Birds of a feather....

Last week, my Labrador Ursen had to undergo surgery to extract a painful tooth and to have a biopsy done on epulides ( growths on the gums). What was to be a straightforward procedure turned out to be quite difficult as the incisor in question refused to budge. It was pushed back in the mouth in an unnatural position and the root was extremely long ( they kept the tooth for me!). The vet said they couldn't use normal teeth extraction instruments and that it was quite a nightmare. Poor Ursen,who will be 9 in a few days, stayed under anesthetic for more than an hour. When the vet called me at about 1:30 to say they had finished the operation, she initially wanted to keep Ursen overnight to make sure he would recover properly. I replied that I preferred taking him home when possible because he is an anxious dog ( rescued from neglect and cruelty). She then said she would keep him until at least 6 p.m. At 3:30, the nurse phoned and asked if I could pick him up early because he was "howling the place down". It made me smile because years ago, when I worked at a vet clinic in the USA, I had brought in my fox terrier for a teeth cleaning, as soon as he was awake he started barking and they put him in the isolation ward because he was disturbing the other patients! Finally, they told me leave work early and take him home! In Ursen's case, the vet was surprised at how quickly and vigorously he came around. You know the saying "birds of a feather flock together", well, I was undergoing abdominal surgery in France and I awoke during the procedure, I distinctly heard father and son team of surgeons mentioning that something looked odd, I asked them what looked odd, they gasped and I heard the anaesthesiologist say:" go back to sleep, dear" before drifting off again! We are a hardy bunch!

I'm special because you rescued me!

All dogs are loving, but there is something really special about a dog who has been rescued.  Likewise, dogs are loyal, if at all possible, a rescue dog will take that loyalty to the next level. They have probably never experienced  "spoiled" puppyhood;  the utter misery you rescue them from is perhaps all they know of human contact.  Once they adapt to their new surroundings, a plucky and happy dog will emerge, giving you love knowing no boundaries.  Please think about adopting.
Below another fantastic rescue by Eldad Hagar  and Hope for Paws Rescue.

Case in point.  I just found this update.  Watson has found a forever home.  Watch this and smile!

With a little bit of love...ta ta ta ta ta

I watched this video first thing this morning and it brought me to tears...Granted, that's easily done because I'm passionate and, more importantly, compassionate, especially when "underdogs" are concerned, whether literally or figuratively speaking.

Canine power play

I'm always surprised how people misread dog behaviour.  With keen observation you can learn to read the warning signals of trouble brewing and ward it off.  In this clip, my 13 year old terrier and 8 year old labrador are enjoying a bit of a power play. The terrier has the advantage of age and was with us earlier, there is therefore an established hierarchy that the labrador is well aware of.  However, though they are playing rough here, when Ralph the terrier takes his provocative stance, Ursen the labrador is issuing a slight warning growl meaning that he does not want Ralph to push too far.  From experience, Ursen knows Ralph can get carried away and bite his jowl to obtain the leash. Ursen is not in the mood to tolerate that today!

First snow!

Both my dogs love snow, but my labrador is truly in his element. Gone are the aches of arthritis and a bad leg. During our walk in the fields today he was full of beans and prancing around with his leash in his mouth. Little fox terrier Ralph gets snow clumps at the bottom of his legs but that didn't prevent him from barking to his heart's content! So, wrap up warmly and indulge in the beauty of the season, your dogs will love you for it! Then you have a good excuse for a rich and decadent hot chocolate with whipped cream!

Dogs to the rescue... of our well being!

Mark Twain said: "The more I know people, the more I love my dog".  Having learned to walk clinging to the collar of our Royal poodle,  I've always had a special bond with dogs.  My two dogs were both rescued.  The fox terrier was wandering alone in the countryside of Normandy, he was all of 4 months old, ragged and thin, but indomitably happy at being found.  The labrador, was rescued from a Paris home where he had been severely mistreated and they were about to dispose of him, not necessarily in a "humane" way; he was the typical case of a large dog who had outgrown his welcome.  He was only 7 months old. They were adopted 4 years apart.  They are the best of buddies and are the guardians of my sanity and happiness!  

Autumn meanderings

Hopefully this will be a fun blog for animal lovers at large and dog lovers in particular. I'm not a trainer or a behaviorist, I have simply lived with dogs all my life.  As a baby I learned to walk holding on to the collar of our royal poodle (that's what they were called back then, it might be a standard poodle now). From then on I developed a passion for animals and I will write about my experience and observations.  Until I can delve out pictures of my previous pets, I've posted a video of my labrador eating blackberries, he saw me eating some during our walk and decided to do the same, there was no prompting on my part! The other clip shows Ursen intrigued by Ralph the terrier who is mole hunting.  Notice how he watches from a distance, comes and sneaks a peak when Ralph steps away, then backs off when Ralph comes back.  Dog hierarchy, he may weigh 47 kilos versus Ralph's 10 kilos, but Ralph is older and was the first pet in the household, and they both know it and act accordingly!