Sunday, August 28, 2011

Letter From UC Davis


Several months ago I received a letter from UC Davis. I opened the letter wondering why they were contacting me. Three and half years ago I took Bud up to Davis for his elbow surgery. Of course, everybody who met Jetta loved her. She had a way of walking into a room and making people happy.
The letter said that my vets had made a financial donation to the Companion Animal Memorial Fund in Jetta's name. My tears flowed. She would have happy to know that my wonderful vets loved her so much. Dr Truax and Dr Stevens took the best care of my girl.
Thank you to the vets. This community is lucky to have these men. Let me know how much you love your vets.

Letter From UC Davis

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Book Signing Sept 3 rd at Lemos Moro Bay


Hi I am happy to tell you that on Sept 3rd I will be at Lemos for book signing. Woods Humane Society will be receiving 20% of cost of the book at 17.50$ Lemos wants to donate their profit to Woods. We will be there from 12 noon to 3pm. HOPE TO SEE YOU I WILL HAVE DOG TREATS. Jetta will there in spirit.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Bud's Bad Manners


Bud was such an adorable sweet love bug as a pup. He still is BUT he has been getting in trouble playing off leach at our beach. This behavior is very serious. My trainers are surprised when it happens. What Bud does is dog talk to another usually a submissive pup or old dog. He has done this about a dozen times in life. He jumps on the poor a dog with hackles up with allot of growing and noise for 1 second and he is fine they can smell is bottom or sniff him and they play. This has never happened while Bud's on duty. Dogs approached often and he remains calm. I feel so strongly that this has to stop! I need to try to understand Bud's action in order to help him stop doing this. I have known for a long time that is overly sensitive. Working dogs are not good if they are too sensitive to noise machines, people etc. Bud was socialized early. But this happened to him when he was about 6 months old with a Golden Retriever. The Golden, older jumped on Bud with the same posturing and noise and Bud came running for dear life into my arm on the beach
Well, the other day he did it again and the dog fought back. I was in shock to see my sweet Bud in a dog fight on the beach. The other dog was on leach and walking with two men. The fight lasted 2 sec. Bud came right when I called him. The dog bit his cheek. Bud thankfully never bites. So now Bud can't play around other dogs off leach until we figure this out. WHAT A MESS! The fix is going to cost money for the dog trainer, Ericka Fromm who is great and has worked with and Bud in the past. Bud is on restriction and can't until his minor bite heals. Luckily it was just broke the skin. Bud, you are giving me more gray hairs and a heart attack one of these day.
I am open to comment's or suggestions. I am now thinking about a shock collar. This is serious boniness.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Bud 4th Birthday Party



These pictures are from the day of Bud's party. Bud loved opening his gifts. The dog cake I made for the dogs was a big hit with the dogs. Bud and all the dogs gobbled up the cake. Max the human ate some cake for dogs and loved it.
Recipe for dog cake for a sheet cake 4lb of ground turkey meat seasoned with Italian seasoning, 3 eggs, 1 cup of cream of tomato soup, 1 cup of smoky hickory smoked bar-beque sauce, 1 1/2 oatmeal. Frosting Ia a mashed potatoes with extra butter. More pictures of the fun party are on my facebook. Check it out. All 14 dogs were on their behavior. Try this with your dog. They love to party!
PS Try to come to Lemos in Moro Bay 3rd of Sept to come party with us. We are having a book signing. Wood Humane Soctiety is getting a percentage of the cost of the book. Come bark at us.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Jetta's Book In Hawaii


My friends, Mike and Lori took a vacation to Kauai. The dog was in love with Jetta's picture on the cover. The dog was a neighbor hood and would find them enjoying the weather at the beach. Lori enjoyed Jetta's book and she read some stories to Jetta's fan.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Bud Toe Nails


Today I took Bud into my Vet, Coast Vet Clinic, hoping to get his toe nails clipped. After Bud's meltdown I have working every day when I feed him.It takes a little time but I know that he needed the handle on his paws. Last week Chris Barret,at Splash, tried to trim one toe nail after he was tired from swimming. No, he was not having it done. I talked to Dr Truax and he said to bring him in and if he was wild again that he would have sedate him to cut them. I hoped that my handle his paws more would help. We walked into the clinic and Bud got nervous right away and staring whining.I keep the treats coming. Finally a tech got him and took him into the other room.He came back with tearing the place down. Good Boy Bud. A small victory. I suggest that when you a puppy or and older dog handled their paws, ears, teeth etc. Bud's bad toenail breaks were years ago.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Bud Zilla





When Bud was a puppy I made the choice to let him run free on our safe beach. Well for a long time I was afraid to walk him on leash because he was Budzilla. He pulled me over and he pulled two dog trainers over when he was 11 months old. When Service Dogs are puppy raised they are not allowed to play off leash. I wanted Bud to be able to enjoy his life as a dog. My trainers think that was a mistake. Well I knew that Bud having Elbow Displasia would eventually have to stop running crazy when he gets older. Bud had to loose 14 lbs after the surgery on his elbows at University of Davis. You can read about Budzilla in the sequel and how he got so fit!
PS I'm sorry to report that my sweet Bud, on the beach, was Budzilla for 2 seconds. He has done this off and on only occasionally. He jumped on a silly puppy and scared the puppy and he came right back to 2 seconds later. The woman got mad and I said that it was dog talk and the puppy could sniff him and everything is over. Well the woman the was not a local and she went crazy. She told me that she would kick my ass and shot my dog! People are very protective of their dogs. I told her that I have been working on this with my trainers and the dog didn't have one scratch on her. I remember when Bud was a silly puppy a golden retriever did the same thing to Bud and Bud came running to me. At that time I felt mad at the other dog. Now I know that dog if left they work thing out. It just posturing. I told Bud that I would have to write a story of how Mom gets beat up on the beach. What a relaxing walk on the beach that was!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

BUD HAS FLEAS!!!!


Two weeks ago... I found a flea on Bud. He had a bath and flea treatment(frontline plus). We must have done it wrong, he ran to the crate to hide, he doesn't like that stuff on his coat. I was alone without a helper, so I did the best I could. A week later, my poor dog was flinching when he got a bite. I have never seen anything like it. He looked at me as if to say, "Mom, please do something, the monsters are biting me." I rolled him over and I could not believe the amount of fleas, they were pouring out of him. I HATE FLEAS!!! So luckily I had a helper with me, and we bathed him with flea shampoo and big black fleas, big pregnant fleas, I was screaming bloody murder, the water was black with fleas. Poor bud was getting shampooed for a half hour. He stood there really good like the good boy that he is. Went over him again with the flea pick comb to get all the fleas out of him. The fleas were on his legs, face, it was ridiculous! The next day, I called John Brezden, who I know as a personal friend of many years. He told me that he could send someone over the next day to treat the carpet to kill all of the fleas and eggs. We can't have our loved dogs having fleas. If we don't kill the fleas, the dogs eat the fleas and get worms, then you have flea eggs on your furniture and then, flea eggs in your carpet that will hatch in three weeks then your life is hell until the cold weather kills these monsters. I'm happy to say that I started Bud on an internal pill. One of my trainers recommended this for dogs that swim a lot. So happy to say our house is flea free, and Bud is feeling so much better. If you live around this area, any summer months, fleas go crazy. The next day after going to the beach I hosed him off with a blast of water right on his coat, and I saw two fleas come off him. So you have to be really on top of these monsters.