My Peaches puppy went with me snowshoeing in the woods. I had it easy compared to her, the snow and temps were just right to create snowballs on every hair on her lower body! The snow was pretty deep for her, but she never slowed down.
When we started out, we had to cross the horse pasture. My horses were off on the other side of the field, but were obviously pretty bored with all the snow cover so they came wandering over to see what was going on. Glendale the youngster arrived first, and immediately lunged at Peaches, whom they are not used to seeing within that particular pasture.
I had to shoo Glendale off by waving the snowshoes I was carrying in my hand, and holding poor terrified Peaches next to me. I got her leash on her so she couldn’t run off. She is used to the horses and around the barn she knows just how to avoid them, but in this strange area (outside of her invisible dog fence) she was really paranoid.
Peaches happy once we were out of the horse pasture!
By then Gilford was showing interest in chasing Peaches too, but he wasn’t as aggressive about it as Glendale. Momma mare could tell I wasn’t allowing it so she watched from a short distance. I had to walk the dog on her leash to the other side of the pasture and get her under the fence before releasing her. The horses followed us almost the whole way.
It was a little unnerving because I had not expected that to happen, and if Peaches had run away from me at the first lunge the boys would have chased her aggressively and she would not have known where to go. I have seen them lunge at strange dogs near the barn before, but I did not expect them to do this. I would guess there is some sort of protective instinct going on, they challenge another animal the same way they would challenge another horse… even though Peaches is no stranger to them. My lesson learned! (I didn’t get this incident on video because I was too busy trying to protect the dog from injury.)
We had a wonderful long tramp through the woods and coming back we took a route to avoid the horse pasture. Once back in the house, I had to give her a nice warm bath to melt off the snowballs, which were totally matted into her fur!
You just must see… Katrina animal rescue trips, photo collections by danakay. Dana is apparently doing wonderful work to save unwanted animals and either find or give them new loving homes.
Just one dog among the many saved by Dana from a kill shelter…
danakay shares his critter photos on flickr, so I don’t think he’ll mind my mention… find here many pic collections of rescued and shelter dogs and other animals, including horses.
This is a followup to Peaches’ blog (last March) on Ralphie and several other critters rescued by Dana after hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans area.
This has been around a few times, but still brings a smile! (Thanks to SC)
Dear Dogs and Cats:
The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other
dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in
the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your
food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me
to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall
faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about
this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your
comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It
is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the
fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and
having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but
sarcasm.
For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom. If by some
miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not
necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under
the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I
entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years — canine or feline
attendance is not required.
The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat’s butt. I
cannot stress this enough!
And, to pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:
To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
1. They live here. You don’t.
2. If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That’s why they call it “fur”niture.
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, they are an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who
is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn’t speak clearly.
Remember– Dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don’t ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don’t hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don’t smoke or drink
8. Don’t have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don’t want to wear your clothes
10. Don’t need a gazillion dollars for college, and…
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children
This is not a hoax, so be careful and watch what your dog eats. If you have a dog… PLEASE read and SHARE THIS (see at end of post). If you don’t have a dog, please pass along to friends who do.
Verified at Snopes.com
Written by: Laurinda Morris, DVM in 2004
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville, Ohio
This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old, male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30AM and 4:30PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn’t call my emergency service until 7AM.
I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn’t seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but…. Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give I V fluids at 1 1/2 times maintainance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.
The dog’s BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was alread y at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At that point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.
He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn’t control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize.
This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler’s. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.
__________________
Besides raisins and grapes, Snopes.com also warns not to feed chocolate to dogs OR CATS. Chocolate– especially dark or baker’s chocolate– and cocoa, onions and macadamia nuts can be toxic to dogs. Be very careful not to leave these things within a dog’s reach. And be aware that there are some garden mulch products made from cocoa beans which can attract and poison dogs if ingested.
__________________
THANK YOU doglover jdtp4e for alerting us to this one!!
Friend Sophiea recently commented on her reluctance to feel she had trained her horse Q to do something [he knows - I hate to say has been trained - when it's allowed], which touches on a very strong belief of mine…
I used to not consider myself a horse trainer and still I feel somewhat intimidated by the label (until we started raising babies and I accepted that they HAD to be trained)– it IS training when the horse learns from interacting with you, whatever you want to call it. Perhaps we should just call it teaching, or communicating. We are all teachers every moment we’re with animals.
Gilford as a curious yearling, with many things still to learn from his humans! (Portrait study sketch)
Each horseperson has to realize that EVERY TIME you are with your horse, doing something with him, on him, or just being around him, you ARE TEACHING him something and he IS LEARNING from you, EVEN IF THAT IS NOT YOUR CONSCIOUS INTENT!!!
Be honestly tuned in to animals and they will be tuned in to you. It is just as easy for them to learn “bad” habits as “good” ones, because they respond and react to you ALL the time. They are so totally aware when you are not paying ATTENTION to them, therefore their learning of “bad” habits due to your inattention is ALSO training them! The WRONG things!
So PLEASE horsefolks, do NOT get angry with your horse for doing something “bad”, don’t view anything in terms of “punishing” him, he is only doing what he has learned. The animal has NO CONCEPT of good or bad, though he does have concepts of play and mischief and boredom, and CURIOUSITY, and especially of YOUR approval and disapproval. His instinct is to WANT your approval; your job is to help him follow that instinct by showing yourself continually worthy of his respect. Accept your own responsibility for what your horse knows or doesn’t know, and what he does or doesn’t do, and you will have come a VERY LONG way towards being a better horseperson!
[I'm finding this nice to remember in the middle of winter...!]
The Alden Rowing Shell is an ocean-going flat-bottom (read that stable) scull which gives me a ton of enjoyable exercise out on Lake Winnipesaukee in the summertime. We have a double (would accept two rowers/seats but we only have one seat) which is almost 20 years old– it is made of fiberglass, 18 feet long, with a sliding seat, outriggers, and 9-foot 6 inch wooden oars. The Alden, from Kittery, Maine, was originally designed by Arthur Martin for racing off the coast, around the Isles of Shoals.
That little lump in front of me is Peaches’ head!
I consider this the best all-around, least stressful (to any individual body part) exercise I have ever done, and that’s saying a lot! Rowing a shell of couse is cardio, it exercises your legs and abdomen, plus your shoulders and back. By increasing your pace you can make it as cardio as you can stand; by increasing your distance you improve your stamina. AND you are out on the water in the fresh air. PLUS you can combine it with fishing– what could be nicer??!
I’ll be the first to admit that learning to row a sliding-seat shell, crossing your hands at every stroke, pushing with your legs for the power stroke, tightening your abdominal muscles, and co-ordinating your arms and wrists and body angle, has a fairly steep learning curve. I don’t claim to be any expert, but I can get around pretty fast and go a long ways, and my technique is good enough not to injure or strain myself.
Peaches with me in our Alden ocean rowing shell…
Peaches hates to be left behind so if I’m not fishing I take her along– she has to sit or lie quietly in the stern in front of me. She jumps in from the dock and gets out onto the rocks at shore. I am careful never to let her swim out to me when I’m in the shell, which she has tried to do a couple of times… !
Just in the nick of time for a Christmas gift for Grandma, I finished this commission of handsome young CJ and his favorite dog Cooper.
CJ participates in the Therapeutic Riding Program at the Carriage Barn, to whom part of the proceeds from this portrait are being donated. (See Medieval Faire at the Carriage Barn.)
These are the two photographs from the client that I worked from to create the artwork.
Please Email me your dog, cat, horse pix and stories– any pet pictures so I can post them on this blog! I love learning about others’ pets, love of wonderful animals and horse dreams, so you can write to me about anything involving critters! connie@PortraitsWithHorses.com
What funny and unusual things has your pet done? Why is your favorite animal so remarkable? What makes your pet happy, and how does he make YOU happy? Have you taken special photos or done artworks of your pet or horse? WE’D LOVE TO SEE THEM!
Please send, and I will feature your pictures and publish your stories and pet experiences, and Email back to notify you when yours are published. I can link to your website or blog if I like it and it’s family-friendly. (Your email will not be given out, nor will I publish any full names.)
THANKS to everybody in advance– and may your animal hopes and dreams all come true!
I’ve been tracking a newer site for pet videos called MyPetVideos.tv. Wanted to see how they came along before I blogged about it. The site is small but growing, some are kinda cute, a few are ridiculous, and I particularly like these two below.
This one is not just dogs, though its name is Funny Dogs…
Our English Setter Peaches retrieves and swims and takes flying leaps off our boat dock! I’d love to hear from anyone else who has a retrieving English Setter– we taught Peaches to retrieve when she was a puppy. Our first English didn’t fetch OR swim so I think it is NOT instinctive for them to do this! Am I wrong? Anyone with hunting dogs out there?
Peaches the amazing retrieving English Setter who leaps off docks and swims to fetch her frisbee. Lake Winnipesaukee New Hampshire.
Here she leaps out at least 8 feet! She LIVES for playing fetch!!!
In her second leap Peaches flies over the rowing shell alongside the dock! Also seen here, she often assumes the pointing stance when waiting for the frisbee throw…
___________________________________
For RELATED POSTS, search petArtistWithPeaches on:
setter
dogs
Winnipesaukee
