Pet Poisoning during the Christmas Season!

As the holidays close in on us and so many things involved in Decorating for Christmas are Poisonous, such as Mistletoe and Holly Berries...Please keep in mind that Mice and Rats migrate Indoors at this time of year and Homeowners take certain Precautions which may be unforeseen...Precautions, which may cost your pet its life!

Poisoning your pet might not be meant to be intentional. As a young boy I grew up on a farm with neighbors that had the same amount of acreage that we had, but they had no desire to raise animals or earn a living off the property. The Property was left to grow unchecked and the home became overrun my rats and mice. We had every available animal one could expect to find on the farm, while the neighbors had none. The Neighbors put out poison for the rats, the Feral cats ate the rats, the dogs ate the cats, and remnants of the dead rats, and the chain killed everything in the path.
Fast Forward 40 years...
Yesterday my dog got out "under" the partially opened garage door and by the time I could get out the door coax her back in the house, she had consumed something in the Neighbors yard. I saw her pick it up and when I shouted the command  "Come Here", she swallowed, quickly, whatever it was she had in her mouth...as any dog would! She came to me, but it was too late.  Within 6 hours she was regurgitating on the floor and attempting to Eat the contents of her regurgitation. I caught her, stopped her, and cleaned up the mess. Two or three hours later I walk into another room with my other dog, eating a regurgitation and cannot identify which dog did the act, but within 2 hours the second dog is now regurgitating everything she had for dinner. Now I have two sick digs. This week, I will be posting more about the Uses of Poison and the options, what to do to treat your pet if they are poisioned and how to control invading pest! @ http://srgrimespamperedpets.blogspot.com/

Pet Patio Planters display your favorite Breed and bring color to the Yard!

In an effort to raise funds for local no kill shelters I am building Custom Patio Planters. I can create your specific breed or you can choose from one of the available designs. All pieces are pre-drilled for easy assembly.

These are available in Singles, Doubles or a Plaque for customizing it yourself.

Let me know if this is for a Pet related fund raising event as Discounts may apply!

Along came Kaiser

                           ALONG CAME KAISER
                                                           

                                                               CHAPTER ONE

TIME FOR A PET


Shortly after  getting home from the military service. I didn’t come home to the big farm house in a small country town but rather a big city. My  family, had moved away from the farm I had grown up on and decided that it would be best for their lives. I missed the farm while I was away in the military. I didn’t have any pets at all. We had pets when I was a small boy growing up on the  farm. Pigs , pigeons , horses, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, goats, and cows. I even had a pet Skunk! I decided that it was time for me to find a new pet.
We all talked about it each day at dinner While I was shopping for a place of my own to live and every one agreed another dog would be a nice pet since my last dog died while I was away. His name was Wolf since he was half German Shepard and half  Wolf I never new how old Wolf was but I think he was more than 15 because he wasn’t a puppy when I got him. Now the question was; “What kind of a dog would I get this time? How big or small? What breed? Black or White? Long hair or short hair? Mom suggested a big dog, like a German Shepherd, or  Saint Bernard, or even a Great Dane. I did not want a big dog! Especially one almost as big as a pony! I decided not to rush into anything and to look around at the local shelters, kennels, and several dog breeders in the area. I looked in the news paper too; but most of the dogs in the news were lost dogs!
I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, and decided  to work out the choices based on my space, time, and  money.  I had already owned several dogs as a young boy, and knew what kind of  trouble a dog can be. You know! Things like, How much does it eat? How much room does it need to run? How often does it need a walk? Then there’s the shots, and worming, and sometimes  unexpected veterinarian visits, if he gets hurt or sick. Big dogs need big chew toys, that must be cleaned up on a regular basis.
Several weeks passed and  I was out of town on a trip with some friends who asked if we could stop on the way out of town, and visit some of their old friends. We all agreed to stop before leaving town and within a few minutes we were there. The friends invited me inside to sit and relax while everyone visited for awhile. Shortly after I sat down, a little girl came into the room from outside with the cutest  little puppy in her arms. I had never seen one with my own eyes in my entire life. I had seen these types of dogs in pictures, but I had never seen a Norwegian Elk Hound in real life This was not a very popular  breed of dog in this part of the world because of its long thick coat of hair. In warm  places, these dogs must have extra special attention  to prevent heat stroke. They adapt well to cold parts of the world. They need good shelter from the sun and  lots of water at all times when raised in warm or hot climates. Some people will shave their dogs long thick hair off  to help keep them cool on hot summer days. Just to make sure, I asked, “Is that a Norwegian Elk Hound”?  She replied; “How did you know” ? I said “I’ve always wanted one.” I told her how beautiful her puppy was, and she asked if  I would like to hold  it.  I said “Sure; I love puppy’s and this one is so warm and fuzzy that I couldn’t resist“.
After we finished our visit with our friends, we began to head for the door. I turned  to hand the puppy back to the little girl, but she asked if  I would like to have a puppy?  I said that; “ she needed to keep her puppy” . “ It would be very sad, if she were give it away.”  She said; “No! “Not my puppy,” “We have four more just like this one.” I almost fainted as she darted out the back door.
Within moments she re-appeared with four puppies, two under each arm, I handed her puppy to her mom and took one of the four puppies from under her arm. I fell immediately  in love! The  puppy was licking my face wildly. It had the most perfect color of, and I was immediately attached to it. He had grey and black colors mixed on his whole body that seemed to disappear  down his tail, Two of the puppies parents follow me around with the little girl inside the house. Now I could see that they were all Norwegian Elk Hounds. The momma dog kept a close eye on all of us, giving her approval of every thing that was going on, with  her babies. Seeing the parents of the puppy gave me a good idea of how big this puppy would grow up to be.
I asked how much I would have to pay her dad for the puppy, but he refused; saying “As long as I know he has a good home I will let you have him .” We stayed a few minutes longer and let the momma dog smell  her puppy in my arms. When everyone seemed to give their approval the momma nudged the puppy one last time on the nose and off we went, heading home.
When I got the puppy home my mom wasn’t there yet so I  gave him a bowl of water a tiny bit of food, we  picked up on the way home. I even put a bow around his neck. I left him in the bedroom where he curled up for a nap while  I went to the living room to wait for Mom to come home from work .
When she finally arrived home, and began telling me about her day, I forgot completely about the surprise I had for her. Suddenly she looked at me with a puzzled face and asked “What was that noise ?” “ What noise” I said , suddenly I heard it too. It was her surprise! Whimpering was coming from the bedroom room. She went to investigate and as she carefully opened the door, not knowing what she would find , let out a scream that scared  both me and the pup. I backed up ,the pup ran between her legs towards the door, and we both stared at each other for a moment. Then she finally said; you did it! You found a new puppy.”



CHAPTER TWO

WHAT ABOUT A NAME?


I showed off  my new puppy to all of my friends and relatives for a whole week without a name. We would drive down to a nearby park at the lake each afternoon and the pup would play with sticks in the water and sniff around all the trash cans and other peoples picnic blanket’s. He was friendly with everyone he met and I would have to watch him closely or he would jump on them and want to play in there laps.  It seemed that every one had a good idea for a name for him, except for me. One of my friends suggested  Fuzzy; another said that was stupid and suggested Fido. My other friend called both names dumb and that almost started an argument. I decided I better come up with a name soon or someone was going to be giving him a name that I might not like. It’s time to get to work on this problem!
For the next couple of days I wrote down ideas for a name and talked them over with my mom and dad at dinner  each night. I still couldn’t decide. Saturday came and  I had a whole day to think about a name. At noon I drew names out of a hat. That afternoon I wrote 10 choices for names on tiny pieces of paper , wadded them up into tiny balls, and threw them out on the floor for the puppy to choose, but he only sat there staring at all the tiny pieces of paper  that made a mess all over the floor.
That afternoon my mom and I were sitting staring at the still nameless puppy eating his dinner, When I said to my mom that his colors looked like smoke from a camp fire. Starting at his nose they blend from black and white turning to grey and then they seemed to disappear as they gently rolled up and around his curly tail. My mom said, “Your right it does look like smoke, doesn’t it?” All of a sudden the puppy looked up at us and totally forgot that he had a bowl of dinner in front of him. He walked straight up to us staring, as if he had something to say about this whole naming game. Then the pup started back to his bowl until he heard it again. “Boy, he does look like the word “smoke” I said. Then suddenly  he turned back to look at us again. I said to him “You like that word smoke, don‘t you?” He tilted his head to one side and stared hard at the both of  us. “That’s it” I said. “Its settled, your name is  SMOKE!”
Finally it was decided. We had come up with a name that not only I liked, but the pup seemed to like it too. Every time I said the word “Smoke” he gave me his full attention and would walk straight to me as if  I had a magical magnet in my pocket. I called all of my friends and family to let them know. No more arguing , no more discussions, its settled! His name is “Smoke!” From now on everyone would call him Smoke. Smoke responded to the name so well that I thought it must be a perfect fit. Over the next few weeks Smoke learned his name well responding any time I called and came running anytime he got too far away at the park..


CHAPTER THREE

SMOKE’S FIRST TRIP


I felt new all over as Timmy put me in the car and we headed out the drive. I thought how nice it felt to have the wind blowing through my hair as I held my head out the window. We turned the corner at the top of the hill and I didn’t even notice that he made a different turn. We usually take a trip to the lake where I play every day. The ride was still short, but nothing looked familiar. I couldn’t find the door. It didn’t turn out to be a problem since I was scooped up in Timmy’s arms and carried straight  thru the front door and inside. I was held up in the air for every one to see me. Immediately  they started passing me around in so many circles that I started to get dizzy. Its my turn ! Its my turn! Was all I heard at first; then I heard wait a minute! Wait a minute!  I want to see! And  the circles began again. When the circles finally ended and I found  my four feet  on the floor. I couldn’t have been happier. As soon as the dizziness ended I sniffed around and found  a place to let the pressure off my tummy. The puddle got so big I had to stand on three feet  to keep from getting wet. All of a sudden the circles started again and the voices were louder this time yelling “Get him out of here”! “Get him out of here”!
Within seconds I found myself outside again, only this time, in the back of the house. I took a stroll as far as I could but,  a big wire fence kept me from going very far. Oh well, there was lots of stuff to sniff and trees to look behind, so I played around the yard until someone called my name. Smoke! Smoke, here boy! I found myself in one of the strangers arms and within minutes we were backing away from the house and back on the road again.
       I didn’t get to hold my head out the window like before, but, cold air was blowing on me and it felt good after playing outside behind that house. I laid back listening to the rumbling of the cars along the road and soon fell asleep. When I woke up there were strange smells everywhere. It was confusing because I didn’t know where to start sniffing. There were huge animals all around me they called horses.  All I knew was that they were saddling the horse and I did not want to get near them. They were Big! I found a huge mountain of dirt that burned my nose to smell it, wagons with wheels on all four sides, and funny flat shovels that  all smelled the same. Big blocks of straw were piled so high that I couldn’t climb on top of them. I must have played for  hours around the new place finding something new around every corner.
 Suddenly something caught my attention and I ran as fast as I could to catch it, but it ran straight up a big tree. Then there was another one and I chased it. That one too went up a tree, and  before I knew it, I was getting tired of this game of chase. I was hot and thirsty and found a stream of cold water to drink from. I decided to go back and smell some more around the new place with the horses, but I couldn‘t find it again. I walked for hours along the stream where there was cold water and drank whenever I was thirsty but I never saw that pile of dirt that burned my nose, or the people, or the horses and it was getting really hot so I decided to stay close to the cool stream of water.
      I finally came to a hill with big poles holing up the road so the cars could cross the stream and as I climbed to the top of the hill one of the cars stopped and opened a door and I jumped in. It wasn’t Tim and nothing smelt familiar but the cool air blew on me as before and I laid down in the seat and went to sleep.



                                                               CHAPER FOUR
WE NEVER STOPPED LOOKING


      When my sister came back from the stables alone, her tears explained everything to me. She had lost Smoke at the stables. She said Smoke was having fun playing and sniffing around , so she left him there to play while she went for a ride, Smoke must have wandered off and no one around the barns saw where he went.
I drove to the stables every day and called out for him along the stream that ran near by. I talked to people living near-by. I made posters and nailed them to posts. I handed them to people driving by and workers at the stables, but no one saw any signs of him anywhere.
      A couple of months went by before the sadness began to go away, and every time I drive by the stables or stream I think of Smoke and look around just in case. One day my sister called me crying and saying how sad she was that she had lost Smoke. I told her that she didn’t know that much about young puppy’s and had no way of knowing that they will wander far away if they don’t have a fence or a leash to tie them up, or someone to keep a constant watch out for them.
When she finished crying and we talked some more she announced to me that she would have a surprise for me later that day. I drove home that afternoon and as I pulled up the driveway to the garage the door flung open and she was standing there with another Norwegian Elk Hound puppy on a leash.
      I was almost crying myself when she handed me the leash and said I found him through a professional Breeder just for you. She presented me with the American Kennel Club papers and said I know he won’t replace Smoke, but at least he will keep you company on those drives by the stables and along the stream every day. I named the new puppy Kaiser since it was already a part of his registered name. It didn’t take long before we bonded as best friends while we hiked and played along the stream everyday. We moved far away from that city to a much cooler part of the country. Kaiser learned to hunt and swim in the cold waters of the north and enjoyed playing in the snow each winter. We lived together for the next 13 years and always stayed close to each other except when he got on the sent trail of a deer or Elk in the woods, but he always yelped loudly so I could hear him and keep up. Eventually I would call him off the hunt and we would return home safely. Arthritis and a tumor took Kaiser’s life, but I will always remember how he comforted me and helped me to over come the loss of  my first Norwegian Elk Hound, Smoke.

Micro-Chipping your Pet...What's it really for?

For several week's this subject has been Gnawing at me and last night one of my Twitter patrons posted a news article related to the importance of Micro chipping a pet! By now most people know "What" micro chipping does, but: do we really know the importance of it?

Most people think micro chipping is rapidly becoming more advantageous for the "Individual" pet owner, But it is Rapidly becoming a way for law enforcement to track Dangerous dogs . In the event that they should do harm to anyone or anyones pet or property, the owner can be tracked down and prosecuted!
If no damage is done by the pet, the owner can be tracked down and fined by local and civil authorities for not maintaining the pet in a proper enclosure! Most Dangerous dogs are now being registered with this technology within the city's in which they reside and owners are scrutinized for there ability to maintain such an animal in a safe environment!
Many shelters simply eliminate the animals and do not allow them to be adopted at all!
In England and other places around Europe this is becoming more and more prevalent as Laws have been created to eradicate the dangerous species from existence. As long as a pet does not escape or cause harm to anyone, it may be possible to keep the animal for the duration of it's life. Should the animal escape under new Animal control Laws the animal is usually killed within a matter of days and evidence through photo's is gathered and preserved for the prosecution process to follow! Veterinarians are actually going so far as to track the DNA of specific breeds for Categorizing and notifying Town's and Cities of the potential threat's!!!
Breed Specific Legislation (Dangerous Dogs Act 1991)

The Bottom line here is to insure the security of the animal and prevent escape from a well designed enclosure! Here in my city of Fort Worth, Texas a stringent Height requirement is spelled out for anyone owning  specific Breeds in order to keep them from climbing. It is well to note here that height does not prevent many dogs from climbing a chain link fence. If a dog can get his paws in the links he can climb it!
At my home we have an escape artist and he simply pushes gates to test them for resistance because the children entering and exiting don't always slam them hard enough to latch.

Digging is another, and probably the most popular way for dogs to escape although most large dogs would require some time at the task to create a hole large enough to escape! If a pet is left out all night unattended, he has sufficient time to dig out especially if a rodent is taunting them from the other side.

What I am trying to point out here is not the importance of Chipping a pet, but rater the "ounce of prevention"  in the need for tracking down the owner's of a pet, because the Children left the gate open, or the neighbors cat coaxed your pet to take an afternoon jog, or heaven forbid, someone stole the pet! Pet theft is on the rise as the economy worst en's. Thieves are looking for sign's posting Reward's! A small dog is more inclined to be posted in the paper for a reward than any other pet.
 Many thieve's realized this lucrative scam after originally stealing pets for Dog fighting endeavor's and them finding the posting's for reward's!
Keeping your pet in constant site out in the yard is an impossibility, and keeping them indoors is usually only reserved for those that Live in apartment's and can only take a pet out for a controlled walk!

Word's to remember...A Dog does not have to be aggressive or commit an aggressive act ! The reporting by an person unfamiliar with dog's is all it takes. Showing its teeth while being captured and detained when cornered is evidence enough for a loving pet to be trapped by local animal control and killed, if not claimed or recovered in a quick and responsible manner!Don't forget in your haste to recover the pet to take any and all documentation including home photo's with you to the holding shelter! This can speed up recovery time and reduce argument's of ownership. Tag your dogs collar and note on both sides of the tags that the animal is chipped and provide a number for the local veterinarian!
Keep those pets safe out here and leave your comments and questions and idea's behind in the comment box. Thanks for visiting Pampered Pets and Pals! Have a Safe Weekend! Stevan G.
Micro-chip technology

A lawyer's guide to dangerous dog issues

 By Joan Schaffner
Watch this News report as a pet owner Battles a local shelter!

Lead me to Thy Church!

Recently my son was taking violin lesson's at a nearby church administered by the Reverends daughter a music major referred to us by the High School Orchestra Teacher! We were invited to sit in on a sermon shortly after the renovation's were completed on the main Chapel. prior to the Sermon the Reverend pointed out the Huge Wooden Beams holding up the main Structure and went into detail the "Rarity, of the Brazilian wood" and it's million dollar price tag!

That prompted this poem!


Lead me to thy Church!


Towering above, 
Massive Branches spread round,
Embracing me with limbs,
A Trunk the Foundation.
Lead me to thy Church!


Blowing, Whispering in my ear,
Breezes that touch me gently.
The dew upon my face,
Kissing me softly.
Lead me to thy Church!


Turning stars in the night,
Bright lights glow, 
Light a path for me,
Pulling me on my way.
Lead me to thy Church!


Guiding me by moon,
Darkness I know not.
Leaving my heart,
Yearning for voice.
Lead me to thy Church!


The meadow, The field,
Along the stream.
What leaves me a path,
Footprint's it seem's.
Lead me to thy Church!


Lights shining,
Brighten the way.
Shows the day,
Brings the sun.
Lead me to thy Church!


Morning brings life,
Sounds awaken.
Thine Tree still shelters me,
It's Limbs embrace.
Safe in the arm's of thy Church!

Choosing a pet for life

Choose a pet for life; Recently while assisting an elderly woman in finding a new companion we met a young volunteer from a local shelter and this is what she had to say about people adopting pets they can't keep! You can read my article on selecting the Right type of dog for your family at;http://www.ehow.com/how_4833687_select-right-type-of-dog.html Here's her sad, but true story; So how would you feel if you knew that there's about a 90% chance that your dog will never walk out of the shelter it is going to be dumped at? Purebred or not! About 50% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders'"or "strays", that come into my shelter are purebred dogs. The most common excuses I hear are; "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving to that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 2 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me, "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her, we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog". Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off, sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy; if it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with about 25 other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the 'Bully' breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don't get adopted. If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed, it may get a stay of execution, not for long though. Most get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression, even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles, chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because shelters just don't have the funds to pay for even a $100 treatment. Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down". First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash, they always look like they think they are going for a walk, happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the breaks when we get to the door; it must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 vet techs depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a euthanasia tech or a vet will start the process, they will find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves. When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed, waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food?http://www.theveterinarysecret.com/?hop=0 You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind, it was just an animal and you can always buy another one right? I hope that those of you that read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head. I do everyday on the way home from work. I hate my job, I hate that it exists, I hate that it will always be there unless people make some changes and realize that the lives you are affecting go much farther than the pets you dump at a shelter. Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I do my best to save every life I can but rescues are always full, and there are more animals coming in everyday than there are homes.You, your family, and friends can save hundreds of dollars each year in pet care by shopping on line. Spay or neuter your pet to prevent unwanted offspring. Make sure your pet is Micro-chipped for easy identification should he/she wander away. If the cost of maintaining your pet are too high whether its the food or the on going vet bills, visit http://www.pamperedpetsandpals.com/ before taking any futher action! See how much you can save each year in Veterinarian costs with a full Library both on video and in print. If you can't find the Answer to your question, there is a place to submit questions for quick answers.Don't give up on your pet because it would never give up on you!