I once commented to my boss about how I would love a job where I could take my dog to work. She told me to try it. That was over two decades ago and I have had dogs at work ever since.
A positive experience is a must, or you may not get permission to bring your dog again.
Just a simple walk around the block when it’s above 70° can leave my cocker spaniels lagging and panting, then I know it’s time for a buzz cut. Afterwards they abound with energy, want to play more, and can walk farther without tiring. But some veterinarians think it’s not a good idea to shave your dog, so should you?
I’ve been paying 2010 prices and hiring friends or relatives. The pet-sitting market has changed dramatically since then—prices have decreased and services have increased.
I definitely would if I had a young dog. Currently my two older cockers barely leave my side. They’re Velcro dogs. A young dog is more likely to wander. But even with an older dog, who knows what goes through their heads when they see, or smell an opportunity?
When Cassie arrived at our house at just under 8 weeks of age, she woke me up every night, whining and scratching at her cage. I thought she had to pee, so I’d carry her out into the frozen backyard. Cassie refused paper training, having been house broken before I adopted her.
To warm her up, I’d put her under the covers in my bed with me for a few minutes before placing her back in her cage—a big mistake I know. But she was a tiny puppy and needed comforting. Every night, like clockwork, she’d wake me up. I expected this for the first week or two, but when it dragged on for a month, I wondered what was going on.
Cassie, my Springer Spaniel, never liked my boss ever since he tried to pick her up incorrectly when he first met her. He placed his hands around her upper back by squeezing her chest under her front legs (the armpit method). Cassie jumped away from him and never let him even attempt to pick her up again. Although there may have been other reasons that she disliked him, her first impression stuck after that attempt to pick her up.
Taffy, my sister Karen’s 14 year-old cocker spaniel, panted with rapid shallow breaths. Something was wrong with the old dog. Taffy refused to go outside or eat treats although she drank a bit of fresh water. Karen thought Taffy was suffering from the heat since it was a very warm day in northern California. But it had been this hot before and Taffy hadn’t had any problems.
You might think, “My dog doesn’t have any problem with his back legs. Why would I need this? “
You just never know.
The weeds, the dandelions─yuck. Should I spray an herbicide? But what about my dogs? How can I do this safely? So I usually put it off until the weeds get the better of me and I just have to spray them and try to keep my dogs off of the lawn for a day, or at least try. Most herbicides state, ‘safe’ for pets after it has dried. But are they? Here is what my research uncovered:
