Memorial Day--Summer Is Coming!

(Burrowing in the cool grass.)

Hi all, Lily the Corgi here.  I hope everyone is having an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.  

I am a fan of Memorial Day because it marks the unofficial start of the summer season.  For me that means I'll get to go to the lake, play outside with my human family members, and spend time resting under the shade trees.  Summer also means opportunity--opportunity to grab the random hot dog dropped from the grill, to steal a lick of children's ice cream cones, and to cool my tummy on the nice floor tiles.  Unfortunately, summer comes with risks for dogs, too.  Let's take a look at some of the pitfalls facing canines this summer, shall we?

We live in Arkansas where it gets really hot and really humid, a double whammy that makes everyone sticky and cranky and sweaty.  Well, not actually everyone because dogs don't actually sweat.  Sweating is a way some critters (including humans) use the evaporation of moisture to cool off, but dogs don't have the ability to sweat.  Instead of sweating, we pant.  When you see a dog sitting around with his/her tongue hanging out, this is the canine equivalent of sweating.  Plus, it makes us look oh so cute!

(Playin' and pantin')

We dogs will forget ourselves and do way too much strenuous activity in the heat of the day unless our humans remain observant and make us take a break now and then.  Just like humans, we dogs can get so overheated that we can have heat exhaustion and even heat stroke.  Make sure all dogs have shade when they are outside.  If you see your dog digging holes during the summer, try to be a little understanding; dogs will often dig into the dirt to find a cool spot to rest.  And of course, like you, your dog can cool off best inside where there is air conditioning.

 It is always important that dogs have plenty of clean fresh water to drink, but especially so in the summer.  Keep in mind that the nice bowl of water you put on the porch can quickly end up way too hot when the movement of the sun takes away the shade.  Even hot water is probably better than no water, but who wants to drink hot water?  At our house, one of the water difficulties is slobber.  When hot and panting dogs drink, they can leave some nasty slobber behind!  Don't forget to switch out the water when it gets icky and wash the water bowl from time to time.  We appreciate it!

Dogs don't put behind the need for exercise in the summer months but getting adequate exercise when it is super hot out can be difficult.  Most of us rely on our walks for exercise, but taking walks in the summer presents problems.  Obviously the act of walking in the heat can wear us out and make us pant, but one very real hazard for summer dog walking has to do with our feet.  Things like asphalt, rocks, concrete, and even wood decks can get super hot on our little delicate foot pads.  We don't often wear shoes, so stop and think how the walking surface might feel on doggy feet.  Experts recommend that humans place their own hand on the walking surface before setting out--if it's too hot for your hand, it's too hot for our feet!  

Many dogs enjoy having a small wading pool to romp in while others enjoy running through a sprinkler.  My siblings and I are more lake dogs.  While most dogs are great swimmers, there are some breeds which find it very difficult if not impossible to swim.  Old and arthritic dogs like my grouchy husky brother Claude may also have trouble swimming.  Be aware of your dogs' swimming abilities.  When you are going to be out on or near the water, you should watch your dogs as you would small children; consider a flotation device for your canines.  Any dog riding in a boat should have a life jacket!

(We love the little lake at the dog park...perfect for wading with family and friends.)

I know I've mentioned it before, but I'm going to mention it again:  Never, ever, ever leave your dog in a parked car.  A car is like an oven and can get MUCH hotter than the ambient air temperature.  Leaving a window cracked open to let in air is just not enough when your pet's safety is concerned.  Even if you are just leaving the car for a minute and even if you leave the car running, you are putting your canine friend at risk. (In a town where we formerly lived, a police K9 died in the police cruiser when the engine died and the air conditioner shut off.) Take your dog with you or leave us at home where we can be safe and comfy.  My mama says to let everyone know if you leave a dog in a hot car, you should expect to find your window smashed and your dog missing when you return!

Finally, lets talk parasites.  While fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes are not respecters of the seasons, they do tend to be more bothersome in the warmer months.  Be sure your dog is on a good flea/tick preventative in preparation for summer.  Keep standing water to a minimum around your yard to avoid creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Summer is a great time of year and I like it a lot.  There are so many interesting things to sniff during the summer!  I also enjoy being comfortable, though!  Good thing I have mama and daddy well trained in the art of corgi comfort  ;)

Til next time, stay cool everyone!

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

(Napping--one of my favorite summer activities.)

Senior Saga

(My elderly brother Claude)

Hi all, Lily the Corgi here.  Obviously, the world usually revolves around me, but sometimes even I have to step aside and let someone else take the spotlight.  This past week has been all about my older brother Claude the Husky.

Claude came to our family in May, 2008.  My parents don't know much about Claude; they adopted him from the shelter.  According to the shelter people, Claude ended up there because his former owner brought him in to the shelter, said "It's not working out" and signed him over.  The SPCA folks tossed Claude (then called Prince) into a carrier and took him to an adoption event planned that weekend at a craft show.  My daddy violated his own No More Dogs policy and adopted Claude on the spot.  I must admit, Claude was indeed a very handsome man in his day.  Our vet estimated that Claude--named after a couple of professional hockey players--was about 4 years old or so.

(Claude in his prime and in his element.)

Claude has never been a real people pleaser; he likes the periodic scratch on the ears or pat on the head, but he's just not crazy about physical contact.  We call Claude the old grouch because no matter what touches him--person, fellow canine, dust bunny, etc--Claude will shout out and growl.  He's never been violent but he just wants everyone to know he doesn't enjoy being touched.   As a result of his aversion to touch, Claude doesn't sit well for grooming, tooth brushing or nail trimming as you can well imagine.  (FYI, if you ignore Claude's griping and do actually touch him, he just gripes more but never nips or bites.  Some of the little kids in the family just go on and wallow on him anyway and he gets over himself.  Claude does actually love the babies in the family and will guard them while they nap.)

Over time, Claude has developed a few health issues.  A few years ago, Claude developed lupus.  Lupus is not common in dogs but Siberian huskies are prone to the disease.  Lupus in dogs can cause their nose to become ulcerated and crusty.  When Claude stays out in the sun too much, his nose gets all ugly and scabbed over.  He rubs his snout on the carpet to get rid of the scabs and he has a hissy if anyone touches his snout.  For the past several years, Claude has had increasing trouble with arthritis in his hind legs.  

A couple of years ago, Claude started to have severe problems with his rear end.  He can no longer jump into the back of the truck and on a couple of occasions has actually had what appears to be paralysis of his hind legs for a couple of days at a time.  Claude has trouble walking around when we go to the dog park; sometimes he tips over because his gait is impaired by his arthritic joints.  The past few months, Claude has become a little incontinent--he drips a little pee while he's sleeping.  Claude takes medicine for his hips and his pee problems.  Claude gets a little confused sometimes; my Aunt Cathy thinks he has dementia.  Sometimes he forgets which side of the door to go to or forgets where the food bowls are kept.

Last week, daddy took Claude for a well-needed teeth cleaning.  The vet gave Claude a sedative to calm him and she did blood work before the procedure.  This showed he was anemic and the doctor couldn't do his cleaning.  Unfortunately, Claude didn't respond well to the sedation and we found he was having another episode of his rear end paralysis.  So mama and daddy have been babying Claude, helping him stand up, carrying him around (no small feat since Claude is a big boy.)  Claude has recovered somewhat but is still having trouble dragging his ample hind end off the floor when he sits down.  He is taking meds for his anemia and for pain and the vet will be doing more diagnosis once the acute problems are better controlled.

I'm sorry to see Claude feeling badly but it does bother me that mama and daddy are all involved in his care so much.  Hello!  I'm not getting the attention due me and that's a problem of epic proportions.  

Claude's problems are pretty typical for an aging dog.  Such things as joint problems, cognitive problems, poor dental health, and incontinence often plague the senior dog.  Since we don't know so much about Claude's history, we don't know exactly how old he is, but believe he is at least 10.  For a large breed dog, this puts him well into his senior years (a small breed dog like a chihuahua would be just reaching seniority.)  If you have a senior dog, you need to be sure to have him/her regularly seen by a good vet who will help manage those declining health issues as long as possible.    

Mama and daddy give special consideration to Claude because of his age and failing health.  He gets fed on a different schedule from the rest of us dogs so we don't annoy him (I'm rolling my eyes about that one.)  My parents have bought special beds for Claude's joint comfort; he enjoys those and also likes to sleep on old quilts my parents put down to keep him from leaking pee on the carpet while he naps.  Claude sees the vet more often than us younger dogs--while I like attention as any corgi should, I'm okay with his getting this extra vet care; the vet sometimes sticks dogs with needles and puts thermometers in unspeakable places so she's not my favorite person!

My mama says caring for Claude and his special needs wears her out.  But she also calls him "my old love" and is gentle with him and makes sure he gets to enjoy squeaky toys before my sister Lucy de-squeakers them.  Even earlier today when Claude accidently head butted mama while she was trying to help him go outside, she didn't hit him or yell at him.  Daddy makes sure Claude gets his medicine as he is prescribed and loads him in the truck for vet visits even though it makes daddy's clothes hairy when he goes to work.  All this makes me feel very safe and loved--I know my human parents will always treat us dogs with love and respect, doing what is best for us.  We don't have to worry about being put out when we get old and sickly and don't function as we did in our youth.  Mama and daddy value the love and appreciation they are given by more mature dogs, even when we don't demonstrate it so well, and we trust them to do what is right for us as long as we live.  

That's it for this week, folks.  Take care of yourselves and make sure you love your family, canine and human, even when it gets difficult.

Love ya, 

Lily the Corgi

(Even old and not so healthy, Claude is still a pretty good brother--and I'll deny I said that if you tell him.)

Happy Mother's Day!

(Mama sharing a kiss with my sister Lucy)

Hi folks, Lily the Corgi here to say "Happy Mother's Day" to all the moms out there.

Mother's Day is a great time to honor all our moms--human and canine.  Now everyone TECHNICALLY only has one mama, but many of us are lucky enough to have lots of heart-mamas--the mamas we gain by love without regard to biology or legality or anything except just love.  And I have several of those!

I personally can't remember much about my canine mama, although sometimes I suck in my sleep and my human mama says I must be dreaming about being a tiny puppy with my canine mama.  I'm sure my canine mama was beautiful--hey, she was a corgi after all!  I had a foster mama once; she was a nice lady who kept me safe for a while until my forever mama could find me. 

I have a human mama who loves me very much.  She feeds me, takes me to the dog park, feeds me, bathes me, feeds me, scratches my ears and belly, feeds me...well, she just does all sorts of nice things for me and for my 3 dog siblings.  

I also have several heart-mamas and I want to talk about them today:

My mama's friend Vicky stays at our house to pet sit when mama and daddy go out of town.  Vicky loves us like our real mama does...and we love her too!  Vicky lets us sleep with her and she gives us lots of special snacks.  (We especially enjoy the peanut butter crackers she brings with her!)

(Our Vicky with my sister Lucy)

Another of my heart mamas is my Aunt Cathy.  Aunt Cathy comes to visit us and lets me sit in her lap, even though she isn't the biggest fan of dogs (besides her own).  She calls me "ridiculous" because I tunnel under her hand and demand to be petted, but she smiles when she says it and always pets me.  When mama and daddy go out of town for just the day, Aunt Cathy comes to our house and lets us out to pee, so we don't get distressed before our parents come home.  Aunt Cathy is a wonderful mama to our cousin Quincy the wiener dog.  Quincy is about a thousand years old, has lost most of his teeth, and has a serious heart disorder--and Aunt Cathy keeps him feeling good and sassy despite all his problems.  Aunt Cathy is a great dog mama!

(Aunt Cathy hates pictures of herself, so here is one of her lap filled with Quincy the ancient wiener dog.)

Our Aunt Christy is another of our heart mamas.  Aunt Christy comes to visit us when she can and she loves to look at pictures of us on Facebook between visits.  Aunt Christy is a great ear scratcher and loves nothing better than to have a warm dog in her lap.  The BEST thing about Aunt Christy, though, is that she named her youngest daughter after me!!  Yep, she named her little girl LILY.  I am so beautiful and sweet, Aunt Christy thought my name would be perfect for her sweet and beautiful baby.  I have never been more honored!  Aunt Christy also has a fur-baby of her own, my cousin dog Bruiser.

(Here's Aunt Christy and my namesake, Lily the Human.)

My cousins Ryan and Chelsea are both dog mamas themselves--Ryan has 2 dogs named Cooper and Minnie while Chelsea is the dog mama of Ellie Mae.  The thing that makes these ladies our heart mamas doesn't really have anything to do with their pets, however.  They are our heart mamas because they bring us little playmates, their own human babies.  These babies are small and low to the ground, just like me, and they always smell like milk!  Oh yeah, the babies do sometimes get carried away and pull on an ear or a tail--well, they don't pull MY tail of course--but most of the time they are very sweet and the perfect height to kiss.  When they are a little more mobile, I'm going to have a blast herding these little people that Ryan and Chelsea bring to see us!

(Here's one of those babies they bring for our enjoyment.  So much fun!)

Mamas come in all shapes and sizes.  They are the original mamas who give birth to us and they are the adoptive mamas who love us.  They are the ones who live with us and care for us but they are also the ones who foster us and dog sit with us and just love us.  I'm awfully glad that I've been blessed with all sorts of these mamas.

Happy Mother's Day to ALL our mamas!

That's it for n...wait a minute...daddy is going into the kitchen to make Nutella waffles for Mother's Day.  Gotta run to the kitchen...

Walking the Dog

(Lucy and I showing off our cute behinds as we take a walk!)

Hi all!  Lily the Corgi here with a few words about walking the dog!

Corgis need exercise. We were developed to be working dogs and, while we look awesome holding down the couch or stretched out on the floor, we are in our element when we are moving! The best way to get us moving is to take us for a nice, long walk.

Walking your dog should be a pleasant experience for you both, but walks can become stressful if human or dog doesn't understand some basic facts. Let's look at some of these, shall we?

First, let's talk about equipment. I would love nothing more than to race free, but my parents are convinced that I'd come to some harm if I did so. That's why they say a collar and leash are essential for a good walk. The collar should be well-fitting and in good condition—a collar is of no use if it slips off your dog or is frayed to the point a good lunge will snap it. Choke collars are meant for training and are not a good choice for a nice walk. Obviously, I also think collars should be attractive—what self-respecting corgi wants to wear an ugly collar? Oh, and my dad says it is a good idea that the collar be reflective if you are going to walk after dark.

The leash should be comfortable for the human's hand. The leash should be long enough to enable movement but short enough so the human maintains control of the dog. Those extendable, retractable type leashes are pretty cool if you are walking in a clear, safe area, but they aren't good for high-traffic areas, areas with lots of brush, or at any other time when maximum human control is needed. Before you select a leash, you should check your local city ordinances—some places actually mandate the length and type of leash you can use on your walks.

If you are planning on a really long walk or if the weather is really hot, you should consider bringing along a bottle of water and perhaps a collapsible water dish. A handful of treats could come in handy if you need to do any training along the way or in case you need to entice your dog out of an inadvisable situation. A supply of poopy bags is always needed—hey, sometimes nature calls while we're on the road and no corgi wants to be a bad citizen by leaving any poop behind. Some dog experts believe it can be useful for a dog to wear a backpack and carry these supplies himself...give the dog a job, they say. I've never tried it myself, but I bet I could be the best hauler you ever met!

Next, let's consider where the walk takes place. We dogs aren't all that choosy. A quick turn around the neighborhood is great; a leisurely stroll in the park is fantastic—any place we can walk, sniff, and enjoy the company of our human is a fine place for us. We ask that you make sure our walk environment is safe—avoid areas where there is excessive car traffic, dogs off-leash, or any hazardous substances within reach of your corgi. And don't forget this: You have on shoes; we don't. Walking on hot pavement, over sharp rocks, or through stickers can hurt our delicate foot pads!

Finally, let's talk about the experience itself. I personally can't recommend it, but the humans believe it is essential that dogs be made to “heel” during walks. They say if we dogs walk out ahead, it gets us thinking we are in control of the walk—I can't see the problem with this way of thinking but it seems to intimidate the humans.

The pace of the walk should be brisk, to give us the level of exercise we need. But we dogs appreciate it if you remember to stop and sniff a little along the way. When deciding on the length of the walk, you must consider your dogs' age, health, and fitness level as well as the external conditions, like the weather. In our family we have some disagreement: Lucy the beagle and I both are short-legged girls in pretty decent condition, but we simply cannot walk at the pace and distance preferred by our big brother Claude, the cranky husky-malamute mix. Our parents have to take this into account when planning our walks.

Oh, yes, I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to talk about the treadmill. Some dogs, especially those who live in an environment that doesn't lend itself well to nice outside walks, have taken the gym-approach by learning to walk on a treadmill. This is a fine alternative to give exercise, but don't forget to add in some sensory stimulation to make up for the outdoor sights, sounds and sniffs that are lacking.

Walks can be one of the best bonding experiences for corgis and their people. With a little planning and effort, dogs and humans alike benefit from the walk experience. I highly recommend you get out with your corgi and take a walk today!

Til next time!

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

(I don't always take walks, but when I do, it wears me out!)