4th of July and Fireworks

The day after the 4th of July is the busiest day of the year for animal control officers, shelters and Humane Societies. Each year thousands of pets are lost across the country due to the fear and panic invoked by our celebration of Independence day with the use of fireworks. Many owners are not even aware of their animals sensitivities until this time of year and many, caught unaware, fail to take the precautions necessary to keep their pets safe from injury or escape.

This year think of your pet. If you know your pet has sounds sensativities, stay home with him. Make sure he is secured in a safe place where he is unable to harm himself with escape attempts.

Debbie Wood, Award Winning Pet Columnist with the Oregonian will be writing a column on pets and fireworks, to be published in 2 parts, the first on June 29th. Take the time to pick up a copy and read some of the hints and tips she offers for both the safety of your pet and what to do if you encounter a lost and fearful pet.

A photographer from the Oregonian will be coming out today to photograph Chance as the "poster dog" for what can happen when you mix dogs and fireworks. As many of you know, I lost Chance for a couple of hours at this years OSU Pet Day as a result of the fireworks going off at Reser Stadium.
Thankfully OSU has chosen to end this form of celebration at their sporting events due to the outcry of pet owners having to watch their pets be tormented by the noise.

No one will be cancelling 4th of July though, so it is important that you take care of your pet on this, the most frightening day of the year for many pets. Do celebrate! The day of our Independence is an important holiday to mark.
But do it safely....for both man and beast!

Julie

Hot Hot Hot

Well it was supposed to hit 90 today and it feels like it! Make sure that your pup has plenty of cool, fresh, water. Be sure to pick up one of those small plastic kiddie pools to help keep you pup cool. Chance loves to go bobbing for tennis balls!

Standing water does tend to draw mosquitoes, which can carry disease. This "recipe" for a mosquito repellent is all natural and can help deter the pesky critters from both man and beast!

Take a BIG fat lemon (the more rind the better) and slice it
paper thin. Put in a bowl with a tablespoon of crushed rosemary leaves
(or a 6 inch sprig of fresh). Pour over with a quart of hot, near boiling
water. Let steep overnight. Strain and put into a large spray bottle. Keep
in fridge. Shake well before applying. The d-lemeone in this spray
along with the rosemary oil will give your dog a beautiful shiny coat
and keep fleas and other bugs away .. including mosquitoes. If your dog has dry skin or allergies add a teaspoon of tea tree oil and a tablespoon of Aloe pulp. Use the spray at least twice a week to keep the scent on the coat to repel bugs, and spray it around your doors and through the carpets.
If it's a bad flea time, spray daily on the belly and feet to repel them.

Keep Cool!

Julie

Herding

Here is Chance moving toward the sheep a step at a time with the help of the clicker. His comfort level started at about 15 ft and in a few minutes he
was up to 4 ft.

Chance watches as another dog herds.

Instinct kicks in!

Chance tries Herding!

Who'd of thought you'd have to clicker train a border collie to herd! Well that's exactly what happened last week when I took Chance, my 3 year old BC down to Eugene to see what kind of instincts he had!

Showing some concern about the proximity of the sheep, our trainer suggested that we just sit in the pen and let Chance get used to them! I decided to see if I could get Chance to approach the sheep by clicking each step toward them

It didn't take long though for instinct to kick in and he was all over those sheep!

Watch for upcoming photos of our clicker training session and Chance's fun afternoon working with trainer Shannon Pfifer.

Welcome to the Wonder Dogs Web Log! On this page you will find messages of interest re: Wonder Dogs classes, fun activities for you and your dog, reports on recent happenings, recipes your dog will love and anything else that I think you might enjoy!

Feel free to add your comments and questions! And check back often!

Julie