I lost my mom the day before Mother’s Day back in 2002. My family knows that there will always be a certain sadness attached to this day for me but what no one seemed to realize that there one someone else missing from the celebration  this year.

Every year my husband had made sure to give me a card and gift from our dog Guinness. Now for those of you who consider the dog one of your children, I know you will understand. I didn’t mention this to my family. I didn’t want my human children to think that having them with me wasn’t enough. I didn’t have the heart to mention it to my husband, since Guinness is the only child that he has ever had.

Later that evening I went through my dresser drawers and looked at all the Mother’s Day cards I have received from Guinness over the years. Some of them still had his teeth marks on them. You see in true retriever fashion he delivered each card personally.

I sat for a while pondering this mother- dog relationship.

Earlier today someone sent me a link to this blog written by Rebecca Dube . She had some very interesting insights into this relationship. Please read her blog post entitled “My Dog Taught Me How to Be a Mom“.

Back in January the BBC aired an expose on the cruelty that can be involved in breeding that “best in breed” show dog. I must say I am startled at the accusations.

For instance did you know that 1/3 of all  Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (a truly beautiful breed that I have always admired) suffers  from a condition called Syringomyelia? This is a condition caused by the brain being too large for the skull cavity. Apparently these dogs are bred to have a certain size head to qualify for competition!

Did you know that the ridge on the back of Rhodesian Ridgebacks is actuallya mild form of spina bifida? Puppies that are not born with this ridge (in other words healthy puppies) are “culled”.  When I read the word “culled” I was shocked. As a gardener I know culling to mean thinning out seedlings by pulling and discarding them so that the stronger seedlings can grow. I shudder to think what that means to these breeders.

I have long enjoyed watching dog shows and admiring the different breeds, but after hearing about some of these breeding practices, I am not so sure that I will participate anymore.

If you want to read more about the BBC special and the resulting changes that will take place within the British Kennel Club here is the link to the full article.

Here are some highlights of the proposed changes in breed standards:

Bulldog- less of a jowl, no upturn on the nose and the front legs would no longer be wider than the rear legs. (The upturned nose is thought to case severe breathing problems and the wide front legs cause mobility problems and painful conditions as the dog ages.)

Shar Pei- will loose many thick folds of skin on the head, chest and legs. (The folds of skin cause severe skin reactions and fungal infection.)

Pekingese- longer muzzles. (I was revealed that the 2003 Champion Pekingese had to be sat on an ice pillow during the photo shoot. The muzzle is so flattened that the dog is unable to breathe well enough to control its body temperature properly. Despite this fact the dog has sired 18 litters, after all this is champion show stock!)

As an owner of an AKC registered dog, I am really disturbed. I would like to hear from other dog owners and responsible breeders to hear what they have to say.

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.

Last summer we were outside out local Stop &Shop and noticed a beautiful Black Lab in a locked car with the air conditioning running. We were in the store for only a couple of moments to pick up ice. When we came out we noticed that the car was no longer running and the dog was still locked in there. We quickly ran into the Stop & Shop and had the store manager page the owner of the car. I do not want to imagine what would have happened to that dog if we had not been there for him.

If your dog spends time outdoors during the summer months please make sure that he or she has access to plenty of cool, fresh water and a place in the shade. And remember, if you are too uncomfortable to be outside and are enjoying a cool air conditioned house. Then it is probably too hot for your dog to be outside as well!

Here are some sign to watch for if your dog has been out in the heat:

1. Drooling
2. Rapid Panting
3. Lack of coordination or confusion
4. Top of the head hot to the touch

These are extrememly dangerous signs and immediate treatment is needed.

• Get your dog to a cool environment immediately
• Get your dog into a cool bath or run cool water over your dog with a garden hose.
• Once you have done this, keep your dog cool with ice packs and cool compresses while your transport him or her to the nearest vet or emergency care center.
• Remember this is a life threatening emergency for your dog. Act quickly.

When it comes to your dog and summer heat the steps you can take to keep your dog safe are preventative!

For further instruction with full diagrams, please visit this site:

I am your dog, and I have a little something I’d like to whisper in your ear. 

I know that you humans lead busy lives.  Some have to work, some have children to raise.  It always seems like you are running here and there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand things in life.

Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer.  See the way my dark brown eyes look at yours?  They are slightly cloudy now.  That comes with age.  The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle.

  You smile at me, I see love in your eyes.  What do you see in mine?  Do you see a spirit?  A soul inside, who loves you as no other could in the world?  A spirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrong doing for just a simple moment of your time?

 That is all I ask.  To slow down, if even for a few minutes to be with me.  So many times you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen, of others of my kind, passing.  Sometimes we die young and oh, so quickly, sometimes so suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat.  Sometimes, we age so slowly before your eyes, that you may not even seem to know until the very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded eyes.  Still, the love, is always there, even when we must  take that long sleep, to run free in a distant land.

  I may not be here tomorrow, I may not be here next week. Someday you will shed tears from your eyes, that humans have when deep grief fills their souls, and you will be angry with yourself that you did not have just “one more day” with me.  Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me. 

  We have NOW, together.  So come, sit down here next to me on the floor and look deep into my eyes.  What do you see?  If you look hard and deep enough, we will talk, you and I, heart to heart.  Come to me not as “alpha” or “trainer” or even “Mom” or “Dad” but as a living soul, and stroke my fur and let us look deep into one another’s eyes, and talk.

   I may tell you something about the fun of chasing a tennis ball, or I may tell you something profound about myself, or even life in general.  You decided to have me in your life because you wanted a soul to share such things with, someone very different from you, and here I am.  I am a dog, but I am alive.  I feel emotion, I feel physical senses, and I can revel in the differences of our spirits and souls.  I do not think of you as a “dog on two feet”–I know what you are.  You are a human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you still.

 Now, come sit with me, on the floor.  Enter my world and let time slow down, if only for fifteen minutes.  Look deep into my eyes, and whisper in my ears.  Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will know your true self.  We may not have tomorrow, and life is, so very short.  We have today.

With much love,  Your Dog

(Author Unknown)