How To Handle A Grieving Dog

Yes, dogs do go through a grieving process when one of their animal companions or human companions passes away.  It is important to allow your pet to grieve and not chastise him while he's going through it.  He may not want to eat, or he may take a piece of clothing and stash it away in his crate or favorite place.  Let him have it for now.  Comfort him and soothe him during this period of morning.  You're most likely going through your own difficult period and your pet also senses this.  It's a time to be together and comfort each other.  Though it may take many forms, grieving allows all of us a period of transition which can be very difficult.  So allow yourself and your pets to go through this difficult period of life.

One morning I woke up and there seemed to be trouble afoot, and it wasn't me who caused it.  What a relief!  But, it seemed that there was something wrong with Cinders.  You may recall, she is the grumpy mini Schnauzer who is always giving me a bad time.

Cinders had passed her 14th birthday, so she was getting very old in dog years - 98 years old in human years.  She always slept at the foot of the bed near Jodi, and this particular morning, she couldn't seem to get up.  And she wasn't able to hold herself until we all went outside.  This was a big warning signal, as Cinders was always very persnickety and perfect in her bathroom manners in the house.

Star, my 2nd mother, a German Shepherd, and protector also seemed to know that something was wrong.  She walked over to Cinders and began to lick her and try to clean her up.  I didn't know what to think about any of this.

Smokey and Jodi called the vet and she said to bring Cinders in right away, so off they went.  Even Coco cat knew something was wrong and kept going over to Star and winding herself around her legs.  Then she was up in the window watching and waiting for Smokey, Jodi, and Cinders to come home.  Coco cat could tell when Smokey and Jodi were coming back way before we dogs even heard them.

When they all returned home, Cinders had been given some medicine and was wearing a small T-shirt to help keep her extra warm.  It was very obvious to me that she wasn't feeling well at all, so I just gave her a little lick on the head and left her alone.  Sometimes, I can be overly playful and maybe a tad obnoxious.  I'm still a puppy and just love to play.

A day or so went by, and it seemed that Cinders wasn't getting any better and she was passing blood.  I knew that wasn't good, so I began to worry.  I could see that both Smokey and Jodi were very concerned in the way they talked and handled Cinders.  Dogs can sense fear and worry.

They called the vet again and went back to her office.  It seemed that Cinder's auto-immune system wasn't working properly and the only thing left they could do was to try a blood transfusion, but the vet said there was only a 50/50 chance that it would work.

So Jodi and Smokey came home without Cinders that afternoon as they decided to try the blood transfusion.  At first the vet thought it was working and called us to say Cinders was doing better that evening.  But at 4:00 am the next morning, Jodi got a call that it didn't take and that Cinders had passed peacefully away.  I'm sure that she went to dogie heaven because Jodi and Smokey really loved her.  And as I think about it, Cinders really was a very good and smart girl.

I thought about all of the stories that Jodi and Smokey were talking about Cinders when she used to go out in their fishing boat with them, and how excited she would get when they got a fish on the line.  Yes, it seemsed that Cinders had been a very special dog indeed!

When Smokey left Cinders to get the blood transfusion, he came home with the T-shirt that Cinders had been wearing and put it in the laundry to be washed.  But faithful Star kept going into the laundry basket and taking it out.  She was carrying it around everywhere.  The entire household was very sad, and so was I.  I could feel the sadness all around me and Jodi kept crying all the time. 

Jodi let Star keep Cinder's T-shirt as the vet told us that Star was really morning the loss of her longtime companion.  You see, Star thought of Cinders as her mother since Cinders was the older dog and had raised Star - kind of the boss in charge of all of us except for Coco cat who bosses everyone!

It was definitely a sad time in my life, but both Jodi and Smokey constantly comforted us with lots of soft words and cuddles.  I didn't realize it at first, but I really missed Cinders.  I grew even closer to Smokey and Star.  Of course Jodi too, but Smokey was my very special human.  I had experienced the loss of a family companion and would remember this feeling forever.  I was sad, very, very sad.

 

Remembering Cinders with me and Star...

 

 

 

Animals don't always understand death, but they do grieve - so let them and be there for each other.

Moving Day With Your Dog

Pets like routine, and when everything in the house begins to become disorganized to them as in when boxes are everywhere, and strange people are in the house, they become nervous and worried.  It would be helpful to your pet if you are able to bring him to the new location and let him become a little familiar with his new surroundings before you move.  He will want to go outside and mark this territory, and don't be surprised if your house trained pet even decides to mark a spot on the new carpet.  They are laying claim to this space, and it's not unusual.

There are several suggestions regarding what you can do with your pet on the actual moving day:  You can  put him in his trusted crate where he feels safe;  close him in a room that is quiet at the time with his toys;  put him in Doggie Day Care for the day; or leave him with a known friend where he will feel safe and not anxious.

Smokey came home one day and told Jodi that the papers on the new house had passed and we were moving.  I had no idea what that meant.  All I knew was that Smokey and Jodi were taking us for a ride that day to see a new place and they seemed very excited.

I happily jumped into the car with Star and Cinders and we went for our ride.  I loved riding in the car, as it usually meant going to the park or some new place where I would be sure to have fun.  We stopped at a new house and all went in to this empty building.  We all ran curiously through the rooms checking out all the new smells.  Then Jodi opened the door to the fenced back yard and we all ran out there to explore this new space.  No grass, only dirt, but so many new smells!

As soon as we were outside, we all began to mark our territory.  I, being the only boy, had to be sure I left my scent all over the place, so I would recognize it if we ever came back there.  And.... I wanted to block out Star's scent and Cinder's scent, so I was sure to mark right on top of their scent also.  Even though my name is Jessie, Jodi laughed and called me, "Two Drop Tony," as I was running out of urine and only had a few drops left for the last few spots.

Wow!  This looked like it was going to be a fun place to come and play.  Lots of new nooks and crannies to explore, and a few new critters in the yard.  Very interesting.....

The next day, Smokey took us to our favorite Doggie Day Care center where we got to go for a visit every now and then.  We loved it there because there were so many new canine friends to play with. 
Little did we know that while we were playing at Doggie Day Care, our entire home and everything in it was being relocated to the northern part of the town called Pinnacle Peak which was up about 3,000 feet from sea level.

In this part of town, the homes didn't have grass for yards, but instead kept the terrain natural to conserve water.  Everything up there blended in with the landscape.  All of the homes also had 6 foot block walls with one side in the back made out of iron bars so you could see through half-way up from the block.  This type of fence served two purposes:  1) for privacy, and 2) to keep out the wild animals that lived up there such as coyotes and Javelina wild pigs.  It did not keep out the venomous snakes which I would soon learn.

At the end of the day, Jodi came to pick us up from Doggie Day Care and took us back to that new place we had visited the day before.  Only this time, I found my crate, toys and food dish were there also.  It was a little confusing at first, but after a while, we figured out that this was going to be our new home.  Both Star and Cinders had been through this before, but this was my first time.  I slept with Star that night, and she told me not to worry - that everything would be just fine.  I soon fell asleep dreaming of all of those new nooks and crannies that had to be searched really well.  Tomorrow.

Taking Your Dog in the Car

Tip:  Don't make trips to the veterinarian the only time you take your dog for a ride in the car.  If they don't enjoy going there, they will associate the car with the vet.  Begin with short trips and make them fun for your pet.  Don't leave him alone in the car on those early trips, or he will think that every time he goes in the car, you will abandon him.  Allow your pet to associate the rides in the car with good things. And NEVER leave your dog in the car on hot days.

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I just loved going for rides in the car with Smokey and Jodi.  Of course, the best times were when all three of us dogs went for a ride over to the dog park.  It was fenced in so we could run around all over the place and not get into any trouble.

I had a friend named Baily who would often be at the dog park.  He was also a Pug just like me, only I was a little bit bigger than he was.  We chased our balls, the birds and anything else we could find while Smokey and Jodi kept a watchful eye on all of us.

Star also stayed close to us, so no bullies would come over and pick on us.  She was the best German Shepherd in the world! 

One time we were chasing our balls at the park and mine landed in the little pond that was over where the ducks liked to play.  I was a little bit afraid to run in there and get it, since Smokey wasn't already swimming in there.  And those ducks might fly at me - I definitely did not like that!  Would you believe that grumpy, grouchy Cinders ran in there like a bullet, swam out to the ball and brought it back.  Of course, since she had done such a big favor for me, I had to let her run around with my ball for a little bit.  She is so possessive.  She always thinks everything is hers!  Of course, when Jodi pulled a new toy and tossed it, Cinders dropped the ball and went after that.  That Jodi is pretty smart!

I loved going for rides in the car.  You just never know what exciting place you would see next. 

Life is good......

Fred The Morning Dove Lands In Our Pool

We had a small in ground pool in our back yard garden.  The gardener came once a week and added chemicals to the pool, as well as trimmed the roses and took care of all of the other plants.  Since I was always happy to see anyone, I would bark at him from inside the sliding glass door just to say hello, but he kept his distance.  I think it might have had something to do with Star, my German Shepherd surrogate mother, who always stayed near me.  As I recall, she did let out a low growl now and then.  Kind of a warning to stay away.

After the pool was treated, it smelled really strong of chemicals, and we were all supposed to stay away.  Many folks think Pugs can't swim, but we can.  In fact, when Smokey was swimming in the pool, I would run around the edge barking like crazy and then launch myself through the air like a rocket smack dab right in the pool.  Smokey would grab me so my dense body wouldn't sink, and I figured out I could manage to get to the stairs and actually walk out.  My little legs had to move very fast, but I got there!

One afternoon, we went outside for a little potty break, and low and behold, there was a Morning Dove floating in the pool.  At first I thought he must have been sun bathing, but as Smokey got closer, he saw that the dove had a broken wing, and his feet were burned from the strong chemicals in the pool from the morning treatment.  Cinders the grouchy Schnauzer said the dove was probably dead.  She is such a pessimist!  Star said for me not to worry and that Smokey would take care of everything.

Smokey had a very special way with all animals - a very gentle touch.  He took the pool skimmer net and scooped out the dove.  The dove tried to fly, but couldn't get anywhere with his broken wing and he continued to struggle.  Smokey promptly named him Fred and put him in a deep box with soft material on the bottom.  Fred quieted down in the safety of the box.

Later that day, Smokey came home with some pop sickle sticks and special salve from our local vet to put on Fred's legs.  He made a splint out the pop sickle sticks to set Fred's broken wing.  After searching around in the garage storage area, he found an old bird cage that he had, cleaned it up, and gave Fred a new home.  Then, he put the cage outside on the table just below the flowering pear tree, so Fred would have a mix of sun and shade.

At night, Smokey would take Fred out of his cage and hold him up close to his shoulders and neck.  Fred seemed to be very comforted by that and would close his eyes after Smokey spent a little time stroking him on the head and back.  Fred ate the bird seed that Smokey fed him right out of his hand and drank water from a dropper at first gradually migrating over to the little water cups attached to the bird cage.

Even Coco Cat seemed to know that Fred was a guest at our house who needed care.   And though she spent many hours lying next to the cage which was on the table outside in the garden, she didn't try to put her paw through the bars, or scare Fred in any way.

Every day, Fred's mate, Mrs. Fred, would fly into the tree branches which hung over the table where Fred's cage was.  Mrs. Fred would even land on the top of the cage if we were inside and we would hear her coo to Fred letting him know she was still there for him.  She would stay and visit with him for very long periods of time.

Fred developed a bond with Smokey and whenever Smokey would open the cage door, Fred would hop up on Smokey's finger and then cuddle up to his neck and coo.  I had to give up a little of my spotlight for Fred, but I didn't mind.  Pugs have a big heart and we have lots of love to go around.  Smokey used to tell me that if a robber were ever to get in our house, I would probably lick his face with a big kiss and welcome him there!  Of course, Star would never let anyone in our house that wasn't supposed to be there.  Her job was to watch over all of us.  And she was excellent at her job!

After some time had passed, Smokey took the splint off Fred's wing.  Fred would perch on Smokey's finger and Smokey would gently raise his hand up and down which would cause Fred to flap his wings, so he could practice and build his strength back.  After going through a few weeks of this type of practice, Smokey told Fred it was probably time for him to try to fly.  While Fred was perched on Smokey's finger, Smokey waved his hand high and low and launched Fred on the upswing.  Fred flapped his wings, flew up for a short bit and dive bombed back to the ground - a soft grassy spot.  None the worse for wear, Fred picked himself up and waddled over to Smokey and pecked on his foot.  He asked so nicely to be picked up that Smokey couldn't resist.  "O.K., Fred," said Smokey.  "You're not quite ready yet.  We'll have to practice a little bit more."

Another week went by, and one late afternoon, Smokey went out to the cage, opened the door, and out came Fred hopping up on Smokey's finger.  "Now, Fred," said Smokey.  "We're going to try flying again.  Mrs. Fred wants you to come home, and you have to get back to your life in the wild."

Smokey began waving Fred up and down easy at first, and then he flicked his hand and sent Fred up into the air.  Fred flapped his wings vigorously, flying up so much higher this time.  But then he began to swoop down in a dive towards the ground.  Then....just before he would have crash landed, he arched and flew up to the tree above the fish pond.  He did it!  He seemed so happy.  At last, Fred could fly.  We all cheered, barked, and Smokey and Jodi were thrilled.  Mrs. Fred was close by and flew over to welcome him back to the great outdoors.

After that, every time we were all outside enjoying the garden, Fred and Mrs. Fred would fly on to the branch that hung low, just above the table where Fred's cage had been.  He would coo and talk to Smokey.  Smokey would put food in his hand and Fred would fly to him and eat out of his hand.  Then he would fly off and enjoy his time with Mrs. Fred. 

We saw a lot of Fred and Mrs. Fred all through the summer.  We had made a new friend.  And life was at it should be.

Potty Training the New Puppy

Puppies should be fed 3 times a day until they are 6 months old, and then 2 times a day for the rest of their life. Vets generally agree that the old once a day feeding for adult dogs is much harder on their stomach, whereas as twice a day which consists of 2 smaller meals works better. 

Young puppies don't have a sense about "holding it".  When they have to go, they just stop right in the middle of what they are doing and let 'er rip!  Therefore, it's important to take them out often.

I was having a jolly old time playing with Star climbing all over her and biting her ears and tail.  I even stuck my little head in that big mouth and she didn't even bite me.  I have no idea why I did that except I wanted to see what it looked like up close and personal.  She was very patient and gentle with me.

Right in the middle of our playing, I had to pee, so I just stopped and went.  Star didn't like that at all and got up and walked over to a contraption called the doggie door.  She disappeared right through the door and I could see her outside.  So I thought, well if she can go through it, so could I and off I went.  Wow, was that fun! 

I could see Smokey Joe through the glass in the door and for some reason, he didn't look very happy.  He came out, picked me up and brought me back to the spot where I had left a puddle on the floor.  He started talking very loud and I just couldn't imagine what was wrong with him.  He just kept saying, "Bad dog!"  I didn't know what he was saying, but somehow I knew I was in trouble.  Just then, Jodi came into the room, and saw what the commotion was all about.  She picked me up and held me close.  Ahhhh, this was much better.  Then we all went outside where she put me down.  How did she know I wasn't done yet?  This time when I did number 2, everyone was happy and I got lots of love and nice sounding voices from Smokey and Jodi. 

Tip:  Right after you feed your puppy, take him outside to a designated spot and tell him to "Go pee", "Get busy", or whatever you want to call it.  Just be consistent.  Because he is young, and his bladder isn't fully developed yet, he will go right away.  When he does, praise him and tell him what a good dog he is.  When we are training, we usually take our puppies out every 2-3 hours.  They housetrain very quickly using this method.  If that's not possible, put him in his crate until you can take him out.  Most dogs don't like to soil the area where they sleep.  But, don't make him wait too long, he's still a baby.  Have a heart - he can only hold it so long.

I enjoyed being outside in the garden.  So many new scents and little places to explore.  After my next feeding at noon, Jodi took me back outside and put me down.  Of course, I followed Star around everywhere.  When Jodi said, "Get busy", Star immediately found her spot and went, so I did too.  I was so cool!  Jodi was smiling, and out came Smokey Joe.  I looked at him, and he picked me up and told me what a good boy I was too.  I am such a cool dog - I can tell!  Jodi calls me Smush face and I think I like that.

After my dinner, Star went out through the doggie door over to our spot, and I followed her.  Guess she was making sure I didn't screw up this time.  OK, so I get the idea.

Cinders came out after us, and went to a totally different place in the garden.  She can be so disagreeable - such a prissy girl.  And I would find out later that Coco cat had a littler box for her "business".  I made a mental note to find it one of these days when I am allowed to go into other parts of the house.  Right now, I am confined to the kitchen.  That's fine with me.  It's a big room from my point of view, and I have lots of toys to play with.

It's evening now.  Both Smokey Joe and Jodi hold me in their laps and talk to me a lot.  I don't know what they're talking about, but I know it's good stuff because I get lots of hugs and kisses.  And I hear my name, Jessie, mentioned a lot in nice, soft tones.

I think I'll go to sleep now right in Smokey's lap.  Life is good.

How Much Should I Feed My New Puppy

Generally speaking, most dog food comes with the age and weight of the dog separated from small to large.  But you do have to consider the type of dog you have also.  For example, a Pug will eat as many times as you offer food which will cause the dog to be obese and unhealthy.  If still in doubt, you can check with your vet.

FYI - Please take your new puppy to the veterinarian shortly after you bring it home.  To keep a healthy puppy, you want to be sure to have your vet check for any parasites, worms, etc. that the puppy may have.  It is not uncommon for a new puppy to have some type of parasite, so it is very important to take it to the vets as soon as possible.
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My first night in my new home was fine after Star stayed by my crate.  What a ginormous dog she was.  But, she seemed to care about me and we became fast friends.

What's the hub-bub going on in the kitchen?  Jodi is calling us asking us if we want to eat.  Sounds super to me - Breakfast!  And I'm really starved.  Why is everyone sitting there so patiently waiting?  Did Jodi say it was time to EAT?  Oh, I just love the sound of that word.

Since the other dogs are both bigger than me, I figured I should start jumping up and down next to Jodi and bark so she would be sure to see me.  Well, just look at that!  Cinders got her bowl first!  So I thought I would go over and share with her.  After all, that's what my siblings and I did - we all ate out of one big bowl.

Bad idea....Cinders not only growled at me, she snapped at me and scared the daylights right out of me.  Such a bossy girl.  I learned that she got her food first since she was the oldest dog.  When Star got her food next, I thought about going over there and sharing hers, but then I looked at that big mouth again, and didn't think it would be a good idea.  So I continued to jump and bark at Jodi-Mom.  She took me over to another place away from the other two dogs, and made me sit quietly for just a short moment.  Ugh!  All this waiting when I was starving to death!  I received my breakfast as soon as I quieted down.  Hope I don't have to do this every time for Pete's sake.  I could have finished my breakfast already.  As it turned out, I was still done before the other two.  Jodi said that I inhaled my food.  Wonder what she meant by that?

After I was finished with my breakfast, Jodi took all of us outside for a potty break and to play.

Note - Pugs eat very fast and sound like little pigs in the process.  Do not overfeed your puppy.  By the same token, if your puppy doesn't finish his food in 15 minutes, pick up what is left.  If you allow your puppy to free feed (eat all day long at his leisure), it will be very difficult to house train him.

Bringing Home The New Puppy

Here I was out in the back yard enjoying playtime with my three siblings and Beatrice, the family Briard (a very old breed of French working dog) when I heard the front doorbell ring.  Beatrice took off through the doggie door with me right behind her just in time to grab onto her tail.  As we rounded the corner with me hanging on for dear life, there stood two strangers - humans - a man and a woman.  I stopped dead in my tracks, letting go of Beatrice's tail and stared at the two strangers.  The man scootched down and put his hand out.  Suddenly, I had an uncontrolable urge to run up to him.  It was love at first site, and before I knew it,  I was off to my new home in Scottsdale, AZ.  I was a 10 week old male Pug.  You know, the dogs with the smooshed in face - kind of like a Pekinese, but with short hair, and much more handsome.

The man's name was Joe, but I learned later that most people called him Smokey, and his wife was named Jodi.  When we arrived at my new home, I discovered that there were other animals that lived there.  Well, I thought, this must be a great place to live with these other animals, and I'll make some new friends.  There was Coco, the family's black cat who loved to make mischief; Cinders, a Mini-Schnauzer with an attitude, and Star, a very large German Shepherd who had enormous ears and a very large mouth.  "Wow,"  I thought.  "I could fit my whole head and then some into that big mouth.  A little scarey at first.

Jodi took me into her arms, sat down on the ottoman, and put me in her lap.  All the other animals came over for a look, except for Cinders, who kept her distance for the moment.  When Star came to check me out, Jodi said, "Now, Star, this is little Jessie James, and he's not your lunch!"  Well that was good to know!  And I guess my new name was going to be Jessie.  Not bad, I could deal with that.

Cinders finally came over to check me out after the others were done sniffing and licking me .  When I poked my head towards her expecting a nice hello lick, she growled.  Hmmm, not a very friendly attitude indeed.  OK, so I was learning the pecking order in this new family.  Even though Star was larger, I would soon learn that it was Cinders who was the boss in this group, and very demanding.

I overheard later that it was Smokey Joe's 50 birthday, and that I was his special gift from Jodi.  I must admit, I did feel particularly special.  And boy, was I excited to be in my new home, running all over the place.

Smokey and Jodi crate trained their dogs when they were puppies to aid in house-training, so I was introduced to my very own crate complete with a nice soft bed and a few new toys.  I was fine when they first put me to bed, but then I started missing my Mom and siblings and started to whimper.  Star came over and layed down right at the front of the crate where I could see and smell her.  She would be the one to comfort me this night and all through my life.  She would also become my protector.  With a full stomach and Star right there, I feel asleep.  Life was good!