Sometimes, it helps to remember that our own bodies don’t always act the same every single day throughout the years. For example:

Allergies develop in some people, but not others. You can go for years without having allergies, and then boom, you are sniffling and sneezing with the rest of us.

There are days when I am ravenous, and other days, not so much. 9 out of 10 days I will eat somewhat regularly, yet there’s always that day or two where I’m just not that into food.

Even when I was younger, sometimes I would tweak an ankle or wrist. It would hurt for a day or so and then the pain would dissipate.

And while my mother will have a chat with me about appropriateness and sharing too much information, the same concept applies when that food leaves my  body. Some days everything works like clock-work, other days aren’t as stellar.

I know, TMI (too much information). But sometimes, when your dog’s poop is a little softer than usual or you see that he’s not eating with the same gusto as usual, people need that gentle reminder in terms of our own bodies. Sometimes, you can be a bit “off” without being sick. I certainly don’t call my doctor every time  my stomach acts a little funny.

That said, when do you call the vet if your dog or cat is acting off? (This is where I’d love my veterinary friends to give some free advice or give me a shout out on any information they feel isn’t up to their standards).

Call the vet if there is blood in the stool and your pet hasn’t experienced any stress ( a long car ride, company or fireworks for example), particularly if the blood continues to be present in more than one stool.

Call the vet if diarrhea doesn’t clear up after two days, assuming you fasted the dog for one day and followed with rice for the second day (dogs only on this one!). Call the vet if the dog’s eyes are glassy or her gaze seems distant.

Call the vet if the pet is having trouble walking that seems more than a “sprained ankle” type injury.

Call if your pet is sickly, elderly, or currently under veterinary treatment.

Call if it just feels like the right thing to do.

Remember: your vet is there to help and will be happy to answer questions. If you feel like every time you call to ask questions you are rebuffed or told that you have to come in, then consider finding a vet that will work with you on a level you feel comfortable with. And if you still want to call us to chat about a problem, we’re happy to oblige.

*Note: We are not vets. We don’t pretend to be vets. And we don’t play vets on t.v.

And while we did all kinds of research for our new building, for some reason I didn’t think about our carbon footprint in terms of our own personal animals. Oh yeah, Scout, Pecan and Hoot are leaving their own carbon paw prints too.

From the type of food we feed them to the various products we use on them, our personal pets do indeed have an environmental impact.

Hoot’s biggest problem is her poop and what to do with it. Cat poop contains toxoplasma, a parasite that is very harmful. When kitty poop is flushed into the toilet, many water treatment centers cannot destroy this parasite. Kitty litter isn’t really compostable because of the toxoplasma.

Hoot’s other issue, related to the poop, is kitty litter. For cat owners, clumping kitty litter is the next best thing to sliced bread. However, clay based litters have big environmental issues, from the mining to its production. And while the new plant based litters are good and maybe a better environmental choice, the question about the actual poop and what to do with it remains.

Pecan and Scout also have issues. First of all, let’s talk about packaging. Like kids’ toys, dog toys, treats and foods all contribute packaging waste, and lots of it. (Alright, you parents of human kids out there know that human kid toys are actually probably 5,000 times worse than dog toy packaging!). In the kennel, we throw out lots of bags every week, most of which cannot be recycled because they are foil lined and the foil seems permanently glued to the paper.

Speaking of toys, if dogs are color-blind, why do we need such brightly colored dog toys? And why do we need so many of them? Many dogs are thrilled to have a toy or a tennis ball. Or, if you just can’t forgo buying your Scout another toy, then consider buying a “green toy,” one that is made of recycled or natural materials by a local company that isn’t shipping from halfway around the world.

Yet another issue is a familiar one: poop. If you don’t clean up after your pet, you might not realize that pet feces can pollute storm water. If you are a good dog owner, you pick up after your pet. But if you use a plastic bag that isn’t degradable, then poop on you! Hmmm…this poop is really a problem. Maybe a robotic pet is the answer?

So, let’s talk about the food that produces all that poop. Dogs and cats are meat eaters, even if you aren’t. It is in their DNA to be carnivores. Where does all that meat in our pet food come from? Well, like human food, you can either go with the food that uses high-volume farming practices or choose to buy from local farmers practicing sustainable farming. Of course, that comes with a price too: a higher dollar figure.

Unlike the controversial idea posed by the New Zealand sustainable architects Robert and Brenda Vale in their book, Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to sustainable living, I am not proposing anything other than thinking and educating yourself before you buy. Think before you buy that fourth pet. Think before you buy yet another pet toy. Educate yourself on food that are environmentally friendlier, but affordable for you.

According to Maps of World, the US has an estimated 61,080,000 dogs, while Brazil has an estimated 30, 051,000 (http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/countries-with-most-pet-dog-population.html) mounds of dog poop, toy trash, and dog food bags! And that’s not including the number of cats in our world.

While we’re all trying to figure this out, Scout, Pecan and I will see you all at the recycling center. Hoot is staying at home enjoying her homemade catnip toy (okay, so that’s a stretch!).

For more information, the following links proved helpful:

Katterns, Tanya. “Save the Planet: Eat a Dog?”. May 23, 2010. <http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/national/2987821/Save-the-planet-eat-a-dog>

Keith, Christie. “The Environmental Impact of Pets”. May 23, 2010.  <http://articles.sfgate.com/2007-11-27/living/17267881_1_recycled-pet-supplies-interactive-toys/2>

Nestle, Marion. “No, My Dog is Not Destroying the Environment”. May 23, 2010. <http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/blogs/healthy-food/pets-environmental-impact-47122303>

Postins, Lucy. “Environmental Paw Print” . May 23, 2010. < http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/213/1/Environmental-paw-print.html>

Hoot, Scout and Pecan are all booked into camp for the next two weeks, and while our kids are beside themselves, my parents are doing little dances around the house, happy that they don’t have those extra chores associated with the animals. As I was cleaning out the litter box, my dad looked on with disgust and said, very firmly, “Thank you. Thank you so much for not making me do that.”

It’s nice for us to know that we can go away and our kids are in good hands. It’s even better knowing that our business is in good hands. And it’s a trifecta knowing that our kids, our business, and our animals are all taken good care of while we are gone.

And for those of you who wonder, yes, our pets are treated just like everyone else’s. And in many ways, they even act like your pets. Hoot is cautious by nature, and will take a few days acclimating to the cat room. She might peek her head out. What will probably really draw her out will be when one of the girls goes into the cat room and sits patiently on the floor waiting for her to come out of hiding.

Pecan, well, Pecan is in dog heaven. He is on the dog equivalent of speed from his excitement. Give him friends to wrestle with (he really likes Ruby) and he is good to go. He’ll probably lose weight from being so amped up all the time, even though the girls will be super attentive to his eating habits, noting when he eats, how much or how little he eats, and all that.

And then there’s our special needs girl, Scout. She makes it well known how little she enjoys the kennel. Funny isn’t it? The kennel owners’ dog doesn’t like the kennel. She usually ends up making herself sick in some way. It’s as if she does it out of spite, saying to us, “Okay Mommy. If you’re not going to be here with me, then you will pay.” And by pay, Scout does mean literally and figuratively! The girls will work very hard to try to make her happy, but since Scout won’t be happy at the kennel, they will also work hard to ensure she stays healthy.

They will all have different experiences, just like your animals do. The best part is, when we get home, they will be so happy to see us! Well, Hoot and Scout will be. Pecan will be counting down the hours until he gets to go play again.

This past weekend, we  encountered a dog whose parents would like it to live in a bubble. Well, I doubt that they would really like the actual bubble concept, but figuratively, this is what they were asking us to do.

“Please make sure he is socialized with as many other dogs as possible, but we don’t want any scratches, scrapes, punctures or anything like that. Oh, and I only want him playing with other puppies.”

The last time I watched a group of puppies playing together I remember them pulling, tugging, scratching, yipping and all of those cute, adorable things puppies do to each other.  Ouch, those tiny, little teeth are SHARP! and can do some damage all in the name of fun. And those nails. My goodness, puppy nails are sharp. Those little guys roll around, pulling on an ear, gnawing on a leg, and just generally learning how to play together. When someone yelps, you can see the offender pull back a bit, as though surprised. Sometimes, a nip is returned as a warning. Puppies play hard.

As I listened to the customer’s wish list, I thought of the movie. At one point, this silly image of a dog rolling across the yard in a bubble actually went through my mind and I had to suppress a giggle. Finally, Kirsten explained to them that they can’t have it both ways. If the dog is going to play and be socialized, which they want, there is always the possibility of scrapes, scratches and more. She reminded them that we certainly don’t want that, nor do we encourage it, but things do happen. And so, with some hesitation and crossed fingers, we all took a chance and practiced some puppy socialization. Although he still needs a lot of practice and time playing with others, a bubble isn’t what he needs. While we never want anything bad, even in a small way, to happen to our dog babies, we have to realize that sometimes things will happen. And yes, we need to teach our dogs how to play appropriately, just like we teach our kids how to play appropriately with others. While we teach them, they are learning. If a dog doesn’t like another dog in its face, it lets her know to back off. As social pack animals, this is how they learn. Without a bubble.

Today’s dog and her owner can enjoy the space saving comforts of the “Sleep ‘N Store Dog Bed Combination,” with a dog bed underneath and a storage area for all your dog’s clothes. (This is making the assumption that your dog has enough clothes to need her own closet. Again, not one of my dogs from my childhood owned clothing that went beyond a collar, and that might have been a non-existent item too!). $215 on sale.

Speaking of clothes, how about cashmere? No, silly, not for you – for the dog! For $120 you can own the finest in dog apparel. This particular style is smartly trimmed with suede and is even hand-knit. Now, I can only speak for myself;  I happen to love cashmere and I’m pretty sure it loves me. My wallet, however, does not love cashmere with the same intensity, so my personal cashmere selection is somewhat small, as is my dogs’.

No cashmere would be complete without some doggy boots, labeled Air Doggy. Perfect for the day your Chihuahua is feeling the need to hit the court with her buddies! Oh, and they can be yours for more money than I spend on my children’s shoes. $45. I don’t know that my own experience will be yours, but Kirsten and I really did try booties on one of our dogs and I thought we’d just die laughing. Needless to say, he wanted nothing to do with them and managed to chew them to bits.

If you happen to be attending a baby shower for your friend’s new puppy, you might consider a dog baby cradle for $164. It is far more beautiful than what my own dogs sleep on. I may need to start shopping for some new friends who might actually spoil my dogs the way they deserve to be spoiled.

For the Oscar worthy pooch, there are gowns galore that would put the stars on the red carpet to shame. My favorite is actually a seasonal dress, but I am sure the rules in the doggy fashion world can be relaxed to allow such a fashion faux paw (!) now and then, right? Trixie’s Christmas Red Dress with Long Evening Skirt is perfect for that special event that calls for a special gown, priced at $435. Way less than Sandra Bullock spent, I’m sure!

If your poochie’s gown can’t be trampled on the red carpet by all of her fans, then stroll her down in style in a deluxe pet stroller. Most models might easily be confused with a human baby stroller, particularly since the prices are comparable. Like the human version, they set up in a snap and even have a handy tray for your coffee, car keys, etc. I wouldn’t suggest shopping with it though; many times with my human babies happily strapped in a stroller, I’d forget and toss something in on top of them. Oops! $150 for your one and only.

And every dog, no matter designer or mutt, needs a collar. The designer dog, the one whose preferences lean towards Gucci Pucci (get it?), would love to have a Turquoise Sunburst Leather Collar. This is truly  jewelry. Heck, this is so nice I might wear it. Priced at $169.

So far, we’ve spent $1289 on accessories and I haven’t included the dog bowls, the food, and supplements.

My best guess on what we spent on Red, Shasta, or Buckwheat, again not including the bowls, food, and of course the supplements, which weren’t even sold for humans back then – maybe $25. Yes, $25. Granted, you probably just figure out my age based on the supplement comment, so prices were obviously less back then. However, pet ownership was also different back then.

Unlike the dogs of my childhood though, I’m really hoping that Pecan can end up at Harvard, but I’ll settle for Williams. They might appreciate the fact that his tongue is usually hanging out of his mouth.

I finished the day exhausted, but whirring with excitement to start using what I learned. At the after-conference appetizers and drinks, it seemed everyone had learned something, and was anxious to implement, try out, or create something new.

So just what does technology have to do with running a kennel? I can just hear my mom guffawing in the background as I log in to Facebook to check the kennel account. She’d probably make some snide remark about uploading a video to YouTube. She just might even ask if it’s all worth it, wondering if the time spent fussing around with technology takes away from my time with customers or the animals.

In some ways, yes. I don’t interact in quite the same way with the customers as I used to. And while blogging is not the same as running around the yard with the dogs, it is satisfying in a different way.

If I can ever get my act together and actually put all of what I learned into motion, this Geek Girl stuff will allow us to do things we never thought about. That video I will soon upload to YouTube will be able to show people who don’t live just around the corner an opportunity to see the kennel. The kennel’s Facebook account allows us to share bits and pieces of daily life, events, announcements, pictures, and all sorts of information with a lot of people quickly. It also allows them to comment in return. Our website works similarly, but without the group concept. Technology, while it seems almost counterintuitive, is allowing us to create, refine, and further relationships with customers.

I suppose, though, if you are reading this then you probably already get it, don’t you?

Interestingly, I feel that this crazy economic time almost takes some of that pressure off of pet owners. When you don’t have money to spend on procedures, you don’t have the added pressure of trying to care for your ill pet while at the same time worrying about how in the world to pay for it.

Don’t get me wrong; in no way am I saying that a lack of money makes the process easier. However, for anyone who has ever been in that situation of having a very sick pet and wondering how to pay for it, not having the money decides for you. If you do have the money, at what point are you spending too much? When Scout was so sick, as the bill reached astronomic proportions, I would secretly worry and wonder if our credit card would go through. And then, what if it didn’t??? Would I have to look at the receptionist and say, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any more money for this? I know we’ve put the dog through however many days of hospitalization and numerous tests and an exploratory, but we’ve run out of money.” When she was so sick, it was easy to say yes to the tests, to anything that would make her better. But then, each visit got harder. Would the hospital think less of us for finally saying that we couldn’t spend anymore on our dog? We own a kennel, for gosh sakes! How would that be perceived? And poor Scout; her last days would be filled with poking and prodding, not peace and love.

Another friend who has a lot more money than I do, said he would spend any amount to make his dog better. Some of my friends with less in the bank avoid the issue by avoiding the vet. If the pet is acting ill, then they try to make it comfortable and hope for the best. Others throw all reason away and yes everything that might prove to be a cure or an answer, only to then find themselves up to their eyeballs in debt.

My suggestion is to actually consider your options before anything happens, even for those of you with pet insurance. How much is reasonable to spend? At what point do you say no more, both financially and physically (thinking of the pet). Have these conversations before your emotions are involved, remembering that emergency vet care is expensive. If you and your spouse or partner are having trouble reaching a decision, do some research and talk with your vet about common veterinary expenses and those more common emergency vet expenses (cancer, renal failure, bloat, etc.). Have the serious conversation now. While you can never fully plan for anything, at least have something to work from, as opposed to sheer emotion.

We will be the first to say that accidents happen, even here. If you ever visit a kennel or day care facility that won’t fess up to bad things that have happened, then they are not being honest with you or themselves. I’ve heard lots of different stories being in the industry: pet sitters who have accidentally had the bird get out and the dog eats it; pet sitters whose charges have gotten away from them; groomers who have seriously cut a dog; kennels that have dropped a dog. The list goes on. We ourselves have had dogs literally escape the kennel or the walker. We’ve dealt with punctures in day care from other dogs. We’ve even had dogs die while with us. Trust me, nothing happens on purpose and it all eats at us. And eats at us.

Since we know that accidents happen, what is most important is how the kennel, day-care, pet-sitter, or facility reacts and responds to that accident. Our goal is to first treat the pet and to notify the owners. Once we know that the pet or the situation is stabilized, then we assess and discuss. Our primary goal, once we have taken care of the pet and the owner, is to ensure that the same mistake does not happen again.

In our situation, if the mistake is our fault or we feel we could have prevented the accident, then we will assume financial responsibility for a certain percentage of any accompanying bills. Many times, even when something happens that is clearly not our fault, out of good faith and customer service, we will also assume part of the bills. Once the pet is no longer in our care, we will follow up on the progress of the animal. Not only do we want to continue our relationship with that customer, we truly do value your pets as our own, and never want them to be in pain or be fearful coming to us.

We are up front about the fact that things happen here, very rarely, but they happen. I am sure that I have scared a customer or two, who say things like, “And if anything ever happened to my baby…” I very quickly stop them, letting them know that I cannot make that guarantee. We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of your babies while they are with us, but accidents happen. Things happen.

Instead, what I can guarantee is that we don’t take any accident lightly and we do use every experience as a learning experience. We also never forget a situation, no matter how long its been. We’ve changed entire routines based on a minor accident with a pet in our care.

So the next time something happens, unless gross negligence is in play, watch how the situation is treated. Then pause to consider, if it was truly an accident and the situation has been handled as well as possible, has the shoe ever been on my own foot? Have I ever had things happen that I never meant to? Humans err. It isn’t a perfect system, but it allows us to grow and learn, and to continually be humble.

One of the most important things a new dog trainer can learn are the three main principles in dog training: timing, consistency and motivation.

Armed with these three principles, you can train a dog to do just about anything! If you are ever finding yourself having difficulty in training, or if it seems to you that your dog is confused, ask yourself if you have fully observed the BIG THREE.

1.) TIMING
A dog has a period of 1.3 to 1.5 seconds in which to associate a cause with its effect. This means that the saying “catch them in the act” is absolutely true! This applies to both corrections and rewards and praise.

With rewards, it’s necessary to provide the dog with the reward at the exact moment the dog does what you like. If you’re teaching a “sit,” for example, you would want to provide the reward at precisely the moment the dog’s rear end hits the floor.

This is usually very difficult, however — by the time you have fetched the treat out of your pocket and moved towards the dog, the dog is now standing! And since we know that the dog associates the reward with what they were doing at the exact moment they received it, the dog will associate the reward with the standing, not the sitting you were trying to teach! This is why the advent of training with markers has become so popular; by teaching a dog that a word or a click is followed by a reward, it becomes much easier for the trainer to tell the dog exactly what it has done that has earned him a valuable reward. It is a highly effective way to communicate with a dog.

While a mistimed reward slows down learning, too many mistimed corrections can have even greater consequences. To correct a dog for breaking a “sit-stay” five seconds after he got up is meaningless. Again, the dog will believe he is being corrected for whatever he was doing at the moment he got up. If he gets up from his “sit-stay” and comes to you and you correct him, he will think he is being corrected for coming to you.

Also, too many mistimed corrections and your dog may begin to think that nothing they do is ever right, and they will shut down. This is called learned helplessness. Some dogs labeled submissive are actually not submissive by nature, but have acquired learned helplessness through bad training. It makes the dog insecure and it makes you, the trainer and owner, seem unpredictable and untrustworthy…and possibly scary. You can see how this could be detrimental – Mistimed corrections can not only slow down learning, they can also harm the relationship between you and your dog.

2.) CONSISTENCY
When training a dog, you must be very clear. There is no grey area. A rule is a rule is a rule. This means that if you do not want your dog to jump up on you when it’s raining and they have muddy feet, then they cannot be rewarded for doing it when it is sunny out.
If you’re in a great mood because you just got a promotion at work, you may happily greet your dog when they jump up on you when you get home. However, don’t be surprised when your dog doesn’t understand why you yell at them for jumping on you the next day when your car has just been side-swiped in the parking lot.

A dog that is allowed to jump on adults will not understand that they cannot jump on children or the elderly. Likewise, a puppy that is rewarded constantly for jumping up will turn into an adult that doesn’t understand why the rules have suddenly changed.

Again, this does more than make your dog confused on the issue of jumping, it can also make you seem unpredictable and untrustworthy. You must strive to be 100% consistent in your training! This will result in a dog that feels safe and secure knowing that there are well-defined rules and boundaries in their life with you and your family. As a bonus, you’ll also have a dog that doesn’t jump up on people… because they never get rewarded for it!

3.) MOTIVATION
A simple way to understand the concept of motivation is that a positive consequence makes a behavior continue and a negative consequence makes a behavior stop.

You communicate with your dog with praise and rewards when they do something you like. As a result, the behaviors that you reward will begin to occur more often. You communicate with corrections (a verbal “NO!,” a leash correction or withholding of the reward, etc.) when they make mistakes, or are breaking clearly defined rules. As a result, the behaviors you correct (if they are timed correctly!) will begin to decrease in frequency.

Both rewards and corrections must be motivational to the dog. You want your communication to be meaningful. That means that your rewards must be good enough that the dog is inspired to strive for it in the future. For example, if a dog doesn’t like to be petted on the head and that is the reward you use when he does something correctly, you have actually provided a negative experience for your dog!

If you are in a high-distraction environment, the reward you use for ignoring the distraction has to higher than the promise of the rewards the dog would get from paying attention to the distractions! You should know that some dogs prefer a game of fetch or tug to food, while others live for praise. Some dogs prefer Cheerios over steak! Let your dog tell you what they like…do not put your own preferences on your dog if you want your training to work well.

Likewise, negative consequences must be unpleasant enough to make your dog motivated enough to avoid them in the future. Too many “no, no, no, no, nos” said to your dog without any follow-through will simply become background noise. A correction should be enough to stop the behavior…no more and no less.

APPLYING THE BIG THREE
As you train, think of these factors: If your dog is not responding or is acting stressed or confused, ask yourself whether you are really being clear with your dog. Does your training fall into harmony with the BIG THREE? Is your timing correct? Is your training motivational? Are you being 100% consistent? If you are not answering “yes” to all of these questions, you cannot expect miracles from poor Fido. Practice every day!

Good luck, have fun, and happy training!

The conversation started this morning when someone told me she had been asked to donate one of her dog’s kidneys to a littermate. I have to say I was a bit shocked, thinking, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” To me, it is a no-brainer. I love my dogs, but wouldn’t want to put my dog through either the donor or the recipient surgery. Heck, Kirsten and I are pretty sure that we wouldn’t put one of our dogs through an amputation again after our dog Rex, but that’s another story.

Of course the friend telling me this story was initially shocked, but after some thought, she felt torn. “What if it was my own dog needing a kidney?” she asked. “How am I to give consent for a dog that can’t give consent?”

To me, this really is still a no-brainer. I can certainly understand why people grapple with issues such as this. It is a personal choice. I wouldn’t put my dog through this. Would you? What am I missing in this issue?