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Last Updated: 3/14/17
Schmoozer-
Schmoozer now has his own page.
Prince-
We got Prince on 5/13/89 at an age of about seven. He was a plain brownish red dog of about 20 pounds. He looked like a fox. We had not had a dog in a while, and my mother figured an adult would be easier to deal with. Soon, he got along with the cats, Bootsy and Tootsy, and seemed house trained. One day he bit my brother pretty hard when he surprised him. Because the dog had been showing neurotic behavior, my mother took him back where another family soon took him. My mother returned him on 7/11/89. After a few weeks, we discovered that un-neutered Prince had sprayed curtains and furniture all over the house. Because of the trauma of losing his master (to a nursing home) and his age, neutering may not have fixed his problems. He was sweet but something was missing. He seemed so unhappy.
Spitzer, Apricot, Blackie, and Suzie-
These were the four female dogs with whom I grew up. Both Spitzer and Apricot ran away when I was under 10 years old. They left to die in peace since they were in their teens and had medical problems. Apricot had bone cancer. I still have nightmares about finding their bodies (usually behind the piano or down a rabbit hole). Spitzer was a medium, brown mutt who looked like a Spitz. Apricot was a white/apricot miniature poodle. Blackie was a black mutt that my parents took in. She had a broken leg, and her "owner" didn't care. My mother did. Blackie had a litter of 6 girls and 1 boy after we moved to our present home in 1977. We kept two girls. One daughter, Sally, died in competition with a car while young but Suzie lived on to the age of 14, dying on 6/21/91. Blackie lived until 18 and died on 5/6/93. Blackie's assigned estimated birthday was 10/22/74. Amazingly, Blackie and Suzie spent the last 14 years of their lives almost entirely outside. Today, I could not imagine doing such a thing. My parents never tried to house or paper train them. They had bad worms.
Note: Please do not blame me for the care of these dogs as I was just a young child and had no say in the matter. I was finally old enough to take care of Blackie and got her better treatment the last few years of her life.
I found Suzie's puppy shot book in 2017. My mother spelled her name as "Suzy" which was news to me. The book said Suzie was 6 weeks old on 12/2/77. That puts her birthday at 10/21/77 or so. I had her birth date recorded as 11/17/77. In any event, since a pregnancy lasts two months, Blackie got pregnant in August or September, just a month or two after we moved in which makes sense. As soon as she was loose and had access to an intact male, that was it. I was only five years old so do not blame me for not having her spayed. Blackie was spayed after she had her babies.
Most information that one needs to know is found in books and from talking to people. There are a few things; however, that I would like to stress. ALL dogs need to see the vet as soon as possible after you get them. Firstly, they all need to be checked for their general health and sex. Dogs need shots, parasite treatments, and neutering/spaying. This vet visit is also a good time to learn about your pet's care.
Again, there are so many people with dogs that I need not say much. Talk to dog owners and go to the vet. Be sure to research before buying a dog. Because they are vocal and need to be walked, they take a lot of time. They also need to run and play and be trained. I would suggest seeking a professional for training. As soon as you get a dog, take it to the vet for shots, deworming, other parasite treatments, and information. Unless you are an experienced breeder, get the dog fixed. Unneutered males mate with everything, pee on everything, and run away. Unspayed females bleed for a few days every few months which can make it look like a murder occurred in the house unless you put diapers on them. Both sexes get very frustrated if not allowed to become parents. Since millions of dogs are killed every year in "shelters," there is no need to add to the dog population.
Dew Claw Problems
Schmoozer often snagged his dew claws. If they are not kept short enough by trimming, they can be ripped off. On 1/15/99, he got his dew claw stuck in his sweater. We put the sweater on because he had been trimmed to the skin, and the temperature was 50 degrees F in the house for two days due to a power outage. Until 1/18/99, he limped. Then, he developed a fever and chills. Bufferin (1/4 pill every 12 hours) and amoxicillin (an antibiotic) were given to him and he recovered. Be sure to keep an eye on dogs that injure their dew claws in case they develop an infection like Schmoozer.
There are so many books on cats and dogs that I need not share with you the dozens that I own at this time.
Catalogs:
Free catalogs for cats, dogs, and small mammals from That Pet Place can be obtained by calling 1-888-THATPET.
Drs. Foster and Smith in WI has a catalog with plenty of dog supplies, including some
veterinarian supplies. Their phone number for a free catalog is 1-800-826-7206. You can enter
their site from this link:
Drs. Foster & Smith - The Trusted Name
for Dog Products
Another mail order company that sells dog supplies is Wholesale Pet USA. Their phone number is 1-800-473-8872.
Additional Links:
These links were last checked on 8/27/08.
Greenies - this healthy dog treat is meant to help a dog with its health and bad breath. I got some. Schmoozer usually would not eat hard treats or any hard thing meant for a dog. But, he loved his greenies for a few years (he stopped eating them in early 2004)! They were great! The only problem is that sometimes dogs get pieces of greenies stuck in their throats.
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E-mail RobynCopyright © 1997-2024 Robyn Rhudy |
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