Brown Dog Blog

I couldn’t let Veteran’s Day pass without taking a moment to honor all the dogs that have served in the US Military since World War I. 

Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan and Russia are among the countries that have formally honored their canine military with a memorial. Not so with the United States.

Nearly 4,000 dogs served in Vietnam saving as many as 10,000 American serviceman’s lives. Yet when the United State withdrew from Vietnam in 1973, the military deemed these brave service dogs “surplus equipment” and abandoned these dogs. Despite objections by the handlers only a handful of dogs made it safely back to the US.

Today the US military still regards their service dogs as “equipment”. They are “drafted for life” into the military and are euthanized when they are old, injured or no longer able to do their jobs. The US military continues to claim that these dogs can not make the transition to retired life. Since police dogs are given much the same training as military dogs we know this to be untrue.

I am not sure what we can do to change the fate of these brave canine soldiers, but I wanted to honor them today and give you some links where you could find out more about these remarkable dogs.

Here are just a few of our heros:

• STUBBY, Bull Terrier mix, WWI. The most decorated war dog in U.S. history. As a small, stray bull terrier, he was smuggled aboard a troop ship to France. There he was wounded in no-man’s land but recovered and still served in battles at Chateau Thierry, the Marne and the Meuse-Argonne with the men of the 102nd Infantry. One night in February 1918, he roused a sleeping sergeant to warn of a gas attack, giving the soldiers time to don masks and thus saving them. Gen John “Black Jack” Pershing awarded him a special Gold Medal. He was given Life Membership in the American Legion and the Red Cross. He met Presidents Wilson, Harding, and Coolidge. He died of old age in 1926. Stubby is now on display as part of American military history in the Hartford Armory in Connecticut and is called “Sargeant Stubby”.
• SMOKY, 4 pound Yorkie. WWII’s littlest soldier . Read about Smokey at Smokeydog.com
• NEMO, German Shepherd, Wounded in Vietnam. Depsite losing an eye to gunfire, he threw himself on 4 Viet Cong to save his handler in 1966. Both survived. One of the few Vietnam war dogs given passage back home to the United States.
  
• CARLO, Belgian Malinois, Desert Storm. During a ceremony in which Carlo’s handler received the Bronze Star for his service in Kuwait, his handler removed the medal from his own uniform and pinned it to Carlo’s collar, saying, “Carlo worked harder than me. He was always in front of me.”
  
• CHIPS, German Shepherd-Collie-Husky mix, WWII, Tank guard dog and the most decorated dog in WWII being awarded the Silver Star for Valor and a Purple Heart. When he and his handler was attacked by a concealed machine gun in July 1943 during the invasion of Sicily, he streaked for the Italian machine gun pillbox, capturing 4 Italian soldiers and saving his handler. He suffered powder burns and a scalp wound – proof that the Italians had tried to kill him. That same night he helped capture another 10 Italian soldiers. The U.S. newspapers called him a hero. He was personally thanked for his services by General Eisenhower. Chips’ military honors were removed because the the commander of the Order of the Purple Heart determined that decorating a dog was “…demeaning to servicemen.” 
• Suzie, German Shepherd, Vietnam. Her handler gave her his Bronze Star.
• Pfc. Kory Wiens of the 94th Engineer Detachment and his dog Cooper, 94th Engineer Detachment, Iraq. Korry and Copper were both killed in an IED explosion.

 To find out more about these dogs please visit War Dog Memorial.

Olive Drab is another excellent web site that has a complete history of dogs in service to our country and the brave men that fought beside them.

Although I have painted a negative picture here of how the US armed forces seemed to have let htese dogs down, I am sure as we go forward that these dogs will soon get the recognition and consideration that they deserve. I have read so many articles in the past year about soldiers that have gone through great obstacles to recue dogs that they have befriended in Iraq.

Who can forget the story earlier this year of Marine Major Brian Dennis who rescued his dog Nubs from a life of cruelty and pain in Iraq. Watch his story here.

Here is the story of Army Specialist Gwen Beberg of Minneapolis who rescued her dog Ratchet.

This wonderful organization first came to my attention a few months ago on Twitter.com I began to follow the organization founded in 2001 by a remarkable woman named Bernie Berlin. I wanted to share with you the wonderful work they are doing.

A Place to Bark is a foster and adoption rescue that place animals found in high kill shelters and other dire circumstances. A Place to Bark receives no government funding and relies solely on public donations and the sale of Bernie Berlin’s artwork.

Please view this video about A Place to Bark first aired Fox Channel 6 News in Milwaukee.

If you are anything like me I know you will want to include your dog in your Thanksgiving Day celebration. This includes Thanksgiving dinner. Since our boy Guinness has ground, lean turkey meat added to his kibble every day along with veggies, treating him to cut up Thanksgiving turkey with a little gravy seemed like a nice thing to do for him. Wrong! We noticed that each year after being “treated” to a special Thanksgiving dinner Guinness didn’t feel too well. The following year we cut out the gravy and stuck to white meat. The next day Guinness became quite ill. Vomiting, diarrhea, loose stool, couldn’t even hold down water. We rushed him to the Vet in a snow storm. He was x-rayed and given IV therapy for dehydration. Diagnosis? Pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis is a serious and painful inflammation of the pancreas. Cause?  Most likely turkey skin. Even the white meat of the turkey can cause upset, since most Thanksgiving turkey have been marinated or basted with oils or butters.

If you want to make your dog’s meal a bit special on Thanksgiving why not prepare this Turkey loaf the day before for his special meal.

Turkey Loaf for Dogs

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1/2 cup cooked mixed vegetables
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup barley
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 small can of low-fat, low sodium gravy or beef broth

Preparation -
Grease a 9″ loaf pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, vegetables, garlic powder, egg, barley and oats. Mix the ingredients together well and place the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Press the mixture to flatten and level, then use a table knife to cut a few shallow slits on top. Pour the gravy over the loaf and bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until nicely browned on top. Cool, and then cut the loaf into about six slices. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and store in the refrigerator. To feed – Break the slices into bite-size pieces.

You can serve this with cooked veggies. Just set some of your regular Thanksgiving vegetable and potatoes aside for your dog BEFORE adding cream, butter or any other high fat ingredients. Sweet potatoes are great plain boiled or baked.

I found this beautiful, touching video on You Tube and I wanted to quickly share it with you. I’ve always known how important my dog is to me. This short video made me stop and think about how important I am to my dog.
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Congratulations to Charlene Doll and Bay Breeze! They won third place in a local costume contest.

Bay is wearing his Brown Dog Treasures Doggie Bones Costume. This has been on of our most popular costumes for two years running now. It glows in the dark!

Isn’t he cute with his trophy?

All Halloween costumes are now shipping from Brown Dog Treasures via Priority 2-3 Day delivery at not additional charge. Overnight shipping is available by calling our toll free customer service number. 1-866-390-3469.

I have tried this training method recommended by dog trainer and behaviorist Kathy Santo and I can tell you it works wonders. Prior to training Guinness would either run away and hide when he saw clothing. If we coaxed him into putting on a shirt or sweater, he would wait until your weren’t looking and then rip the shirt off! He would never even sit still long enough to snapa picture. One Christmas I found him burying his ripped up “Felice Navidog” t-shirt in the back yard. We gave up…after all we wanted him to be happy.

To begin training start with a VERY over-sized t-shirt, it doesn’t have to be a dog shirt. An over-sized men’s t-shirt is your best bet.

Hold the t-shirt wide open and encourage your dog to put his head through. Don’t force the issue. Encourage him or her by using food as a reward. For Guinness, it was cheese. I swear that dog will do anything for a piece of cheese! With puppies, Ms. Santos has even used jars baby food.

Once your dog is comfortable with putting his head through on his own, you can begin putting his front paws through the shirt sleeve. If you make it a game with treats, praise and cuddling your dog may begin to enjoy dressing up.

Just be sure to keep your dog’s comfort in mind. Make sure the clothing fits well. Remember your dog is already covered with fur and can overheat easily. Use caution and common sense when you are in a warm climate. Don’t leave your dog dressed in a coat or sweater once you have returned indoors. Be especially careful with costumes and novelty items, these should only be worn when you are supervising your dog.

Guinness went from hating dress-up to bringing me things to wear so he can get a piece of cheese! He has come to enjoy the positive attention he gets when he is dressed. I hope these simple tips will help you enjoy the Holiday with your dog!

We know that many dog owners enjoy dressing their dogs up. But did you know that dressing your dog may also help improve your dog’s behavior?

Kath Santo has been training dogs for over 20 years now. You may have seen one of her many appearances on the Martha Stewart Show. According to Santo, dog that learn to accept being dressed are also learning valuable handling skills.

Many of us have experienced difficulty giving our dogs a pill, clipping or grooming our dogs, brushing our dog’s teeth, etc. It seems that dogs that are used to being handled and dressed are more easily able to accept grooming and medical attention without becoming fearful or aggressive to their owners or other care givers.

Many dogs also enjoy the positive attention they receive from thier owners and others when they are dressed up. Our dog Guinness does not particularly like dressing up, but give him a new collar and he prances down the street that day holding his head extra high and his chest out! Dogs understand when they are receiving special attention.

Tomorrow I will post some tips on how to train your dog or puppy to dress up. I have tried this method and it has worked wonders, This year Guinness will be dressing up in his 1950’s retro leather jacket.

Trick or Treating with your dog can be tremendous fun. However each year vets report many injuries to dogs that could have been avoided with a little thought and planning. Here are some important safety tips to keep in mind.

Not all dogs enjoy the excitement that comes along with the holiday. Many dogs are frightened at the sight of human in costume.

1.  Keep a firm grip on your dog with a well constructed leash. Check your dog’s leash for signs of wear and tear that may have occurred over the summer months.

2.  Make sure your dog’s ID tags are current. Some dogs tend to bolt and run when the front door is opened for Trick or Treaters.

3.  If you are not Trick or Treating with your dog, keep him indoors during the hours when Trick or Treaters are parading the streets. There have been reports of taunting and theft of pets during this time of year. Keep your pet safe and out of harm’s way.

4.  Keep your dog out of the candy bowl! Note: Chocolate contains theobromine, which can cause nerve damage and even death in dogs. The darker the chocolate, the more concentrated it is — and the smaller the lethal dose.

5.  Explain to everyone in the house, especially children, the dangers of sharing their candy with the dog.

6.  Supervise your pet at all times when wearing Halloween costumes. These costumes are cute and meant to be fun, but they are not dog toys. Parts of a costume can be chewed off by your dog and cause choking hazards.

7.  Keep candles, jack ‘o lanterns and other Halloween decoration out of reach of your dog.

8.  Symptoms of chocolate poisoning: excessive drooling, excessive urination, pupil dilation, rapid heartbeat, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tremors or seizures. Get emergency medical help immediately.

9.  Keep a First Aid Kit available at all times. Print out this Animal CPR Brochure and keep on hand with your first aid kit.

Read past issues of the Brown Dog Treasures Monthly Newsletters.

Today the Pedigree company declared today to be  the first International Dogs Rule Day. They encouraged people to celebrate this day in a variety of ways. The celebration could include something as simple as taking extra time on a walk with your dog today, or donating a blanket, toy or basket of food to your local shelter.

Please visit the Pedigree website to find out 101 Ways to Celebrate Dogs Rule Day. You can also add your dog’s photo and include your story.