Here is VIDEO of Cody at Oktoberfest

We spent this past Sunday afternoon at Oktoberfest in Moopark which is held every year at Underwood Farms (a very dog friendly establishment by the way). We arrived about 2:30pm and were there about 3 hours with our own dogs and Cody of course! He enjoyed all the smells, people, food, and exploring of the pumpkin patch. As you will see in the video, we pushed him in a doggy stroller for part of the day in order to prevent him from overdoing his leg muscles, but he definitely let us know when he wanted to get out and walk and did a great job! After all the excitement, he slept from the minute we got home until the morning!

The video is a bit shaky as I was walking and taping at the same time, so I apologize for that! Still learning!!!

VIDEO of Reggie and his glasses

Check out VIDEO of Kibbles and Bits!

Are dogs like humans? (Kelly)

Anthropomorphism ~~~ or the tendency to impose human traits upon non-human things... Dog owners are often told not to anthropomorphize their pets... As 65+% of dog owners view themselves as a dad or mom to their dogs, this is a hard thing to do...

I believe dogs are greatly affected by things around them... And despite what the 'experts' say, I do believe dogs have a great depth of feelings - maybe not to the same length as humans do, but I do believe dogs can 'feel' feelings... I do know that after a bath, our dogs seem a bit edgy until they're dried off and their collars are put back on... To me, that is feeling something, even if it is a bit edgy...

And because dogs have a forty times greater sense of smell than we humans do, I always try and replace any collar a shelter dog has worn... I might be wrong on this position, but I feel that bad experiences can be tied to smells for dogs... So if they had a bad past, I get the sense a new collar without the smells connected to their past goes a very long way in bringing an abused or neglected dog back into balance... Enough of what I think about things and onto another photo!!! :)

I replaced Kelly's collar over the weekend and although she is a already a unique color (Chocolate Chi with amber eyes -- not a usual Chi coloring), I decided to do something truly unique and special for her... I hand-beaded her name onto the new collar...

Call me crazy but once we put this new collar on her, we had a difficult time toning down her excitement just to take these photos! A new pair of shoes or purse for a woman can cause the same kind of excitement, so why not a dog???

Here is VIDEO of Cody's 1st Hydrotherapy session!

His next session is next Tuesday, September 29, 2009 so stay tuned as he gets used to what he needs to do in the water tank and builds his strength in his legs!!!

Update on Abby....

We've gotten a second opinion with another vet whose focus is on skin issues... So many things have been ruled out already - mites, Demodex, Sarcoptic mange, fleas, bacteria, etc. so now we're going to even more rarer causes of hair loss... Abby is getting a bath twice a week now with medicated shampoo in the event it is some kind of fungal thing going on, plus twice a day there are medicated wipes we are using on her... We're running out of reasons for this hair loss that can explain it all medically, but some long-term tests were done and we'll see if any valid results come back... But in the meantime, this is preventative measures more than a known and validated form of treatment...

Abby has been spayed and that didn't set this back any, so it shouldn't be an auto-immune thing... In fact, her hair is starting to grow back in now and she's got peach fuzz across the crown of her brow...

Abby would do best with someone who wants to baby her and have her as only a solo dog... She prefers the company of either humans or older dogs that don't like to play and/or are high energy... I'm sure that bald head hurts without a coat of fur covering it, so I suspect this is why she doesn't care for other puppies or young dogs that like to play... Abby is TINY and from the looks of things, Abby will stay very TINY... An adoptive home with small children is just not a good option for her but otherwise, she should do fine!

Time out for Reggie...

Time out for Reggie means he's been TOO energetic for too long and we use the crate as a training tool... He's such a HIGH energy dog that you have to have something to lower that energy level - otherwise he'll play ALL day long and night, wearing you (and everyone else) out!... ;)

He's accepted the crate now for sleeping at night, but he'll still 'back-talk' to me if it is a time-out during the day... With time and consistency, everyone learns the rules around here... I've broken him of the 'wet willie' behavior he had when he came here (THANK GOD~!!!), but he'll still prefer to climb up onto your shoulders whenever possible... His previous owner must have been OK with this and used him as a pillow (??) when watching TV and sitting down, but I keep working on this behavior or else I spend the time with my chin on my chest and straining to see the TV!

Reggie is highly motivated with food and rewards, and with his energy level, he'd make a great agility dog... I know you seldom see Chihuahuas competing in this sport, but I do believe he has the potential to be great at it... He's fast too, so if I were a jogger, I'm sure he'd enjoy this as well...

Reggie will never be a couch potato --- at least not for years --- so he'd make a great companion for someone who is frequently on the go and active.