©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

       The antiseptic Baby and the prophylactic pup

       Were playing in the garden when the Bunny gamboled up;

        They looked upon the Creature with loathing undisguised –

        It wasn’t Disinfected and it wasn’t Sterilized.

                                                            Strictly Germ proof

                                                          By Arthur Guiterman

           Although our pets are not disinfected and sterilized they can be kept clean by regular grooming. Begin brushing your pet when he first arrives. Make the sessions short - five minutes. Give a “good” treat when you are done. This will make it a fun session as well as making it easier to continue detailed grooming as his hair matures. If you follow a regular routine, problems such as matting and tangles will be minimized. With long-haired dogs, fifteen minutes a day; possibly while watching a favorite television show would be necessary to keep the coat shiny and tangle free. Short-haired dogs benefit from a vigorous daily rub down with a hound glove or rough cloth to keep hair shiny and flat.

         Dogs should be bathed only when excessively dirty. Too often a shampoo causes dry, flaky skin or minor irritations, and always use a pet product. Pet shampoos have a different ph and neutral scent. Regular brushing will remove dirt and keep the coat shiny and clean. There are dry shampoos that are sprinkled on and brushed out leaving hair smelling and looking fresh. Corn starch can also be sprinkled on and brushed out leaving white dogs in particular as pure as new snow.

        There are many books on grooming available, especially for poodles and long-haired dogs requiring extra trimming and detailed care. Sometimes a professional grooming every eight weeks is a wise investment for the non-shedding type of dogs.

        Cats should be groomed daily with a soft brush and they quickly learn to love the extra attention. Long-haired cats especially can become matted without the daily ritual. Even cage birds benefit from daily grooming either in a special bath or sprayed with a fine mist of warm water.

       We all feel better when we are clean and our furry friends are no exception. To look and feel their best depends on us to ensure a regular grooming routine. The shiny, healthy coat is reward enough.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

The days have been warm and sort of sunny - the nights way below zero at -15. The snow is melting during the day - in fact the roof of the greenhouse let go! the snow made a huge mound for th epups to play on.  Who needs fancy playground equipement for dogs - these pups love climbing!! Notice - little Nan on the roof.

King of the castle! Nelson is highest with Brie Marie next, Nan on the roof, Nip and Ned watching Squire below!

Now Annie is Queen! Ned is beside her.

Curly Sue, Colby, Annie and Nip.

 
Danny watching the other pups play.

Squire and Nan

Possum on the move.

Miss Queen Bee - Sweetpea

Bronson and Holly enjoying the sun while Sampson watches.

Zorra

Another of our old timers - Colby - 13 years old.

“Auntie” Sophie our second oldest dog here at 17 years of age - sleeping next to the stove with Nelson.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

Yesterday Sampson had a breakthrough! He has lived here for all of his 15 months of life. He is one of my demodex gang - a family of 17 dogs (only 3 left to go) - 3 generations born from one female rottweiller with severe demodex - Honeybear - 120 pounds of pure sweetness! While his demodex was flaring/regressing/flaring in its journey Sampson stayed in his own little world. He played with Plato or Curley Sue and Coco Brindle. He rarely interacted with the humans around him.  He just didn’t feel well enough to push himself. As he reached a year old  his coat though patchy was coming in a bit better an dhis skin condition has no infections. It was time to take a chance on neutering him. Sampson went in and came home safe and sound. He weighed a hefty 98 pounds! As expected his demodex flared again. Thanks to Cora of Care Collars.com and Cheryl of Smithers the 3 remaining demodex gang started another round of  ivomec and antibiotics. this time we saw a big change - their skin improved - looking almost normal and elastic. Their coat came in shiny, glossy hairs sprinkling good skin. they were getting better - beating the demodex into submission. With the improvement in their demodex came another change - they were friendlier with people. They felt better, happier. They started to play and solicit pats. They asked for treat - actually begging. They started following me outside the front door into the main dog yard. and Sampson went one better yesterday. He walked over the fence and greeted visitors! For the first time ever Sampson went to a stranger to say hello. Needless to say I was ecstatic. And to top it all off - they had cookies! Sampson was rewarded for visiting.  They had come to visit Abe (he will be going home to Smithers on Wednesday once they have bought all his new gear!) Sampson’s big tail was waving, his wrinkled face grinning. Sampson made the rounds of visitors gently accepting pats and cookies. Way to go big guy! I think he is ready for his own family!

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

A well behaved dog is a joy to be with and welcome anywhere. Sara Jane was my best friend and a very well behaved dog. A few years ago, I visited Prince George for a medical appointment and took Sara. We stayed at my son’s home and Sara was a perfect guest. Her manners were excellent at my son’s home or visiting friends. She is quiet in the car, immaculate in the home and is calm around people. Although reserved to strangers, she is not growley. Most people call my Sara a snob. She is not interested in strangers which is a common trait in Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. They can also be possessive. It is very important to research the traits in the dog you adopt and work to minimize the potential problems. 

 Socializing is the main factor in a well behaved dog. A dog who knows sit at home may be too stressed in a strange environment to understand the simple command. Stress affects animals differently than humans. Some animals shut down which means they don’t remember a simple command. Others act up. Taking the dog to different places helps her to accept new places and people. It teaches her that sit means sit everywhere she goes, and that nothing bad happens. It also introduces her to rewarding experiences. With a dog like Sara it is doubly important to introduce her to as many different people as possible. A possessive - inclined dog can be too possessive. If not socialized well, they will “protect” their human from imagined dangers. This can lead to fear-biting which is the main cause of dog-bites. A dog that is afraid of new things will try to run away. If he can’t flee, he will growl and ultimately bite. Meeting new people in as many different ways with lots of treats and fun times is the best training a dog can learn.

It is very important when socializing a puppy that the puppy is vaccinated twice before taking the dog to public places. Parvo virus is a major killer of young unvaccinated dog. Parvo can be carried on your shoes and infect the puppy that never leaves home. Some dogs can recover from the disease and show no symptoms yet are carriers that infect other dogs. Parvo can live in the ground and be rehydrated during rainstorms which is why parvo is so prevalent in the spring. The best way to protect your dog is through vaccinations. Talk to your veterinarian for the best vaccination program. Then introduce your dog to as many different situations and people you can. The reward is a dog welcome everywhere like my Sara.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.

©Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue Society. Have your pet spayed or neutered today.