HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

At left, Ollie seems to be saying, “Who me? I certainly don’t need a bath. It must be your other dog.”

I went to a dog Meetup over the weekend.  What is a Meetup?  You can have one for just about everything, but this one was for people who are owned by dachshunds.  I took my two weenie dogs and we had a good old time.  The evening prior, I needed to give them baths because they just had too much fun prior to the party.   I was looking around and I no longer had the oatmeal shampoo that I used to have, but had dog shampoo that allegedly has a “Tropical Puppy and Kitten” scent. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know how my dogs are going to feel about smelling like a Hawaiian kitten.

At any rate, it was a bit of a disaster.  Alex did fine. Ollie is a bit of a wiggler and I noticed after he was almost completely dry that I missed a dollop of shampoo on his head. Now, I had to rinse him yet again. The stuff almost was like a drop of vaseline as far as ease of rinsing. When all said and done, I took a whiff. Apparently, “Tropical” scent is just the smell of a wet dog, just minus some of the stinky mushroom he rolled in. It just merely took the edge off to be “good enough” but still, he was never going to come out smelling like a Luau. The scent just sort of masked the fungus residue.  Of course, a day later he would also look like he had dandruff.

I am always concerned with using natural products, especially because Ollie has sensitive skin. It is not uncommon for doxies and mixes to have that. Dinovite makes a shampoo called Dogosuds® that really addresses both my needs of destinking my dog, and having a product that I can feel safe with.  It has no perfume that cover up smells, and no dyes for my sensitive guy!  What surprised me most is that it contains essential oils.  Not just a single one, but it is almost exclusively made up of them.

Ingredients:
Saponified coconut oil, Saponified olive oil, Saponified jojoba oil, vegetable gum/glycerine extract, aloe extract, yucca extract, peppermint extract, lavender extract, tea tree oil, bergamot extract, geranium extract, patchouli extract, sandalwood extract and rosemary extract.

It sounds like a luxury shampoo or massage oil for people, doesn’t it? It always puzzles me to see warnings on the back of pet shampoo that the product is not intended for humans, but this one is not toxic to two legged creatures just as it isn’t to four legged ones.  Of course, I can’t speak of the safety of species with more than four legs.  I hear that fleas flee when they are around peppermint oil.

What does saponified mean?  It means that sodium hydroxide (alkali) and the oils in question chemically bind together to create soap.  If that didn’t happen, you would still have something that smelled wonderful, but it would be a tube of oil without all of the sudsy goodness and consistency.  I know, it sounded more exotic before the term was defined.

Mr. Ollie had a fabulous time meeting up with his other dog pals.  Next time, I am definitely going to leave the “Tropical Puppy” on the shelf and go all natural.  I think he smelled a bit too much like a wet dog crossed with a pineapple shaped car air freshener for my tastes.   I want to put him on a 30 day challenge to see if it improves the smell and condition of Mr. Stinky’s coat.  I normally don’t over bathe a dog, but with all of the rotten mushrooms, stinky goose droppings, and thimblefulls of miscellaneous sticky goop in the world that he can’t seem to miss, I am up for the challenge.  Maybe my long haired dog who is less of a mudslide magnet will be pitted against him, as he has his own hairstyle challenges.  Let’s see which dog is marked “Most Improved.”  It’s mine versus, versus mine, versus yours!  Are you in?

I have received a few Birth Announcements recently, which I plan to place in my album, as they are all family or from other people we are close to. I am impressed over the creativity of design. Announcements are looking pretty funky these days.

When it was my time to be on the front of an announcement, apparently, you picked pink or blue, and teddy bear or duckling. The color was an easy choice, as with the color, the associated gender was already printed. The teddy bear versus duckling choice was often to much pressure for people. Things really got thrown out of whack when gender neutral yellow was introduced, for parents who wanted to buy their cards ahead of time.

Wouldn’t it be fun to order birth announcements when you adopted a pet? Pets are family members, and more and more people consider them their “children.” It would be both a special way to let family and friends know how important welcoming a four legged family member is to you, and to spread a smile to your loved ones.  In fact, someone I knew put balloons on their mailbox when they adopted their puppy.  Sometimes the “baby” will be 90 lbs, and be 30 inches tall, but there is room to customize the statistics, as well as cards without the vital stats.

When I was ten years old, we lived in a rural area where subdivisions had started to pop up. We lived in such a subdivision. No one had fenced in yards, and the animals from the marsh sometimes wandered around the neighborhoods. In fact, there were many rabbits who burrowed in our backyards. One day, I had witnessed the horrible site of a mother rabbit and her babies. The babies looked like they had died trying to climb out of the burrow. They were arranged in a straight line from the back, to just a little out of the burrow. The lawn treatment truck had just been there, and the chemicals had killed them. I was beside myself, but my mom said, “It’s just one of those things.”

Since, I have always been sensitive to what I have put on the lawn and in the garden. Organic gardening is something that is so easy to do, especially on a small scale, such as in your garden.  There is some controversy in the minds of critics.  In some countries, for instance, they might not use pesticides, but may use natural matter that may not be suitable for use with plants that are going to ultimately be consumed.  It is kind of like my theory about junk food: “Just because its all natural doesn’t make that potato chip any better for you.” While I can’t personally regulate that, what I can regulate is what is grown in my own garden. I am particularly concerned with the safety of pets as well as the safety of the eventual food the plants will become.

There was recently a segment on Designing Spaces, a show which appears on TLC and We, that features products from Saferbrand. Organic products are defined, and some are demonstrated. It is important to note that organic pesticides ARE indeed effective if used correctly, contrary to some opinions.

The delivery, to me, in the segment, appears a little stilted, but the information is good.

WPvideo 1.10

I picked up a few new things from the video. What stuck in my mind the most is that sometimes the bottom of the leaf isn’t sprayed to deter insects, and we forget about that.  I would imagine it is just like putting on sunscreen and missing a spot.  Sometimes, also, the individual is not covering the whole insect with the product.  In my observation, we tend to go crazy with spraying something with ant and roach killer to “make sure that it’s dead,” but we are a little too sparing when it comes to a preventative product or an organic one.

If you are thinking about going to Branson, Missouri for one of the many festivals, I just learned that the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing is pet friendly. On their site, there is a little icon indicating that the property is pet frendly, but it does not give further details. So, I gave the hotel a call.

I spoke to a pleasant woman named Michelle, who read the pet policy to me. There is a $75.00 room deposit for pets against any damages. You are required to keep dogs on a leash at all times outside of your room, and they are not allowed in the dining areas, which is pretty standard. Cats are allowed, but most likely will not leave the room. There is a special “Pets in Room” door hanger that you can obtain from the front desk that will alert hotel staff to not enter the room just so kitty won’t run out, or your dog won’t be surprised.  If room service should come in, you are required to be present with your pet(s) for everyone’s safety and happiness.

As far as number of pets, there was no language in the regulations. I assumed if you had a pair of dogs or cats, it would pose no trouble. Michelle agreed that pets are such a part of the family, that it would be a shame to leave them behind. To me, it is so important for hotels to offer vacancy to pets. The more hotels that offer it, the more people may get in the mindset that they don’t have to give up their pets just because they travel.

Upon further digging I looked at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, which is a sister property. I was able to find that the hotel allows pets up to 75 lbs which is good news. Both hotels have the same regulation. It may not be what English Mastiff owners want to hear, but the hotel seems to be amenable to the average dog, which is indeed good news. I find that owners of dogs of the XXL persuasion are aware of their size and make other arrangements, or have thought about a backup plan.   I wonder if they actually weigh the dog.  I am sure if your dog was 76 lbs they wouldn’t scoff, but if you walked in with a 175 lb Mastiff they may wonder if the dog would be comfortable.  I would follow the rules in that case.

There have been emails circulating for the past few years about toxic mulch.   In particular, it talked about cocoa mulch. The problem with cocoa mulch is that one dog died after eating it.  Now, many makers use a triple rinse process to remove the cocoa fat.  They say 50% of the dogs who eat it get sick, but 98% wouldn’t think of or happen to eat it.  Some folks started to also worry about rubbermulch as well.

Rubber mulch is more expensive than wood mulch, but touts an environmentally safe message. It is true that rubber mulch prevents tire rubber from ending up in landfills.  On the other hand, it does not provide nutrients to plants and the soil as wood chips do.   It also doesn’t prevent the poke through of weeds. So, there are pluses and minuses. It may not be the best choice for your vegetables or award winning flowers. However, it does have better uses.  It is frequently used in areas where plant growth is not an issue. It is used under slides and swings on playgrounds. It is safer to land on gravel, and prevents many tough scrapes. What I was surprised to also note is that there is a version for equestrian arenas.  I was really surprised to hear that one.  It reduces dust and mold in such an application.  You put the rubber mulch down just once rather than replacing it every year.

Some pet owners prefer it as it cuts down on muddy paws tracking through the house.  As far as safety to pets, it has no more threat than other rubber items around your house.  Typically, your pet will probably not be attracted to eating it.  The shavings or pellets are very small, so probably would not prove to be a choking hazard to medium and large dogs.  They are also soft and flexible, rather than a hard object.   Since I like to grow vegetables, this might not be the right product for me in all areas, but i definitely can see why people like it.

When I go out for an extended day with my pups, I usually am toting around several different things. I awkwardly stuff plastic bags in my purse, or use one of those little leash mounted pick up bag holders. Then, of course, is the lunch sized cooler if we will be gone for a long time. Nobody wants to drink hot water.  For overnights, of course the squeaky toy, a blanket, and some food are in order.  It tends to be an awkward mess of a purse, fanny pack, full pockets, and a small tote in the car.

I typically also bring a doggie pad as well.  My boys are housebroken, but one of them gets a bit persnickety sometimes about going to the bathroom in a new place.  Once, I was on delay at an airport with him and had to drive him all the way home, as he refused to “go” anywhere outside the airport.   We made our flight, but it sure caused some airport staff to titter about the Little Dog who Refused to Go.  Of course, if it happened today, they would not have only been tittering and guffawing, but Twittering it.  The world would have known that my Al was a private guy.

When I saw the baby sherpa, I immediately thought that it isn’t just for babies. It is the perfect item for dog owners.    In the Baby Sherpa, there is an insulated pouch to keep cold things cold, a water bottle holder, a bungee for a blanket or a stuffed toy, and all sorts of other compartments.  It is absolutely perfect and could definitely be stowed in the cabin on a plane.  Car trips would be so much easier as well.  I wouldn’t misplace a thing.  It has the added bonus of looking like a regular backpack rather than a diaper bag with duckies on it.   Well, they are “my babies” afterall, including when they need to share me with a two legged one.

Two important people in my life are renovating their kitchens. One has an intact kitchen that is perfectly fine. They just want to update. The second has their kitchen totally demolished and is starting from scratch. In fact, there is nowhere to cook, unless you want to somehow get the bathroom sink water very hot or cook on the grill. They are both exploring the idea of granite countertops, but were a little surprised there is such things as Granite Sinks.

It was hard for me to get my head around that one, as I pictured it being something awfully hard. Actually, they are a composite, and they also have bonded silver ions throughout the material that make the sink virtually antibacterial (99.9%).  too bad they don’t also clean themselves.  They come in neutral colors, not the marbled looking pattern you would imagine. The first thing I thought of when I heard that they were almost totally antibacterial was a memory of my childhood. My mother would blow a fuse if she saw me touching raw chicken that was thawing in the sink. It was like a siren went off and people in white Hazmat suits started filing into the kitchen.  Of course, the sink is no substitute for food safety, but it sure may make a difference.

The other practical idea was the idea of bathing small dogs.  The kitchen sink is so perfect for the little dogs, especially if the divider between the sinks is somewhat low slung.  You could put the front legs on each side.  Of course, I don’t do this anymore for sanitary reasons, but if I had a TruGranite sink, I sure would be able to without much flap.   Since it is extremely scratch resistant, little nails form excited feet won’t leave dings in the surface.  I can’t wait to try it.

Long before I found my Alex, shown at left, I was going to adopt a different long haired dachshund. The lady at the rescue took me aside and told me in hushed voice, as if she was revealing a shocking secret. “Dachshunds bark. And Long Haired Dachshunds shed.”

No kidding! Well, they could have fooled me. I was sure she didn’t remember my story of owning them all my life, but maybe she thought I said I had Basenjis.

Throughout the years, my doxies have produced so many dust bunnies that I swear I could have made another dog out of it. I combat it by brushing, and making sure they have a healthy diet. However, I have heard of other people who just can never get a handle on the hair.  Their dogs shed all the time.  Did you know, that even with a long haired breeds, dogs do NOT shed year round? Nope.   If you are worried about having a long haired dog “because they shed,” that only should last part of the year.  Some dogs have a genetic condition, but for many, they are just not getting the nutrition from their dog food. Some are baked at very high temperatures to create the clean texture dry food has, but in the meantime perhaps not providing the fatty acids they need unless they are added or replaced.

There is actually a supplement now called Dinovite that addresses the nutritional concerns, and specifically targets shedding. They have other supplements, as well, but that is one of the most common complaints of people seeking help for their dogs. There is a solutions center on the site, where you can answer a series of questions to determine what you dog needs.

It struck me as funny when I came to this screen:

I noticed that the “small” dog designation stops at 15 lbs, and the “medium” dog designation picks up at 30 lbs. What happens to the dogs that are 15 lbs, one ounce, to 29 lbs? Are they what dachshund lovers call “tweenies” (in between-ies)? Of course, I know what they mean. You can pretty much classify an obese chihuahua as a small, even if they tip out of the small scale, and an underweight Basenji as medium. It is just a general assessment.

Al, who doesn’t have really any complaints, was recommended the Best O Show supplement.  As a senior, he is very healthy, but it would help keep him that way.  It is sort of like an “insurance policy” as well as filling the possible gaps.  Also, the important point is that they include digestive enzymes rather than just the vitamins.  My other dog, Ollie, was recommended Dinovite.  He has some thyroid related hair loss that may just be improved with a full spectrum supplement.

Have you tried Dinovite?  If not, do you already supplement the nutrition for your dogs, or have you been considering it?

When you look at the play areas and grounds at Guide Dogs of the Desert and the San Francisco Humane Society, you may notice how immaculate the grass is, and that it puts a Golf Green to shame. It has a consistent green color and there are no spots that have been burned by dog urine, and no weeds. How can a non profit organization possibly afford perfection? They must have a volunteer who works for a lawn service, or is a retired botanist.

Actually, they have neither. The grass is actually fake. Yes, it is artificial turf, and their enclosures have been designed by Easy Turf out of southern California. I can see how that would work for agility competitions where the need to pick up dog accidents may be reduced. How does a group possibly use the artificial turf to let dogs play on and it not puddling up? Upon further reading, I have learned that when dogs go to the bathroom, the urine sinks below the “grass” and into the soil. More properly, there is a sand infill. It does not puddle up. Of course, when dogs go “number two” people still have to pick it up, but there will be no yellow or brown spots in the grass due to urine burn. There will also be no muddy spots to dirty up paws, and there will be no digging spots.

This greatly reduces the need to have a full time groundskeeper. Also, it reduces the time staff and volunteers spend bathing dogs. Of course, dogs are cleaned and bathed, but the emergency baths due to rolling in the mud or finding a stinky. sticky mushroom are cut down. It frees up their time to do one on one training, or promoting adoption.   Chemicals needed for the grass is also reduced.   I have a friend whose dogs are allergic to grass.  Perhaps this would help.

I have to admit that at first I found the idea puzzling, but in the long run it would probably save a lot of time and resources, and the health of dogs as well.

I know a few people who have peacock eye feathers. I always guessed they were lucky people who just happened to be around a peacock when it dropped a quill. Maybe it molted it, or maybe the feather got stuck in something when it opened its tail to display it for the lady peacocks, or pea hens. I recently found that you can buy them online at Featherstore.com. In fact, they sell them in bunches of 100.

Where do they get the feathers? Are there peacock farmers that just walk behind the peacocks and wait for something to drop? I was afraid that peacocks were killed and skinned for their feathers, but recently I found out differently. When peacocks molt, they start to drop their beautiful eye tail feathers as well as sword feathers. The peacock farmer just needs to be quick to pick them up before they get too trampled or soiled. A peacock can lose 5-10 feathers a day. If you have ten, then you may get 100 feathers a day if allowed to fall naturally.  So, if you have a few peacocks, you can easily gather up many.

If a feather is ready to come out, but just hanging in there for whatever reason, you can give it a gentle tug and it will come out without pain to the bird. However, if you get eager and try to pull it out prematurely, the bird may bleed just a tiny bit. The easiest and best way is just to let them fall naturally.

It doesn’t take too many peacock feathers to make an impact because they are long and beautiful.  Isn’t it nice to know that you can use them in your crafts, clothing, or decor without worrying that the bird was harmed?  In fact, the birds are being done a favor by having their yard picked up after.