of everything. She didn’t even know how to play! The first several times I took her to the park she sat beside me and wouldn’t move; she just stared at everything, totally overwhelmed. Gradually, she became bolder and now she’s one of the bravest little dogs I’ve ever seen. She loves to play with every dog she sees—and the bigger the dog, the better! She is happy and healthy and a joy to train; actually, I think I’m learning more than she is. One thing is for sure: we are both happier now than before I rescued her—or maybe she rescued me. 

Paaawz Pet Sitting Paaawz.com

Willow's Rescue: Part One

Willow is my new dog, and she is awesome! Oh and, yes, her story is definitely one of precarious beginnings.

One afternoon I found myself perusing the online ads for affordable rentals just to get an idea of what was available. I was living, unhappily, in a “no pets allowed” apartment with an untidy and contentious roommate. I had just received a raise at work so figured it was time to start looking for a new place. After checking out the rentals, I also scanned the sites of shelters and rescues to see where I could adopt a dog once I moved. Well, I did it all backwards! Yes, I moved, but I adopted a dog first, and this is how it happened:   

I ventured on to Craigslist which everyone knows is the place to find anything and everything— including pets. There were hundreds of ads for dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, you name it. I knew I could easily find a dog when the time came, so satisfied with my research, I was about to close out of the webpage when an ad caught my eye; it said  “rescue me from a life of 24/7 on a balcony.” I had to click on that—right?  It beckoned me; it was predestined, karma, whatever you want to call it—it was meant to be. There I saw the picture of the sweetest little dog you can imagine. She was tiny with big, sad, brown eyes that tugged mercilessly at my heart. The ad said she was less than a year old, left on a balcony 24/7 without shelter, whether in the stinking hot sun or the pouring rain, and had very little human contact. My heart broke for this furry little creature and the cruelty she had been forced to endure. Frustrated and sad that I was not yet in the position to rescue this little pup, I closed out the browser....for about five seconds. I found my way back to the ad, stared into those puppy brown eyes and sent an email; I decided she was mine, and I was going to rescue her.

The ad I saw on Craigslist

The next day I received an email. The ad had been placed by a concerned neighbor. She knew the dog was being severely neglected and mistreated, and that in a few days the owners were moving and planning on taking her to the pound; her situation was dire. The nice neighbor arranged to pick up the dog and I met them in a park. As soon as I reached out my arms to take her, the poor little pooch flew into them like she knew where she belonged. She was so tiny and scared, trembling at every sound and movement. I said goodbye to the kind woman and thanked her for initiating the rescue. She left with tears in her eyes, happy she had found a good home for this little dog who had suffered such a rough start in life. I took her home and named her Willow because I thought she looked like the wispy branch of a willow tree. But now what? I wasn’t allowed to have pets where I lived; a slight hitch. Luckily, it was the end of the month, so I promptly gave my 30 day notice and began looking for a new place to live. In the meantime, it was operation stealth mode.

Next week: Part 2

Who is Writing this Blog?--In a Nutshell

So, exactly who IS this person starting up a blog? More importantly, why should anyone bother to read it?

Well, I guess if you find the answer to the first question interesting, then maybe that will answer the second question, although the two may be mutually exclusive depending on how interesting you find the writing.

I’ve been around for half a century—oh god, already??? Time flies, doesn’t it? Right now, I live in SoCal with my little rescue dog, Willow. More about her in the next blog; she’s fascinating.

So, here’s my life in a nutshell:

I’m half Cuban/Irish, which means, I’m Ricky and Lucy all rolled up into one; this reference should provide sufficient evidence to my years. Okay, let’s just skip the, “I was born and raised” bit and jump to the college years, shall we? My college education was interrupted when I married my best friend from high school, but after five years we divorced when both of us discovered we were gay. During those college years, I studied classical guitar, but post-divorce I went to GIT (Guitar Institute Technology) in Hollywood, CA and studied pop/rock guitar. At the time, I was a born-again Christian, and denying my gayness, joined YWAM (Youth With a Mission) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands where I became a “musicianary.” After five years, or so, I could no longer deny that I was as gay as a picnic basket and “came out,” Shortly thereafter, I left YWAM but lived another ten years in Amsterdam making a rather meager living as a musician. I loved and lost. I converted to Buddhism. I loved again. Disillusioned with life, I took my spiritual conviction and headed off to India where I became a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. After seven years, I became disillusioned with that too, disrobed, and moved back to the U.S. where I now teach guitar and work a day job. I also have a black belt in Taekwondo, but I’ve forgotten most of it and I’m really out of shape. I’m a vegan and a member of PETA( People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals), even though I think it’s okay to feed her meat; yeah, our teeth are different. I’m still a student because I want to change careers—yes, again, and please don’t judge because it’s sooo unattractive.

Well, there you have it. I’ve left out about ninety-five percent of my life, mainly because this is meant to be a short blog, but also, if I give it all away on the first go then I’ll have nothing to write about next week. Not that I plan on writing entirely about myself all the time, mind you, but I do plan on adding an interesting anecdote here and there from my precarious life and travels. I hope you plan to stop by now and then for a visit.

Salut!