Considering buying a potty patch for your dog? Read this first!

We’ve been getting a lot of hits on our potty patch posts, so I wanted to make sure everyone had access to the most recent news from them.  According to the manufacturer, they are now ready to fulfill all of the orders they previously took.  My question to you, readers:  is this true?  Have you gotten what you ordered? 

They said they had test-marketed advertisements before they actually had the product in stock, so they were unable to send out the product when you ordered it.  However, they expected this to be a short-term problem and thought they’d have everything taken care of by now.  What say you?

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

Saturday Survey: Dog Contests

After posting this week about the poodle grooming finalists, it got me to thinking about the different types of contests available for dogs.  I’m not talking about conformance shows, obedience trials, or other sporting events, but about the type of thing you might see at a family picnic or county fair.  Have you been involved in any of these types of contests with your dog?

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Meet Chesley Sullen-barker

I took my kids out for ice cream after their baseball game tonight, and we ran into the nicest dog at the ice cream shop.  His human said he had lost his front leg in a car accident and then went to the Humane Society, where they met.  The man was looking for a hero’s name for the dog, and had just about settled on Chesley Sullenberger III (after the pilot who successfully ditched his plane in the Hudson), when his daughter suggested a slight change:  Chesley Sullen-barker!

What a great dog!

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

Congratulations to the dog graduates!

My local paper had a nice piece today about service dogs. There is an organization here in Canton named Canines Helping Independent People (CHIP) that trains assistance dogs, and they just graduated a new class of dogs yesterday.

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Sometimes its better not to put a dog to sleep

From Grand Rapids, Michigan comes this report: a man took his dog to the vet 2 weeks ago and found out she had several cancerous tumors. Surgery was not an option, and the man didn’t want to put his dog through chemo, so he chose to let her live out the time she had left with some help from painkillers. Early Saturday morning, his house caught on fire, and the dog awakened him to the danger! Scott Seymour credits Brittney, a 9-year old bulldog, with saving his life. Incredible! It’s nice to hear good news every once in awhile.

Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!

Extreme Grooming for Poodles

Thanks to friend-of-the-blogger Wendy for sending me the finalists from the Extreme Grooming Contest.  Don’t forget to look at the people in the background, as well as the dogs.  No doubt, there are those of you who will think this is cruel and demeaning to the dogs.  Feel free to let me know.  My personal feeling is that they are works of art, and assuming that the paint comes off fairly easily and does not harm the dogs, why not?

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Magnum the dog needs a home

I just received this from a friend, and I have to admit, I expected the dog to have curly hair and a cheesy mustache when I saw his name, but he’s a great looking dog! Help if you can. Thanks. [Read more]

Dog Pee

Ya’ know those irritating chain letters you get where at the bottom, it tells you something terrible will happen if you don’t pass the letter along?  I got one the other day stating that if I didn’t pass it on, a dog would jump out and pee on my computer.  I didn’t send it.  Here’s what happened.

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No Memorial Day for Dog Warriors

Dedicated to the memory of all those who served . . . Italy, France, Russia, Belgium, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Great Britain all have formal monuments and decorations dedicated to war dogs by the military organizations under which they served. War dogs in other countries have also been awarded medals and other forms of official recognition for serving their countries. Of all of the countries to employ the use and help of dogs during times of war, the United States military stands alone as the only world military to not formally acknowledge the contributions made by its canine soldiers. Due to a policy that has existed since World War II, and despite the protests of armed forces personnel, the United States military refuses to formally recognize the accomplishments of its canine soldiers, stating that such recognition is “demeaning to servicemen.”

Nearly 4000 dogs served in Vietnam and saved up to 10,000 American servicemen through their scouting and sentry duties. When withdrawing from Vietnam in 1973, the military classified the dogs as surplus equipment to be left behind during evacuation. Many dogs were left with South Vietnamese allies who were afraid of the dogs and didn’t know how to handle them. Many of the dogs were euthanized, and many more perished at the hands of their inexperienced South Vietnamese handlers. Only a handful of Vietnam war dogs made it back to the United States. Many handlers and trainers who worked with these dogs were traumatized by having to leave their faithful companions behind, stating that the dogs saved their lives and often did more work than they did.

Relegated to the status of military equipment rather than personnel, dogs in the U.S. military are drafted for life and are euthanized once they are deemed infirm and incapable of continuing their jobs. The military claims that these dogs are incapable of being retired to civilian life, despite the fact that police dogs, which receive identical training, are successfully and peacefully retired to loving homes and families upon retirement. As a result of the indifference shown toward war dogs, many of their accomplishments have been unjustly forgotten, or at best, relegated to the status of “trivia” by war buffs. Many of the records of war dogs and their handlers have been lost or destroyed, and the public remains largely unaware of the contributions by dogs in the armed forces.

The Vietnam Dog Handler Association, a veterans group, is spearheading the drive to honor America’s war dogs with a national memorial. To learn more or to make a donation, please visit their web site.

Thanks to all who have served, either with two legs or four!

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

Mama Dog

Wish I’d had this one in time for Mother’s Day.  My brother sent this, with the caption asking “What makes a mother, a mother?”

Cute video alert!

Until next time,

Good day, and good dog!

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