Who knows you better than your pet?

Recently it seems like so many people I know have lost pets or have elderly pets that are in poor health.  If you read my thoughts regularly you know I have 3 dogs.  Tigger I have had since he was 3 months old and he is almost 8 years old.  Daisy I have had since she was 1 year old and she is almost 6.  Spec I got from my sister when he was about 5 and I think he is 8 or 9.  I can't imagine having to ever make the decision to put a dog down.  Having so many friends in this very situation makes me think about when it does happen to me.  I often wonder why a dogs life is so short.  They bring so much happiness to so many people I don't know why they have to be on this planet for such a short time.  Many things in life I understand this I don't. 

I have recently thought about my dogs and how well I know them and they know me.  They can sense when I am in a good mood or bad mood.  They know when I don't feel good.  I in turn know when the slightest thing is off with them. 

There is not a human around that is so happy to see me all the TIME!  I know my boyfriend loves me and is glad to see me but I don't think he is nearly as happy as Tigger, Daisy, and Spec are to see me every time I come home.  Even if it is only after 10 minutes they are ecstatic to see me!  When hanging around the house there is always one of them right near me.....literally.  If I have to go to the bathroom one of them follows me to the bathroom lies on the carpet looks at me.  Then a minute and its over I go back to the kitchen or living room and they follow. They do this like it is no big deal. I try to tell them I will be right back and there is no need to follow me everywhere but of course they don't listen or understand.  At home I am never alone.  I get more kisses from my dogs then any other human.  And if your not a dog person you would think that is gross but dog people understand! My work schedule and my day is planned around my dogs.  I plan their walks around my schedule.  I make sure I can come home during the day to spend time with them.  They are my children!

No wonder why it is so devastating to lose a dog.  In many cases your dog knows you better than humans and they are with you more than your human family.  They follow you, welcome you and love you unconditionally.  I have not lost a dog but I know someday the time will come when it does  I will be devastated.  I am not sure what my coping method will be but I can't imagine coming home and not having 3 wagging tails waiting for me.  In the meantime I am going to enjoy every minute I have with them.

My dog doesn't need a leash.....really? All dogs should be on a leash when in public



Me with my dogs always on leash

I am always so amazed when I see people walking their dogs off leash.  I see this everywhere. Yesterday in a busy park with people, other dogs (on leash) and cars driving through the parking lot I saw a lady doing this.  She had 3 little dogs. One was on leash and the others off leash to roam free.  It only takes one little distraction for the dog to run in front of a car and get hurt or killed.  I had to bite my tongue because I wanted to say something so bad.  Her dog ran up to me as I was setting up my Pumped For Paws event. She yelled at the dog to come to her and of course the dog completely ignored her.

I have a paved trail by my house which I walk or run my dogs on and periodically I see other people with dogs off leash. I have mentioned before my Daisy dog is not friendly with other dogs. This aggressive behavior is multiplied when she is on leash. I think she feels the need to protect all of us.  So if a dog off leash approached us, it is not pretty.  Last week as I was running I saw these 2 ladies walking their 3 dogs all of them off leash.  Thankfully I didn't have my dogs at the time.  As I approached they held on to two of the dogs while the other roamed free.  I stopped and said if you ever see me on this trail (cause I am here alot) with my dogs please keep your dogs on leash because one of my dogs is not friendly with other dogs.  They said ok and I went on my way.  Yesterday I was walking all three dogs and I see the same ladies at the end of the trail.  They waited for me to come to the end of the trail before they started their walk.  The one lady said oh we waited for you because you were with your dogs.  I said thanks and kept walking.  At this point they were across the street from me (which is a pretty busy street).   Their big dog which was a Rottweiler came walking across the street toward me and the lady tried calling it back.  It kept coming and she said to me oh he is friendly.  I was thinking to myself (is this really happening) because I just told them how aggressive my dogs is.  I said well my dog is not friendly. She made no attempt to go grab the dog or anything.  She also didn't seem concerned at all that it was crossing a street all alone!  I looked at the Rottweiler and said NO!  It stopped and looked at us.  Moved forward a few steps and I said NO again!  Meanwhile the lady is still standing on the other side of the street calling her not NOT moving! And the dog of course is not listening.  I turned and walked forward leaving the dog only to stare at me.  Thankfully this turned out OK.  I can't believe the stupidity of people that don't feel the need to keep their dogs on a leash!  What is so hard about keeping your dog on a leash?  Why do people feel the need to let them roam with no regard for others? 

Please consider the consequences of not having your dog on a leash.  This includes when in front of your house, on a trail, or anyplace.  Your dog should always be on a leash. Don't think just because your dog is good, listens well, and is friendly you don't have to use a leash. Think about others. Dogs have natural instincts.  If they are off leash on a trail and see a critter they could be gone in a second and you may never see them again.  They could see another dog and dart off to go up to it. You may not be fast enough and that other dog may be like my Daisy dog and suddenly you have a full on dog fight.  They could easily run into the street only to get killed by a car and that is your fault NOT the person driving the car or the dog. 

Great Workout For A Great Cause! This Saturday May 12th!

May 12th, 2012 9am

Bring your entire family outside to workout for a good cause. Get Fit With Friends, Family, and Fido is all about FUN. We are getting Pumped For Paws! Each person or mutt will be asked to donate $10 to the NSPCA. You can come alone, with family, kids, dogs, and be prepared to have fun all while burning some calories! Every $25 donation will receive a free shirt!

Where - The Mesa Park - coming from Tropicana and 215 go west on Tropicana. Turn left on Town Center and you will drive straight into the park.

When - May 12th at 9am. Please arrive 15 minutes early.

Who - Any person, teenager, or dog who wants to have fun and get some exercise all for a good cause. I will have two groups. One group will be people without their dogs and another group will be people with dogs. So you can bring your mutt and if you don't want to then bring a friend!

How - Contact me to reserve your spot...hurry space is limited!

If you can't make it but would like to donate to a great cause simply click the following link

http://www.yourcause.com/getpumpedforpaws/MyFundRaising

Come and get the entire family moving and have fun.  Lets get kids, parents and pets healthy and find fun ways to exercise and raise money for a great organization.