When I first started pet sitting, I used to do a lot of visits that included walking dogs.  I soon found out that I preferred to stay home and board dogs.  However, there are a handful of clients dogs that I still walk.

This is how I find Ty everytime. He can't hear me come in poor little guy!

Of all the many miles I’ve journeyed with dogs, there is one in particular that I look forward to.  It’s just on the outskirts of El Dorado Hills, CA, but it might as well be miles away in the mountains.  I walk this path with Ty, a 14 year old Queensland Healer/Border Collie mix that looks and acts like he’s 5!  He recently went deaf and I have to wake him up when I get there, but he’s always so happy to see me and ready for our walk.

Here's Ty when he's awake!

The path we walk is scattered with houses.  One has goats, horses and two very protective Bouvier des Flandres.

These are some of the horses from the house across the street

The scenery is set in the foothills with oak trees everywhere.  I relish the solitude and peaceful surroundings.  Not only is it a beautiful walk, but the path has steep inclines which gives me a good glute workout!

This is the begining of the path

After walking over a wooden bridge, there is a beautiful pond – a home sits on top of the hill overlooking the pond.

The Pond

At the end of this journey, we climb to the top of the hill where there is a spectacular vista that spans all the way to Folsom Lake and even Sacramento’s skyline in the background.  One of the homes has a vineyard and a tennis court with a large deck that faces the view.  I can only image what it must be like sitting on top of that deck looking over the magnificent view and knowing how blessed you are to have this little piece of Heaven.

Right next to the tennis courts is the lookout deck

The major glute workout is worth it to see this wonderful, peaceful, thought provoking view.

This is just part of the awesome view

Isn’t that the same with life.  There may be steep hills, rocks, bugs and whatever comes your way, but to reach for something that is your life’s desire makes it all worth it.  As they say, there can be no joy without the pain.

Another look at the view

As a woman my age, I have learned that life is too short to compromise on what brings me joy.  What else are we here for, but to experience happiness – the kind of happiness that comes from deep inside your soul.  The awareness that without this joy, you’re life is less than what it could be.

This is Ty saying good bye and ready to make the trip back home!

We all know what it is, now are you going to spend the rest of your life wishing or doing something about finding your bliss?  It’s all up to you.

Here it is July, and we have reached the midpoint of summer vacation season.  As pet owners, we love our dogs and hate the thought of being apart from them while the family travels.  Many families incorporate their pets needs, right along with the other family members desires, when planning a family getaway. 

Road trips can be a fantastic source of fun, recreation, and education, for the entire clan, including Rover.  Most camping facilities accommodate our four-legged family members, and more and more hotels are happy to serve your dog, as well.  If staying at a hotel or motel, you may have restrictions on the size of animal they accept.  And, be prepared to pay an extra fee, or a larger deposit.

For those of you planning to get away even further from home, you may, or may not want to bring Fido along.  Airline restrictions are…well…strict, when it comes to your pet’s travel.  Plus, there are dangers to subjecting your pet to air travel.

For dogs larger than a hamster (ok, I exaggerate a little), they are required to fly in the cargo hold.  This can be an anxiety provoking experience, for even the most well adjusted, and calm animal.  Sedatives are not recommended (and some airlines prohibit their use), because the changes in temperature and elevation, can cause your animal, when sedated, to become disoriented and disabled.   And, in the extreme, can lead to deaths.

Dogs in Cargo Hold

The ASPCA and The Human Society, do not recommend air travel for pets, and airplane travel for some breeds, can be deadly.  This is most prevalent in brachycephalic animals (short-snouted breeds).  Many carriers do not even allow these breeds to travel with them.  Please refer to Trips with pets for more information.

In addition to the stress of a cargo hold, you can expect to pay anywhere from $100.00 (JetBlue) to $250.00 (United) for your pet.  If your pet is small enough to be in the plane with you, that’ll cost you an extra $100.00 – $200.00, depending on airline.  These are base prices, and can increase with dog’s size.

Even if money is no worry, and your pet is not short-snouted, problems arise with dogs in cargo holds.  The most famous story of dog air travel gone wrong, is the escape (and permanent loss) of Vivi, the Westminster Dog Show winning Whippet.  While every airline has statistics of pets lost, Continental Airlines has, by far, the worst record for delivering your pets safely.

Rufus the Boxer

Instead of stressing your pet (and yourself), with the worry of safe air travel, your pet would most certainly be safer and happier with a professional pet sitter.  If your dog is a homebody (or agoraphobic!), you may choose to have a sitter come to your home twice a day, or opt for a live-in pet sitter while you travel.  If Fido is more of a social being, boarding, in an open environment (not caged), is ideal.  Whatever your needs, there is a pet sitter in your area that can meet your needs.

Do you have any travel adventures with the airlines?  We’d love to hear them.  Happy Traveling.

On Sunday, we had a very traumatic experience at my house.  One of my boarders attacked another dog and wouldn’t let go.  In my five years of boarding dogs, I’ve never seen a dog fight that vicious and last that long.  Let me tell you, it was very freighting.   The two dogs in question were a Yellow Lab and an American Bulldog – both females.

Cocoa Bean the American Bulldog

Guess which one was the aggressor?  The Yellow Lab.  Bailey was an otherwise sweet,  obedient lab that according to her owner has never showed aggression before.  For some reason, she didn’t like Cocoa Bean.

Needless to say, this incident was very traumatic for me and my family and of course the owners of both dogs.  It’s not easy to learn that your dog attacked a dog and it’s difficult to see your dog with puncture wounds and abrasions.  Don’t worry, I took her to the vet and she is doing just fine.

This incident drives home the point that it isn’t the breed, but how the dogs relate to each other.   Who knows why Cocoa Bean brought out this behavior in Bailey.  We all love our dogs like they were part of the family, but we must always remember that they are animals with animal instincts.

Usually when there’s a scuffle between two dogs, I can break it up with vocal commands or squirting water in their face, but this time was different.  I tried everything to get the dog off, but nothing helped, so I have to admit, I was at a loss.

So, I thought I’d do some research and find out what I could have done in this situation and pass that information along to you.

How to break up a dog fight

Of course it’s always best to avoid them getting into a fight in the first place.  Their body language plays a big part in deciphering their behavior.

According to Cherie Langlois, here’s some clues to know when a fight might break out:

“A hard, unwavering, targeted stare.
Dominance posturing, such as mounting.
Stiff body movements.
Extreme body language: the tail held stiffly up or down, lips pulled tight against the teeth”.

I can say from experience that Bailey did exhibit this kind of behavior.  I’ve seen this behavior before and nothing ever came from it.  One piece of advice –  please don’t antagonize the dogs – STAY CALM and try to diffuse the situation calmly.  They’re already on a trigger hair at this point and you don’t want to make it worse.  If a fight does break out, please do not try to pull them apart by their collars.  Don’t put your hands anywhere near their mouths.  You will most likely get bit yourself!

If they are already fighting, you can try:

Bailey the Yellow Lab

Spraying water in their faces

Some has said that Citronella Spray helps.  It’s a safer alternative to Pepper Spray.

Cattle Prods and Shock Collars, however this can put them in more of a fight mode and try to attack the prod or think that the other dog is hurting them and want to fight more.  You can condition them to the collars and prods, but not in the middle of a fight.  Work with them beforehand.

The most effective and safe way to stop a fight requires  two people:  Leerburg Training explains it this way,  “Each person grabs the back feet of one of the dogs. The dogs back feet are then picked up like a wheelbarrow. With the legs up, both dogs are then pulled apart.

Once the dog fight is broken up and the dogs pulled apart , it is critical that the people do not release the dogs or the dog fight will begin again. The two people need to start turning in a circle, or slowly swinging the dogs in a circle while they back away from the other dog. This stops the dog from curling and coming back and biting the person holding their legs.

By circling the dog has to sidestep with its front feet or it will fall on its chin. As long as you slowly continue to back and circle, the dog cannot do any damage to you. To insure that the fight will not begin all over again when you release the dogs, one of the dogs needs to be dragged into an enclosure (i.e. a kennel, the garage, another room) before the dog is released. If you do not do this, the dogs will often charge back and start fighting again or if you release the dog to quickly the dog will turn and attack the person who had his feet.”

Do you have effective ways of breaking up a dog fight?  I’d love to hear your stories.

Have you noticed that in the last decade or so dogs have been elevated to offspring status?  Their status in the family is on par with the children or have even taken the place of them.  Why is this happening in our Western Society?

Richard Nixon

In a nutshell, thousands of years ago, wolf and man reached an agreement by where man gave scraps to the wolves and in turn they protected them and became domesticated.  Since they were after the same prey, they started to hunt together.  Eventually, man manipulated canines to create breeds that could help them in all manner of jobs such as, herding sheep, killing rodents, guarding property and of course specialized hunting.  But through all that, a dog was still a dog and wasn’t on equal footing with man.

So what has changed?  As our culture became more affluent and the need for certain dog functions diminished, they became our companions, our best friend.   However, in the last decades they have become a replacement for children and in some cases, a spouse.  I’m not judging because I’m certainly one of those people that was madly in love with my dog.  She could comfort me in times of sorrow like nothing else could.

Have we become so disillusioned with humans that we’ve turned to the one creature that never judges and loves us no matter what?  Has the moral fabric of our society been so disappointing that we look at those innocent faces and yearn for a better time when people were more polite, more trusting and cared for their neighbor more?

Me with Kayla and Thanda - Rhodisian Ridgebacks

Society used to rely on their communities for spiritual and emotional sustenance.   Now, we don’t even know our neighbors half the time or are communicating with people through a computer instead of having close, intimate relationships.  Have we created an emotional hole that only a pet can fill?

Think about the events that have happened in our lifetime about our role models and leaders from all walks of life.  If you’re old enough to remember, I could put out one line or a name and you’ll be able to know how we’ve been disappointed time and time again:

“I am not a crook”

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman”

Jimmy Swaggert

James Baker and Tammy Faye

Tiger Woods

Michael Jackson

John Edwards having an affair and child while his wife is suffering from cancer

Mark Sanford hiking in the “Appalachians” – he was really in Argentina with his “soul mate”

Chappaquiddick,

and the list goes on and on.

I know people throughout the ages have been corrupt and have disillusioned their followers, but with the internet and television, their corruption is inescapable and we must face the fact that our leaders, hero’s and role models are, in fact, just human and therefore fallible.  The veil has been lifted and there’s nowhere to hide.

Are people losing hope in the human race because of a few wayward individuals?  Has this caused people to turned to the one thing that symbolizes innocence and goodness?

Maybe it’s time to take a good hard look at our society and start doing the right thing and connecting with people face to face in an honest, authentic way.  Of course, with our faithful best friend at our side.

If you have a different take on this subject, I’d love to hear it!

As my late dog Nikki started to age, it really made me appreciate the time I had with her and just how much I loved her.  There’s something about a senior dog that just makes my heart grow 3 sizes larger just like the Grinch.  They seem to occupy a special place in my heart like no other.

After his heart grew

From the arthritic limp to the sad eyes that are turning white due to cataracts, they bring out the best in me.  Though they may be slower and can’t hear very well, my memories float back to just how feisty she was, or the times I came through the door and she jumped up and down like I was the most awesome person in the world.

Or  the time we took her to the snow and the ice was sticking to her legs, but she just kept running and having a great time.  And all those times when she looked at me with so much love and devotion that I swear I could see into her soul.

It’s these kinds of memories that make me want to give back as much as she gave me.  If I wasn’t boarding dogs, I’d love to foster senior dogs and care for them until they go over the Rainbow Bridge (Get your tissues handy.) It would take a lot of strength to see them pass, and I applaud those wonderful people that care for senior dogs every day.  They are the best of us.

Next time you find yourself wanting to add a new dog to your family, please consider a senior dog.  Click on Senior Dog Rescues to find information and a rescue group near you.

Since they tend to have more medical problems, you can avoid unnecessary Veterinarian bills by feeding them holistic pet food as nutrition is the key to keeping them healthy and happy for years to come.  

My dog Nikki in her last years

Of course you have to be prepared for what medically comes with an older dog such as:

Arthritis

Cataracts or losing their site

Loss of hearing

Graying and coat may become dull

Muscle mass loss

Slowing down,

and other medical conditions.

However, the good far outweigh the bad.  You just needs a little more patience and a whole lot of love.

Please view this video from the Petfinder Foundation to see all the wonderful qualities senior dogs have and they are just waiting for you to take them into your heart!