No Fair!

I think we've been tricked by our humans!  My tiny trust is shattered.

Hi, all, Lily the Corgi here.  This week has been, quite frankly, very dull.   Mama is up and running with her online business and had a lot of assignments this past week, so she didn't take us anywhere or play with us as much as she should have.  Mama has kept her word to us about taking a break from fostering dogs for a while, so we didn't even have any rowdy, uncivilized beasts to cut the monotony of the hours.  That is, until Saturday!

Bright and early Saturday morning, mama and daddy told us to get our leashes on because we were going in the truck.  The weather was lovely, we were going somewhere, I'm thinking "Dog Park!"  We were all very excited and hopped into the truck happily.  We made it to the very end of our street when, hey...the dog park is to the right.  Why are we turning left?  

As it turns out, there was no dog park trip planned.  We were going to a place called a fire station to a thing called a shot clinic.  I didn't know what either of those things were, but color me skeptical, I didn't have a great feeling about this.

We unloaded at the fire station and that turned out to be pretty nice.  A fire station is where they keep those really big, really loud red trucks that race around and have sirens that are very noisy.  We were able to get up close and personal with the trucks, sniff the hoses, and check out all the knobs and valves and buttons on that thing.  It was rather interesting.  Then we left the trucks and went on around a building and found a whole line of other doggies, along with their parents who were all just eager to pet me and admire me as they all should.  Maybe this wasn't going to be such an awful experience after all.

Lined up for the Shot Clinic

Mama and daddy had to file out forms while we dogs all sniffed and socialized with the others in line.  Then we got into a little building that was FULL of people and dogs and shelves of boots, coats and hoses.  It was very exciting.  Then I noticed...dogs at the front of the line were being placed on a table and a guy behind the table was messing with them  Wait, I recognize this scenario...this is the VET!

I don't know who made up this meme, but it summed up my feelings exactly!

Yeah, we were lining up to get actual shots...2 of them!  Mama says one shot is to keep us from getting rabies, which is a horrible scary disease that kills any animal who catches it.  The other shot is called a 5-in-1 and keeps us from getting parvo, distemper, and 3 other nasty doggy diseases.  I guess that's a good thing; I don't want to get sick.  But seriously?  Two shots on a beautiful Saturday morning when we thought we were going to the dog park?  That's just not fair.  Poor old Sadie thought it was even MORE unfair...she already had taken her insulin shot that morning and would have to take insulin again at supper time, so she was well and truly tired of being poked with needles this day!

Despite the unfairness of the whole situation, I must say that the vet who gave me the shots was a fairly nice looking young man.  And, because they were having to get paperwork done for all three of us, I was standing on the table for quite some time and the vet had nothing to do but pet me and tell me what a pretty girl I am.  That was almost worth the shot.  After the vet, we went to yet another table where there was a nice lady who gave me 2 charms for my collar--a pretty green rabies tag to show I have had my shot and a shiny silver city tag, to tell people I'm an official resident of my city.  Like most girls, I'm always happy to get jewelry, so that was certainly a plus.

Here I am, sitting like a good girl, while the vet gives me my shots.

Now usually when we do something nice and behave ourselves like ladies out in public, mama and daddy will drop by Sonic and get us a little bag of tater tots to share, but not this time.  Mama said that after having shots, sometimes dogs can be a little sickly; mama didn't want tater tots barfed in her floor so no tots for us.  To make matters even worse, last night was "Cruise Night" in our town and we should have been welcome to go sit by the side of the road with all the other people and doggies in town to watch classic cars, motorcycles, and assorted oddities go up and down but noooooo.  Mama said she really didn't want us to be out getting all excited (you can read that to say she didn't want Miss Neurotic Sadie getting all stressed) so we had to stay home.  *Sigh* 

Well, no one got sick and now daddy says we may get a treat later on; I know there are still chew treats in the kitchen.  I don't know how I feel about all this shot clinic business.  Mama says it is a good thing; our city puts on this shot clinic every year so residents can get low-cost vaccinations for their doggies.  Mama says the law requires that we have that rabies shot and the city wants to make sure everyone obeys the law. She also says doggies who haven't had shots aren't allowed at the dog park!  I'm sure I don't want any dogs getting sick and I certainly want to continue visiting the dog park, so I suppose it was all worth it.  Hey, city people, maybe next year don't schedule shot clinic and Cruise Night for the same day, okay?

That's all I've got for this time folks.  Why don't you check your records and be sure your doggies are up to date on their vaccinations?  Even though it is a bit of a trial, having shots is really not such a bad experience and it can save lives.  Many cities, towns, and rescue groups sponsor low-cost shot clinics from time to time.  If you can't afford shots for your doggies, talk to your vet; he/she may be able to help you find a low-cost or even free option to keep those canines (and kitties) healthy.

I'm going to go give daddy the moist eyes until he comes up with that treat he owes us.  Til next time, everyone, take care of each other.  

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

One more picture of us, sniffing our way through the line at the shot clinic.

Dog Flu

I am too cute for my own good.

Hi all, Lily the Corgi here.  How has your week been?  We've had a little weirdness here this past week...but, isn't that the normal for life around here?  This week, we got a new foster dog named Popcorn.  Popcorn was a nice enough guy, but he was big and very energetic and he really scared Sadie.  I mean scared her to the point she was trembling, hiding, peeing in the floor.  Lucy and I tried to protect Sadie by growling and snapping at Popcorn the foster dog to keep him at a distance.  Since Sadie has poorly controlled diabetes already, mama was afraid the stress would cause her to become very ill, so Popcorn had to leave.  I know I've made snide comments about the fosters, but I was once a foster myself and I know how important it is to have foster homes for these homeless doggies.  Popcorn is safe at the rescue, but at our house, we're taking a break from fostering for Sadie's sake.  

Mama is very upset that we are having to stop fostering for a while; she says dogs may die because we don't give them a place to go, but that Sadie has to be her first priority.  Folks, if you can find it in your hearts to foster...and if your doggies don't get so upset they become ill like Sadie...please, please consider fostering.  Okay, that's my public service announcement for the day.

Sadie is not the most stable dog in the universe, but we love her.

So, anyway, today I wanted to talk to you about something pretty serious.  It seems in some parts of the country, canine influenza is becoming quite widespread.  Many dogs, including my sisters and me, had our flu shots, but we are being told this outbreak is of a different strain than the one covered by the vaccines.  A lot of dogs in the Chicago area have become very sick from this new dog flu; vets and pet parents are afraid that flu is going to spread far and wide since no one has a vaccine for it.  

In the interests of stopping, or at least slowing, the spread of this doggy illness, some basic precautions are recommended:

1.  Vaccinate your dog.  This will protect your dog from one of the flu strains and afford as much protection as possible.  

2.  Avoid social situations like dog parks and kennels, doggy day car and corgi meet-ups (GASP!)   Also avoid taking your dog to places like Petsmart, Petco, etc...where your dog can come in contact with items an infected dog might have encountered, and by encountered I mean sneezed on, peed on, and slobbered on.  Anywhere your dog interacts with other dogs is a place where flu can be passed.  Remember, an infected dog doesn't have to appear sick to pass on the disease.

3.  If you humans come in contact with other dogs, wash your hands, clothes or any object that comes in contact with the other dogs.  You could be the carrier of the flu germs (and besides, it really ticks off your dog when you come home smelling of foreign dogs!)

4.  Speak with your vet about any questions or concerns you may have.

I've never been to Chicago, but our former foster dog Linus lives there now.  I hope he's okay.  I live in a small town just outside a small city so we aren't as worried about infection as big city critters might be, but one can never be too careful!  This flu can surely make dogs sick; a doggy who is not in good health to start with runs a risk of having the flu turn into pneumonia which is potentially fatal.  Use your good judgement to protect yourselves from this flu.

That's all I've got for now.  My mama is starting a stay-at-home job tomorrow where she will need to talk on the phone and on the computer part of the day.  She says we need to be quiet while she's working.  Okay, mama, I'll try, but I make NO promises if a squirrel happens to romp across the fence.

Take care of each other and remember to cover when you sneeze--I recommend burying your snout in a pile of fresh laundry to catch any flying snot.

Til next time,

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

Here I am getting some much deserved attention at the dog park.  I may not be going to the dog park for a while, at least until the threat of the doggy flu has passed.   SIGH

Information for this post taken from the websites of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMC).

How Much Is Too Much?

These dental treats are pretty tasty, but you must protect them from your greedy sisters.

Hi, all, Lily the Corgi here.  First off, I have to say "sorry" for missing my blog post last week.  My secretary (aka Mama) was having some problems and didn't have time to help me with my typing.  Anyway, I'm a week late here, but I think you'll find this blog quite informative.

First of all, let me set the scene:  Mama had gone to the grocery store while my fur sisters and I played outside; when she got home mama let us back in the house and we all played a while and then the rescue lady came and took our foster dog Canyon away.  Canyon has gone on what they call "transport" to a rescue in Colorado, where they'll help her find her forever home.  Mama was really sad--I think she wanted Canyon to stay and live with us.  When daddy came home, he felt sorry for mama and decided to take her out to dinner to cheer her up.  

While they were gone, my nosy sister Lucy decided to snoop around a little...you see, mama was putting away groceries when the rescue lady came and had left a couple of grocery bags on the kitchen floor.  That's a recipe for disaster at our house!

Mama and daddy came home and immediately saw there had been some sort of packaging shredded on the living room floor.  Upon closer inspection mama realized it was a present she bought for daddy--a 7 oz solid milk chocolate Easter bunny from the clearance bin at the store.  There were pieces of box all over the place, but not a sliver of chocolate was anywhere to be found.  Mama lined us girls all up and asked us who ate the chocolate.  She actually sniffed my breath and said I smelled a little like chocolate to her.  I have no comment on this.

Mama tells us that chocolate is bad for dogs.  Well, she must have thought this fairly large bunny was a big problem so she got really worried and hopped on the internet to find the answer to the burning question, "How much chocolate is too much chocolate for your dog?"

Did you know on petmd there is a little program where you can put in the weight of your dog, along with the size and type of pilfered chocolate and then the program will tell you how much trouble you're in?  Mama found that milk chocolate is the LEAST dangerous type of chocolate for dogs (well, except for white chocolate which isn't really chocolate at all.)  Since mama didn't know who ate the chocolate or whether we shared the ill-gotten gain, she decided to go with the worst possible scenario.  With that, she found out that if either Lucy or I had eaten a whole 7 oz solid milk chocolate Easter bunny from the clearance bin at the grocery store, we could expect to suffer only "mild to moderate" symptoms; and if Sadie ate the whole bunny, she'd probably have no difficulties at all.  The little program told mama that we should be watched and taken to the emergency vet if we showed serious symptoms such as:  confusion, increased temperature, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, low blood pressure, seizures, weakness or coma.  The mild to moderate effects that could be expected were vomiting and diarrhea--now don't ya know mama was looking forward to that!?!

Well, as it turned out, no one got sick, which made mama assume we all three shared the stolen bunny (again, I have no comment on this.)  Mama was pretty relieved that her carelessness hadn't poisoned any of us girls and says that should be a reminder to everyone that it only takes a little slip-up to put your doggies in jeopardy.  If that bunny had been dark chocolate, it could have killed one of us!

She looks pretty innocent, but under that sweet facade lies the heart of a food kleptomaniac.

Mama felt really bad that she'd left that bunny down where Lucy could get it.  Daddy, on the other hand, was just ticked off.  You see, he has a tough history with gifts of food.  One of the most memorable of these incidents involved my cousin Quincy the ancient wiener dog and a wrapped box of beef jerky under the Christmas tree...I bet you can see where that went!

Today, mama and daddy were both back in good humor; they took us to the dog park to romp in the grass and swim in the little lake.  We had a very good time and we didn't have to share our parents with any fosters.  Mama says that is supposed to change tomorrow when the rescue lady brings us a new guy to take care of until he can catch his transport to a new life.  I hope this one has some house manners!

Well, that's it for this week folks.  Enjoy this lovely spring weather--you know it is going to get hot and muggy someday soon, so take advantage of it while it's nice.  And remember, if your doggies have any sort of chocolate indiscretion, you can get valuable information from the little program at 

http://www.petmd.com/dog/chocolate-toxicity

Take care of each other, til next time!

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

Here I am, looking lovely and drying in the sunshine after a dip in the dog park lake.