Category Archives: Dog Parenting

And Baby Makes Five

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Gertie and Duke are going to have a younger sibling! It’s not a puppy, though, but a human baby.

You can’t really tell, but the boxers’ bandanas say “Big Sis” and “Big Brother” in October-inspired colors.

I know that Gertie especially finds human babies quite lickable, but it will be interesting (understatement?) to see how the boxers handle this new addition to the family–one that stays in our house, and cries, and requires Mom’s attention! We will find out this fall–I’m due October 3.

Duke has been extra protective of me. He’ll wedge himself between Tom and I if he thinks Tom’s being too rough with me, and his definition of rough includes hugging for a little bit too long, certain dance moves, and other miscellaneous movements. He doesn’t like to go into the doggie daycare room now because he thinks he has to stay with me. And I have to be pretty careful if people try to come up to us during a walk, or if a visitor or service person comes into our yard. Duke is not messing around when it comes to protecting his mama!

Gertie is kind of like, “Whateves!” She trots happily into doggie daycare like usual. I do think she has been extra lovey with me, though. She give me many more kisses than usual, and we cuddle a lot. I imagine she will be put out when my belly gets too big for me to make the lap she likes!

I am a little bit worried because Gertie and Duke are used to getting a lot of attention from me. And while our hearts expand to hold all of our dear ones, time doesn’t expand. I just don’t want Gertie and Duke to feel neglected or unloved, especially during those busy, sleep-deprived first months.

What advice do you have for preparing dogs for the arrival of a baby?

How Do You Get Woodchuck Hair Out of Your Teeth?

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This was Duke’s conundrum.

Neither of these is the actual woodchuck that Duke and Gertie caught. I was too busy screaming and trying to wrestle the dogs away to take a picture of THAT woodchuck.

You see, the boxers encountered the aforementioned furry woodland creature on an outing several days ago. I let the dogs off leash in a field, and I saw Duke startle on the other side of a tiny wooded outcropping. I thought he had encountered a bee, or maybe even a plant he’d never seen. But when I rounded the little tree I saw a terrified but aggressive woodchuck. Then Gertie saw it–or more likely smelled it, as it produced a musky smell similar to that of a skunk (though thankfully not nearly as strong!). Both dogs lunged at the rodent, although Gertie waffled between attacking and cowering (Am I the brave huntress? Or am I scared of this thing?). I screamed and screamed for the dogs to come to me. That didn’t work, and when Duke had the poor creature belly up, I started to run away because I knew I didn’t want to witness the gruesome kill. (I know, I’m a coward, but it seemed a foregone conclusion at that point.) But somehow as I was starting my escape, Duke backed off just enough that I could grab his harness. And Gertie was just scared enough that she wasn’t going to attack alone, so she eventually came with me. Phew!

The woodchuck, much to my annoyance, stood its ground the entire time. Once I finally had a hold of the dogs, I urged it to Shoo! But no, it just bristled its fur and released some more musk. It didn’t seem very big, but it must have been a mother protecting its babies. So I’m extra glad the dogs didn’t kill it (and that would have been a disgusting clean-up job; it may have rivaled the deer poop puke incident).

Duke did come away with a small trophy. A day later I noticed a little bit of blood on his new toy, so I opened his mouth to check his teeth. I didn’t find the source of the blood, but I did find some gray-brown reminders of his big adventure–woodchuck hair. (Duke was never actually too worried about the woodchuck-hair-in-teeth issue. As I was writing the first part of this post, he was sawing logs so hard that the woodchucks are worried about their habitat.)

A few days after that, I took Duke to the vet for his annual check-up. The first thing Dr. Weber did was open Duke’s mouth to check his gums. He said, “Hmmm, Duke’s gums are getting even more overgrown. He’s even managed to trap some hair in them.”

Me: “Yeah, that’s actually woodchuck hair. He and Gertie caught one. But it got away!” I explained that I didn’t really know how to remove woodchuck hair from a dog’s teeth (and I had kind of forgotten about it). Dr. Weber grabbed a cotton swab and swiped the hair out from Duke’s gums. Hmmm, I guess I could have done that. The job did take two more cotton swabs and a pair of tweezers (and even caused Dr. Weber to comment, “Gross, Duke.”).

Free of woodchuck hair and oh-so handsome!

Luckily, the dogs didn’t run into Willie the Woodchuck, a frequent diner in my parents’ yard, when we visited that weekend. They did run into these two bundles of cuteness:

Gertie and Ella (my niece)

Gertie thought she needed to share Tyler’s blanket.

Have your dogs ever caught a creature unexpectedly?

Picture Me With a Hangdog Expression

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It has been a month since I last posted. And, in that last post, I didn’t suggest that I was taking a hiatus, say for a round-the-world trip. I just didn’t post for a month. And now I’m breaking one of the rules I set for myself when I first started blogging: No posting about how long it’s been since you last posted. Ugh!

But as I contemplated posting again, I debated between just forging ahead with the post I’ve been meaning to do for at least two months (about photographing adoptable dogs) and a post that acted as a segue between my silence and the regularly scheduled programming, to offer, if not an explanation, an acknowledgement of the fact that I’ve been a slacker, as well as some updates. As with the last time I took an unplanned hiatus, I don’t have a good excuse. But I will say that the longer you neglect your blog, the harder it is to get back to nurturing it. I had anxiety about simply clicking on the link to my dashboard. Then come the questions of how to handle the segue, how to get back to regular posting (and also: Should I continue to blog? Why am I blogging? What does it all mean?!), etc., etc.

Anyway, I decided on a compromise regarding how to re-enter the world of posting: do an update post now, but also have the photographing-adoptable-dogs-post finally ready to go (that post is set for Tuesday).

What We Have Been Up To For the Past Month:

  • Dukie’s rehab. He’s baa-aack! Based on his x-rays from about a week ago, Duke’s leg has healed well, and he can now ease back into normal activity. So back we went to our illicit off-leash outings, and oh did he run! He did his chugging, head bobbing, full-out run. He also went back to doggie daycare last week. He still limps when he gets up because of the arthritis that had already formed, but the vet says the surgery made quite a difference and that his bone is actually healing ahead of schedule.
  • HAAAAAAACK. Kennel cough. Gertie caught it at doggie daycare, then gave it to some other dogs at daycare (which caused me to feel like a Very Bad Dog Mom to have taken my girl to daycare with a hacking cough and snot running down her snout, but I swear the snot was snot there when I dropped her off! And I thought the hacking was possibly due to some innocuous allergies.). Duke also caught the cough, but it didn’t seem to affect him very much. Gertie went to the vet and got a look of shock at the amount of mucous pouring forth from her nostrils, as well as antibiotics. She did fine on the antibiotics for six days and then started puking
  • The Great Disappearing Walks. I have been having problems with my S-I joint (the sacro-iliac joint, located around the tailbone/lower back) for a while now, and the pain forced me to stop running a few months ago. This development actually translated to better walks for Gertie and Duke, since the walks became my main workouts, aside from my physical therapy workouts, so I sought out hills with Gertie and walked briskly for 40 minutes or more with my fawn girl (I went easier on Duke since he was still rehabbing). But for the past week or so, the pain has increased to the degree that walking is now a chore to be dreaded, due to the sharp pain that comes with every step of my left foot. So there have been a couple of days when the dogs simply didn’t get walks, and a couple of days when my husband had to take over dog-walking duty. My solution now is to load the dogs in the car and drive to the aforementioned field where I only have to walk about a hundred yards to the entrance. Then I can release their leashes and let the canines wear themselves out. This strategy has worked out pretty well for the boxers, but I am grumpy. (Though I do realize that it could be much worse.)
  • Spring has sprung. Due to the whiny tone of the above two bullets, I feel the need to end on a positive note. How ’bout this spring? Duke and Gertie are fans. Before our walks became truncated, I would walk Gertie to Brucemore, a mansion sitting on several acres in the middle of town that has become a public trust. While walking, I scouted redbud, crabapple, and pear trees to photograph in full bloom. We also came upon this idyllic scene several times: a pond with a log on which six to seven turtles sunned themselves, all framed by a crabapple tree in full, pink-blossomed bloom (see picture below). Duke has delighted in showering the hostas, weeds, wildflowers, and other spring blooms with his scented urine. So much to mark, so little time.

In addition to neglecting my own blog, I have also, gulp, been slacking on my blog reading. So I also plan to catch up on what you all have been doing. But if you would like to tell me what you’ve been up to here, that would be great too: What have you been up to for the past month? Alternatively, what are your best stories about puking or hacking dogs?

 

Being the Bad Guy: Enforcing Duke’s Rehab

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Duke doesn’t like rehab any more than Amy Winehouse did. Luckily, though, we can force him to follow his rehabilitation program. It just makes me feel like a meanie.

Duke lies in his "rehab nest," with a warm compress on his knee.

It’s been almost a week since his surgery*, and Duke seems to be feeling pretty good. And that’s actually the problem. He’s still on major exercise restriction for another eight days. He cannot go up or down stairs (except to go potty) or get up on the furniture (though the booger has hit the couch a couple times when I turned my head for two seconds). He can only go outside on-leash to potty.

The problem is that when I hook his leash to take him potty, Duke starts doing his little tap dancing routine, then spins and hops and pants with excitement. He thinks we’re going for a walk and just doesn’t get why Mom is being so MEAN by taking him back inside right away!

Duke also gets physical therapy twice a day, which includes applying heat to the knee for five minutes, performing flexing exercises (gently bending and straightening his leg), and then applying ice for 5-10 minutes. So far he has been typically stoic for the PT, but he’s starting to get antsy with all this lying down.

I am looking forward to Week 3 of rehab, when Duke can at least start taking walks (albeit very short ones). He’ll also be off pain meds and antibiotics and can hopefully have a little more freedom around the house. Duke would like to skip weeks three through eight and just be ALL better so he can get back to romping and stomping.

Patience, Dukie, patience.

When have you had to be the enforcer for the benefit of your dog’s health?

* For more information about ruptured ACLs in dogs, and the surgeries available, check out Veterinary Partner. My vet provided this information when Duke was diagnosed with an ACL tear. The surgery he had was the Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA).

The Versatile Blogger Award

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As I mentioned in my last post, I have been awarded The Versatile Blogger by Deanna from Love of My Dogs. Thanks Deanna! She blogs about her rescue animals Scarlett, Harley, Chelsea and Roory, as well as dog adoption and rescue, and she provides recipes for dog treats (well, Gertie and Duke would find them scrumptious!).

The rules for the Versatile Blogger Award are as follows:

1. Thank the award giver and link back in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass this award along to as many as 15 blogs you enjoy reading and let them know about the award!

7 Things About Us:

  1. You know how you’re supposed to put citrus down your garbage disposal if it’s rank? Well, with Duke’s new nickname of Garbage Pail Mouth, I thought I would see if citrus could freshen up that rankness. So I started giving Duke clementines, and it works (until his next meal of kibble)!
  2. Neither Tom nor I had Boxers before Gertie. Tom’s family had a Dalmation named Tiffany, and his parents currently have an English Springer Spaniel named Joseph (who’s been featured here and here). My family had German Shepherds–Tasha, Thor, and Kody (short for Kodiak), and then Golden Retrievers Maggie, Caleb, Blake, and Lily.
  3. Gertie and Duke’s fears include coffee grinding and Christmas-tree removal. They were at my parents’ house when my dad took down the Christmas tree, and they both climbed on my mom’s lap for comfort!
  4. Duke likes to give hugs by climbing up on a sitting person and gradually working his paws up to their shoulders. Gertie prefers that a person make a lap in which she can curl up.
  5. Gertie’s birthday is April 3. We decided that Duke could celebrate his Adoption Day on June 15.
  6. We have made a monster out of Gertie by providing a water dish for our basement hangout room. She now cries incessantly when it’s empty, even when she has just had a drink from her bowl upstairs. If it’s partially full when we get downstairs, she will often gulp it all down, then start crying as if she’s just parched. Puh-lese.
  7. Gertie is way more into toys than Duke; his interest lies in occasionally stealing them from her. But I think the snow has brought out his inner puppy because he has enjoyed playing with a bouncy toy this winter.

Many of the blogs I read have already won this award, including Laurie Bartolo, Bassa’s Blog, Rumpy Dog Blog, and BongoDogBlog. I agree that they all deserve this award and would encourage you to check them out.

Here is my nomination for the Versatile Blogger Award:

Shary Hover–Shary is a truly versatile blogger. She writes about the writing life and her writing projects, as well as life with her dog Lola. She also publishes posts about gardening, running, traveling and more. Her passion for all of her topics comes through in her crisp, clear writing.

Do you feed your dogs any strange foods? What scares your dog?

Snow Dogs and Resolutions

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Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t make a New Year’s resolution to blog faithfully four times a week or something like that. Because, as you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been a blogging slacker for the past week or so. But I’m trying to get back on track with a twice-per-week blogging schedule.

Also, I did finally settle on some dog-related resolutions, as I discussed in my first post of the year. So here they are:

1. I resolve to walk better. I want to find more places where I can walk the dogs off leash (and maybe I’m cheating a bit because I’m making this resolution after I’ve made strides on this first part–see below). I will register Gertie and Duke for the local dog park. And I will find other new places for us to walk.

Snow tag

Above: I loved watching Gertie and Duke run free in the snow this afternoon. I’m not going to divulge where I found this off-leash spot because I’m not really supposed to be walking my dogs there–off-leash or otherwise. It’s our little secret.

2. I resolve to volunteer more. I plan to contact Cedar Rapids AniMeals, the organization that provides dog food for owners who need assistance. And I am mulling over ways I can use my new-found love for photography to help dogs needing homes (a subject I’ll be posting about soon). And, as I mentioned in my resolutions post, I will help Mid-Iowa Boxer Rescue if they can use me.

Feel free to bug me about whether I’m keeping up with these resolutions, especially since I’ve been so resolution-shy in the past. I can use all the help I can get to stick with these goals!

And now, since I have been a slacker, I have a few other items to discuss. First, winter has finally come to Iowa. I just thought you should know. Duke is loving the snow. He runs and hops and spins, periodically dipping his head to chomp a mouthful of the white stuff. Gertie’s a little less enthusiastic about the snow, especially when it’s deep or crunchy, but she does enjoy romping with her brother and sometimes digging in snowdrifts for a toy.

Little Snowbeard

Catching snowflakes

And last, but certainly not least, I have been honored with a couple of awards from fellow bloggers.

First, the Iowa Dog Trust, a blog dedicated to the well-being of dogs in Iowa, awarded me a “Pawlitzer Prize” for Dog Blog Journalism. You can read more about the award. They recently created this award and say, “By doing this we hope to encourage more bloggers to help dog owners around the corner and around the world by offering them quality instruction, information and guidance.” You can read more about the award and see the other nominees here.

I also feel lucky to have been nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award by For the Love of My Dogs. I just realized, however, that I have some thinking to do about the seven items I will share, as well as the other blogs I plan on nominating. So I will officially accept this award in my next post.

How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions? Do your dogs enjoy the snow?

The Post You’ve Been Waiting For

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Ok, that might be overstating it a bit. But I did promise to share our holiday card with you.

So here is the 2011 (Belated) Viner Family Holiday Card! (We technically sent them out in 2012, but I’m still holding out hope that we can get holiday cards out again before the end of this year, so Belated 2011 Holiday Card it is.)

To get the full scope of our holiday cheesiness, check out our previous holiday cards here.

Do you incorporate your dogs in your greetings (holiday or otherwise)? Do you dress up your dogs for photos? Are you going to report me as an animal abuser for putting Gertie through all of these cards?

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year from Iowa Dog Blog! Well, I took a little more time off for the holidays than I had planned, but I’m back! Back in the U.S., back to blogging, and back to my boxers. (I spent the end of 2011 and the turn of the New Year in Turks and Caicos with Tom and his family.) I was so happy to be reunited with Gertie and Duke–wiggles, and hops, hugs, and kisses all around!

They had great fun at Grandma and Grandpa’s–romping at the farm and in the meadow, cuddling on the couch, and apparently eating their fair share of deer dung (sigh). My dad joked that their natural buffet was coming to an end.

Once we got home from Grandma and Grandpa’s (with two sleepy boxers in the backseat) and unpacked, the boxers needed to smell our stuff to sniff out what in the world we could have been doing. Of particular interest were the shells:

Well, let me see how this 'ol conch tastes.

Duke mainly just sniffed our shoes and our bags. He had no interest in our shells, only our returned presence.

So we’re back, and it’s 2012. Resolution time. I normally don’t make resolutions. I think I try to avoid them because I hear about resolution-failure too often. But I think I have also just not wanted to hold myself accountable, which is not a good reason to avoid resolution-making. So I’ve been mulling over some dog-related resolution possibilities (and others as well). I think I will make resolutions about walking the dogs (either length of walks or location of walks, like trying out new walking areas or routes) and volunteering more in dog-related capacities (such as with CR AniMeals, the local group that provides pet food for owners who cannot afford it, and pitching in for Mid-Iowa Boxer Rescue and other groups if they can use me).

What are your resolutions for 2012? What suggestions do you have to help reluctant resolution-makers like me succeed?

Happy Holidays

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The best gift is a baby to lick.

Happy Holidays from Iowa Dog Blog! Wishing you and your furry friends the best as we wrap up 2011 and head into 2012!

Due to poor planning, unforeseen circumstances, and a Caribbean vacation (Tough life, right?) we have not taken our pictures yet! Fear not–we will be doing a Happy New Year card, and I will share it on this blog.

No Puppies For Christmas (or Hanukkah)

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Photo by Nina Matthews Photography

While it would be pretty adorable to see a puppy nestled among packages under the Christmas tree, it’s not a good idea. For one thing, those lovely packages would probably be ripped open by razor-sharp puppy teeth. Also, there might be a little puddle underneath the tree in addition to that sweet little fuzzball. But those aren’t the most important reasons it’s a bad idea.

Here are the main reasons it’s a bad idea to give a puppy/dog as a surpirse holidy gift:

  • Getting a puppy or a dog is a decision that requires thought, research, and commitment from the whole family.
  • Consider it from the puppy (or dog’s) perspective: joining a new family on Christmas, or during Hanukkah, would be so hectic. The kids are all hyped up. There are presents and twinkling lights and candles and strange smells and possibly dangerous trash (ribbon, bows, garland, etc) and treats to get into. There may be guests or travel involved. The dog should join the family at a calm time so it can easily adjust to its new surroundings and new people.
  • Any breeder or pet store that will sell you a puppy at the last-minute or on a “Christmas special” is not the place to get your newest family member. Why would you get a dog from a person who treats it like a toy that can be discarded?

Instead of getting a puppy/dog as a surprise for the holidays, try:

  • Taking the family time you (hopefully) have over the holidays to research and discuss the type of dog you want as a family. Doing the research together will provide good bonding time and will show your kids the importance of thinking over this decision. It will also help you impart the work that will go into caring for a dog (i.e. as you look over exercise and grooming requirements, you can talk about who will be responsible for those chores). Here are some links to research:
      • The ASPCA’s Pet Care videos
      • Peruse these articles from the ASPCA about kids and pets
      • Best of Friends: Kids and Dogs–helps families walk through the questions and issues they should consider before getting a dog and when choosing a dog
      • Check out this article from The Bark’s Karen London on looking carefully at dogs that are considered “family friendly”
      • Before Adoption: Questions to Consider from Petfinder.com
      • Dog Breed Guide from Petfinder.com (Even if you want, or end up getting, a mixed breed dog, the breed characteristics is one set of factors that can help you decide if a dog is a good match for your family. Do keep in mind that each individual dog has its own personality, characteristics, and needs that may not always match with its breed description.)
  • Giving your kids dog-related items like books or DVDs that can start to teach them how to care for a puppy or dog. Here are some titles:

What do you think about giving puppies (or dogs) for the holidays? Have you ever received a pet as a gift?

** I know I’m preaching to the choir on this topic since most of my readers already have dogs and would not just go out and get a puppy without research to plop under the tree Christmas morning. But I felt this was an important issue to address, and I hope you’ll share it if you know of people who need to see this information.