Dogs can have allergic reactions to bug bites too

“Honey, did you see his eye?” my husband said to me last night, waving me over to the kitchen where he was kneeling and looking at our dog.
I walked over and much to my chagrin, saw exactly what he saw — a huge welt in the corner of our dog’s eye.
“Ouch — that’s a horsefly bite,” I said. “Time for Benadryl!”
We discovered long ago that in addition to being allergic to many kinds of foods, Sensi is also allergic to bug bites. Exactly which bug bites he is allergic to is a bit of a mystery, but I think we’ve pieced together the puzzle pretty well.
It’s actually the deer flies — which I commonly and incorrectly refer to as horseflies — which cause Sensi some misery. The bites will blow up into huge welts depending on the severity of the bite.
Bees, we think, cause an even greater and dangerous reaction in our dog. One time, we had to rush him to the emergency vet after he appeared to have been stung around his mouth. He swelled up to the point that he looked like a Shar Pei and the scariest of it all was that, like a person, his throat began swelling and closing up and his tongue was turning blue.
It was after that incident that we found out Benadryl can be used for dogs. The veterinarian at the emergency clinic gave him a shot of Benadryl and a steriod for that reaction, then recommended we give him two tablets of over-the-counter Benadryl every four hours until the swelling was gone.
She also recommended we keep Benadryl handy and, if any such reactions came about in the future, immediately give him Benadryl to stem the swelling and then seek professional medical treatment.
Since then, we’ve found Benadryl to be very helpful in treating the deer fly bites. It helps him to not be itchy and keeps the swelling to a minimum.
Keep in mind that Sensi is an 80-lb. dog. To find out how much Benadryl is safe to administer to your dog, call your veterinarian and ask. Never guess.

Check out this video of the welt on Sensi’s eye and how we administer the Benadryl to him in a way that he likes very much!

The robins just can’t win

Bird lovers be warned, you may find this post offensive.
We have a burning bush that sits in front of our porch, directly within the line of sight of the kitchen window over the sink. As the primary chef in our house, I spend a whole lot of time in front of that window.
Since early in the spring, I’ve been watching this pair of robins build a nest in the bush and attempt to raise their young. I watch them fly in, land on the railing to the porch and merrily hop into the bush with their beaks full of bugs and worms. I have a great view; the nest is just about four or five feet in front of the window.
The robins are great parents, both of them flying to the porch rail and one will wait there patiently with its beak loaded while it’s mate dives into the bush to feed the little babies. I’ve really enjoyed watching them.
Earlier this spring, the robins had a full nest with healthy little baby birds until one day, they all disappeared.
“I think the cats got ‘em,” my husband said as we discussed the sudden absence of the baby birds. “I saw that black cat crawling around behind that bush the other day when I was mowing my lawn — I think she was going back to make sure she didn’t leave any meals behind.”
“That’s horrible,” I said. “We really need to trap those cats.”
Sidenote: we have some feral cats running around the neighborhood. I was going to try and do a spay/neuter and release earlier this year, but I didn’t realize how time consuming and expensive that can be.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the robins didn’t give up or move away, but decided to give parenthood another shot in the same nest. I continued watching them, making sure the babies were still in there and hadn’t been made into any more kitty meals.
Yesterday, Sensi was outside doing his routine after-dinner potty break and I noticed he was taking a lot longer than usual. I peeked my head out the front door and there he was, his face smashed as far through the porch railing as possible and his nose quivering at the scent of the baby birds.
I walked over to him and looked in the nest. I could see the two babies were nearly ready to leave the nest — there was practically no fuzzy feathers left and all they needed were some more feathers on their wings and tail and they’d be ready to go.
Sensi jumped up on the railing to get a better view.
“There really is something in that bush because Mom’s looking too!” he reasoned, but still didn’t seem overly excited. Sensi is pretty gentle around small living things, even frogs.
He began walking around the porch to check out the nest from the other side of the porch, but he wasn’t hurrying and so, I didn’t hurry to pick up the chain either, figuring I had plenty of time to stop him and doubting he’d do anything to the birds anyhow.
I was wrong.
Once he was under the bush, he nudged his head upwards and shook the branches, catapulting both baby birds out of the nest. One fell in the grass to the right but the other unlucky soul gave his best attempt at flight, which only served to activate my dog’s prey drive.
By this time, I had a handle on the chain and was pulling my dog toward me, but it wasn’t doing any good — both the dog and bird were headed my way too.
Sensi leapt up at the bird, not really grasping it in his mouth but rather pushing it and catapulting it further into the air. The bird was tossed about five feet and landed on its back on the hard concrete of our driveway. The poor little fella never moved again.
I hastily lead Sensi back inside and ignored him for the rest of the night. He ruined the only thing I enjoy about washing dishes — watching those darn birds. I so wanted to see the robin’s have success this time around.
The other baby bird was fine. I watched as each parent swooped in, checking it out and calling it to hop across the yard to safety. They moved that little baby far, far away from the dog’s potty area. Smart birds.
I’d like to think that little baby bird will make it another week or so until it can fly, but I know how things go. We have cats, raccoons and all sorts of critters that would love such an easy meal.
Poor robins just can’t catch a break.
Meanwhile, I ignored Sensi for most of the rest of the evening.
“I can’t believe you killed my baby bird,” I told him. “Bird killing is bad!”
He sulked all night.

Saying goodbye

The joys of owning a dog are many and great, but biding that final farewell can be as painful as losing a loved one. Dogs are, after all, our loved ones too.
There’s an email that circulates every now and again about a boy who lost his dog and was able to make sense of that pain in a comforting way.
The boy said that people need to live a long life to learn how to love unconditionally and live to the fullest. Dogs, he said, are born knowing how to do this and because of that, they don’t need to spend as much time on Earth as people do.
I like that.
Personally, I’ve never had one of those final goodbyes. Sensi is my first dog, my only dog, my baby. He’s not much of a baby anymore — more like an old man, nowadays — and I know that one day, we’ll have to part ways. I dread it. I often catch myself looking at him and wishing he could grow old with us and be with us always.
I know we’re on borrowed time with him. And in reality, we’re all on our borrowed time when it comes to our pets. One day, we all have to say that final goodbye, give that last scratch behind the ear, the last belly rub and receive that last slobbering kiss from our furry friends.
I read a blog post yesterday that brought me to tears. The emotion that comes through in this piece of writing is just overwhelming.
I encourage everyone to give it a read, but only after you’ve moved a box of Kleenex within reach of the computer.
Because I really, really want everyone to take a moment and read how a dog captured a man’s heart, I’m including the first paragraph. It will leave you wanting more.
It is titled Dear Oscar ...
“We lost you this week, my friend. And I’ve been missing you horribly since Thursday when you died. Writing you a letter is stupid; dogs can’t read, and even if they could read I suppose you’d have to be alive to pull that off. But I deal with stuff by writing, so you get your very own letter, big boy! To Oscar with love, from the person you adopted as ‘yours.’”
Click here to continue reading Christopher Barger’s final goodbye letter to his much loved dog.

For Christopher and all those who have grieved or will grieve over the loss of a dog, here is a piece of writing I received a long time ago. I hope it provides a little comfort in this time of grief:

The Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called the Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.
The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then, you cross the Rainbow Bridge together ...
Author Unknown

Camera training your dog

Dogs are part of the family nowadays, and as such, we want our pets in our family portraits and in general, we want photos of them just like we want photos of our children and loved ones.

But dogs don’t understand the concept of a camera. They don’t sit quietly and say cheese for the camera — in fact, in many cases, they don’t care to even look at the camera.

A dog that has a lot of photos taken with a bright flash right in their eyes will even learn to shut their eyes for the camera. Natural reaction, if you think about it. They don’t know any better.

But there is a way to camera train your dog and it’s a very easy thing to do. I’ve done it with several dogs over the years and it always works like a charm.

1) Take out the camera, get a bag of treats and sit down on the floor with your pooch.

2) Start taking photos, but don’t point the camera at anything in particular — it’s best to use a digital camera, because you’ll probably have a lot of photos of walls and carpet to delete later. Give the dog a treat every time the camera takes a photo, but you have to pinpoint the noise the camera makes right as the photo is taken — not the flash noise, but the actual noise right at the moment the photo is snapped. It might be a quiet noise, but that’s OK. Your dog can hear it.

3) Every time the camera makes that noise, give your dog a treat. Nothing is more important than timing with this type of training, because you are training your dog specifically to learn that the noise the camera makes is what gets him a treat. Have the treat ready in one hand while the other hand is pressing the button on the camera.

After a while, you’ll notice that your dog will begin looking at the camera, waiting and staring at it in anticipation of that noise. At this point, incorporate a sit-stay into the equation. Once your dog is sitting, staying and staring at the camera, your training is complete.

I mean, no training is ever totally complete, but you’ve achieved the objective. Practice a few more times here and there to reinforce the behavior, and it’s a good idea to have some treats around once in a while when you are taking photos.

I’ve also incorporated a little tripod training into the mix too. We use tripods on a semi-regular basis to snap group photos and we always want our dogs in the photo, so it makes sense.

Tripods can be scary to dogs, especially the big ones that start out small but have extendable legs. To make sure my fearful dog didn’t become scared of the tripod, I first introduced the tripod with a lot of treats. I’d put the treats on the tripod and have him literally eat a bunch right off of it. I’d extend and contract the legs a bunch of times while tossing him treats to get him used to the noise and movement of the tripod. Then, I put the camera on the tripod and carefully set some treats on it, then began taking photos while he was in a sit-stay. The training with the camera sounds kicked in and voila! I have a dog that now tries to sit and stay about four feet in front of a tripod any time he sees one.

* My one friend’s dog, Sammy — the little brown one in the photos — responded so well to the training that he now begs to have his photo taken whenever he spots someone with a camera in their hand. In the one photo, he’s jumped up on my leg, staring at the camera and trying to get my attention so he can have his photo taken. Success!

Nanny cam for dogs?

I've often joked with my husband that if we were to win the lottery or something, I'd outfit every room in the house with nanny cams.
Why? Isn't it obvious? I'm curious to see what my dog does during the day.
We've always assumed he just lays around and sleeps. For a long time, we knew he wouldn't eat or drink while we were away.
We've been together in our new house for almost two years now, though, and I think his behaviors are changing.
For one, I know he drinks water during the day now — I'll come home and find the water bowl less full than when I left.
For two, I sometimes find things moved around when I come home. Since earlier this summer, the comforter on the twin bed in our extra bedroom has been all twisted up. This is clear evidence that Sensi's been in there. Sensi loves blankets and is quite adept at moving them around to create a nice little pillow and bolster for him to lay against.
I'm off work this week and being at home during the day has given me some insight into my dog's daily behaviors. And sure enough, he's claimed that twin bed as his daytime dozing spot.
I'm not entirely surprised given that the bed sits in front of a large bay window. It not only allows him the best view of our front yard, but also means the room fills up with sunshine starting at about 1 p.m.
I don't know what it is about black, shorthaired dogs, but they seem to love to sunbathe.
I've figured out that Sensi's routine is to lay in the sunspots at the back of the house until the sun moves to the front of the house. Then, he perches himself on that bed for a good nap.
Perhaps all this sunshine is also why he's drinking water during the day now.
Either way, I suppose the nanny cams would be a waste. I'd be watching ten hours of my dog napping in sunshine.
Oh, to have the life of a dog.
What do you think your dog does during the day? Would you use a nanny cam to find out?

Here's some snapshots I got of him, all cozy and comfortable in his daytime dozing spot.

Dog Days

There's a lot more dog-friendly events coming up, including the one tonight in downtown Ferndale.

Before I jump right into the calendar, though, I want to let readers know that I still have not received a call back from the Lincoln Police Department regarding the mauling death of a 5-year-old boy by what most media outlets are alleging is a wolf-hybrid. It's frustrating.

Also, I heard the stupidest thing yesterday from a friend of mine and I just can't pass up sharing it. He said he felt his dog's behavior worsened as a result of the dog being neutered — and let me clarify: aggression, prey drive, escapism and destruction are the behaviors he thinks that neutering somehow caused. Is that not the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard? I was up so late arguing with him, but some people you just can't talk sense into.

OK, enough ranting. Here's the calendar!

SUNDAYS THROUGHOUT JULY
Holly Twp. and Fenton — As part of its 3rd annual pet appreciation month, Dynamic Works Photography of Holly will offer free photo sessions for pets at Fenton Park, 311 S. Leroy Street in Fenton, and at Holly State Park, 8100 Grange Hall Road in Holly, in exchange for donations of kitten food. Kim Wieas, photographer, will be alternating between the two parks and requires participants to call 248-634-2747 to make appointments. Participants will get a free 30-minute photo session valued at $100 as well as a 5x7 wall portrait and online viewing of photos. All pet food donations are appreciated, but kitten food is especially needed. All donations benefit the Michigan Humane Society.

DAILY THROUGH AUGUST 1
Troy — Check out custom-designed dog houses and purchase blueprints for just $5 in the North Grand Court at the Somerset Collection. The dog houses have been designed by six prominent architectural firms from the area as well as the designers of LEGO. Each house was then hand built by members of the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters. Designs include the Frank Lloyd Bite House, the Bau Wow House, the Green Roof Pet House, the Wiener-Haus and more. All money raised from the sale of blueprints will benefit the Oakland Pet Adoption Center. The display is open during mall hours from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

THURSDAY, JULY 15
Ferndale — The third annual “Fido Does Ferndale” will be from 5 to 9 p.m. in downtown Ferndale. The event includes a pooch parade along W. 9 Mile Road at 6 p.m., a K-9 Treasure Hunt from 7 to 9 p.m., dog games and tricks, information sessions like “Ask the Trainer” and more. Fundraising opportunities to benefit Waggs & Wishes, the city’s most recently opened animal shelter, will also be available. Check out a blog with more details by clicking here, go to official website here, or call 248-546-1632.

SATURDAY, JULY 17
Addison Twp. — Join Oakland County Parks and Recreation for the “Animal Talk Pet Parade” from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Addison Oaks County Park, 1480 W. Romeo Road.

MONDAY, JULY 19
Madison Heights — Free samples of dog and cat food will be given away from noon to 5 p.m. following the ribbon cutting for The Pet Beastro, 27637 John R. Road. The new healthy, holistic pet food store will have its ribbon cutting at noon; light refreshments will be available after. Sample foods from Oma’s Pride, Primal Pet Foods, Fromm Pet Foods, Nature’s Logic, Grandma Lucy’s, Artemis and more will be available. The pet food store will sell whole meats, natural grain based diets, dehydrated vegetables and fruits, raw meats and more. Call 248-548-3448.

SATURDAY, JULY 24
Auburn Hills — The 9th annual “Pet-A-Palooza” will be at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25. The largest adoption event in the state and one of the largest in the whole country, Pet-A-Palooza will feature entertainment, contests and on-site vendors. Businesses can contact Marie Skladd at 586-914-1623 and rescue groups can contact Joe Sowerby at 586-469-8888. Go online to www.michpetapalooza.com.

FRIDAY, JULY 30 and SATURDAY, JULY 31
Troy — Models and their four-legged friends will put on a fashion show highlighting pet accessories in the North Grand Court at the Somerset Collection at 7 p.m. Friday, July 30, and at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 31.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 1
Orion Twp. — Celebrate 10 years of Oakland County dog parks at “Yappy Birthday” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orion Oaks Dog Park, located on Joslyn Road just south of Clarkston Road. Oakland County Parks and Recreation will celebrate the 10th anniversary of opening the park, its first dog park, with a variety of vendors and activities for dogs and their owners.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7
Farmington Hills — The 5th annual “Bowl-4-Animal Rescue” will begin at 7 p.m. at Country Lanes, 30250 W. 9 Mile Road. Tickets cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door and includes three games, food and a shoe rental. Auctions, raffles, door prizes, music, karaoke and a cash bar will be available. Professional bowling champions Aleta Rzepecki-Sill and Michelle Mullen are hosting the event. The person with the most pledges wins a free bowling ball with a lesson. All proceeds will benefit Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter and the Michigan Animal Adoption Network. Tickets may be purchased by calling 248-615-9060 or emailing michelle@yourbowlingcoach.com.

Wolf-hybrid mauling in Lincoln Park

A 5-year-old Lincoln Park boy was found dead after allegedly being mauled in his bedroom overnight by what most media outlets are calling a wolf-hybrid mix.
(read the Associated Press' version of the story)
I think the local media are jumping the gun on calling this dog a wolf-hybrid mix simply because the story would be more interesting if that was really the case. This makes me ashamed for others in my profession who are distorting a story for the sake of sensationalism.
The Detroit Free Press is reporting the family had two dogs, a 35-pound black and white Labrador mix and a 90-pound husky and German shepherd mix.
Neighbors have speculated that the husky-shepherd mix might be a wolf hybrid.
I am not ridiculing the Free Press’ reporting — their headline is “Lincoln Park boy may have been killed by dog” and they clearly state the dog breeds that have been identified. Thank you, ethical journalists.
Now, I want to make a few points:

1) Owners of huskies, German shepherds, akitas and malamutes have as great a responsibility on their hands as do the owners of the most often maligned breeds — pit bulls and rottweilers. Huskies, akitas and malamutes all share a high prey drive. Huskies and malamutes need daily vigorous exercise. As guard dogs, German shepherds also require an experienced owner. Just because these breeds are pretty or handsome and some, like huskies, have a really good reputation from all those cartoons they’ve been featured in, doesn’t mean they’re suddenly comparable to owning a lab. Read an earlier blog about an akita mauling that happened this year.

2) Don’t own a wolf-hybrid unless you have special qualifications, a special habitat and are licensed and approved to own the animal by whatever local, state or federal laws may apply. Regular readers of this blog may recall recent posts about the co-evolution of humans and dogs and how dogs have been physically and behaviorally different from wolves for about 10,000 years. So, don’t look at your dog and assume that if you brought a wolf puppy or a wolf-hybrid puppy into your home that the puppy would grow up to be just like your dog. Wolves are wild animals. They are starkly different from dogs — more independent and aloof with a prey drive that isn’t comparable to what you’d find in any dog breed. Unless you own a wildlife preserve and are qualified to manage wild animals, you should not own a wolf or wolf hybrid.

3) To all you owners of huskies, malamutes and even akitas, how many times have you been told how much your dog resembles a wolf? Probably a lot, I’d guess. These dogs, particularly malamutes, do closely resemble wolves. My assumption, then, is that the neighbors of this dog did what so many people do when they see a large husky mix — they remarked on how much the dog looked like a wolf. And that’s how this story got its roots in sensationalism.

Sadly, a 5-year-old boy is dead. I wonder how it is that this mauling happened overnight in the boy’s bedroom and the parents never heard a thing — no growling or snarling, no screams for help? No noisy commotion?
The death is being treated as a homicide and both dogs are being held at a shelter. No charges have been filed in the case.
Once again, I encourage all dog owners to not leave their children unsupervised around dogs. Small, precautionary practices can prevent huge amounts of grief.

Fido does Ferndale

I love my dog, but sometimes I hear about these fantastic dog-friendly events and it just makes me long for a friendly dog.
Not that Sensi is a horribly ferocious dog or anything. He’s a good boy, but he’s very fearful and gets overwhelmed easily by busy situations. His anxiety just puts these types of events out of reach for us.
But if you have a friendly dog, you might want to check out downtown Ferndale this Thursday night. The city’s Downtown Development Authority is hosting “Fido does Ferndale” and it sounds like an absolute riot.
This is the third time they’ve had the event, which is described as a “Dog-friendly shop and play occasion.”
In addition to the dog-friendly businesses, more than 30 dog-specific vendors will be on site and plenty of activities are planned throughout the evening. The event begins at 5 p.m. and runs to 9 p.m.
Here’s some highlights:
• The Pooch Parade will march down the sidewalks of W. 9 Mile Road at 6 p.m.
• A K-9 Treasure Hunt featuring dog goodies will lead canines and their humans through 20 downtown merchants from 7 to 9 p.m.
• Stop by AJ’s Cafe to share a reading about your pooch during “Open Mutt Mic” all evening.
• Musical performances, dog games, tricks and short informational sessions — including an “Ask the Trainer” session — will take place at Schiffer Park throughout the night.
• Pet photos, pet massages and even pet psychic readings will be available.
• Radio personality and animal-lover Lisa Lisa from 106.7 will make an appearance at Schiffer Park from 6 to 8 p.m.
The benefits of an event like this cannot be understated — and I’m not talking about benefits for you or for Ferndale’s businesses. Nope, I’m talking about your dog.
If Sensi was even slightly more even-keeled, I’d be bringing him down there for a good night of activity and socialization. Just the idea of having a bunch of dogs and owners in the same general area will bulk up your dog’s socialization bank. On top of that, you can practice good doggie etiquette inside businesses and in unfamiliar places.
And since this event requires all dogs to be leashed, it’s not like the dog park scenario where you have to worry that one off-kilter dog is going to have a disagreement with your pooch and all chaos breaks loose.
While we’re on the topic of leashes, I should clarify that at this event, you must have a NON-RETRACTABLE leash. Break out that old six-foot nylon leash and use that instead. In a situation where you have a lot of dogs and people around, it’s a good idea to leave the retractable leash at home anyhow. You’ll have much better control of your dog on the traditional six-foot lead and I commend Ferndale officials for realizing this and making it a rule.
Also, if you use a gentle leader or other anti-pull devices, this is a good situation to use them. Remember that harnesses enable pulling, so if you have a big strong dog, steer clear of the harness. It will only worsen the pulling situation. I highly recommend gentle leaders.
Lastly, this event has another great benefit — this time I’m talking about an animal shelter. Waggs & Wishes is Ferndale’s newest animal shelter and several fundraising activities will be available at the event to benefit the group. Waggs & Wishes will also have dogs currently up for adoption.
Go to this event and let me know how it went so I may live vicariously through you owners of friendly dogs!
For more information, check out fidodoesferndale.com.

How would your dog react to a firefighter?

Three pit bulls were found inside a Pontiac home that caught fire on Sunday. Two of them were in cages and the firefighters were able to simply carry the cages outside. The third, however, was loose in the house. Read the full story here.
The third dog growled at firefighters. I’m sure it was intimidating to be the firefighter in that moment — standing in a burning house and facing off with an aggressive dog.
Firefighters are amazing guys, though. They weren’t deterred from saving the dog and instead used a pole with a hook at one end, sliding the hook under the dog’s collar and leading him outside.
I know it’s easy to jump on the pit-bulls-are-wretched-beasts bandwagon and say this another reason pit bulls need to be banned, but in reality, how would your own dog react — his house burning down around him, the smoke choking him and burning his esophagus, and then to see a big, scary, monster looking thing approaching him?
The dog is already scared — his house is burning! Now, out of the smoke appears something he has never before laid eyes on.
And let’s be clear about something: A dog is not going to immediately recognize a firefighter as a human.
Think about the suits that firefighters wear. They’re big and bulky and look nothing like normal clothes, the hats are also large and odd shaped, and oftentimes, masks are covering their faces.
Try to put yourself in your dog’s shoes. Whenever I try to do this, I think back to a scenario introduced to me in Culture Clash, my favorite dog behavior book. Let’s say that you are a pet to an alien on a different planet — the aliens don’t talk, but communicate telepathically. You can’t do this, so other than picking up on some visual clues, you can’t communicate with them or understand them. You know nothing about their culture and because of the communication barrier, you couldn’t even learn about it if you wanted to.
Now, let’s say your resting comfortably on the rug provided to you by the aliens when all the sudden, you smell something wretched. It starts getting hot. You catch sight of flames out of the corner of your eye. You check for your aliens, but they left a couple hours ago and aren’t back. You have no way to get outside without them letting you out.
Wouldn’t you be pretty terrified?
And then, there’s loud banging on the door — a terrible crashing sound. You have no idea what’s happening, the alien world could be ending for all you know. Suddenly, the door swings open and in walks some large being that you have never seen before.
“The world is ending, or maybe is something is coming after me,” you might think, but honestly, you don’t really have time to think about anything.
You’re in danger and you’re terrified. So what do you do? You try to protect yourself from this strange, threatening figure as best you can. You yell, you swing your fists, maybe you even try to bite.
Now does it make sense why dogs growl at firefighters?
Unfortunately, firefighters are not something we expose our dogs to. Many dogs go through their entire lives without ever seeing a single firefighter in uniform and while that might be a good thing because it means your house has never caught fire, it also poses a serious question: how would your dog react if your house did catch on fire? Would he fight the firefighters? Run and hide from them? Could he die in the fire because of his fear of the firefighters?
The good news is, fire departments in Oakland County often host open houses at least once if not twice or more a year. This is an opportune time to introduce your dog to firefighters in a positive setting and teach your dog that there is nothing to be scared of.
You could even call your local fire department and ask if it’d be OK if you stopped by one day with your dog and had a fireman in suit give him some treats.
My guess is that firemen understand that dogs are distressed during house fires and react poorly to their advances to save them. Having your dog feel comfortable around firefighters makes their job easier and God knows there’s few jobs out there as tough as being a firefighter. Whatever we can do to make it easier for them save lives, including the lives our beloved dogs, is a good thing.

We made it through another Fourth!

I remember writing last year that I had started using “treat therapy” to rehabilitate my dog’s horrible reaction to fireworks.
Fireworks are particularly popular in my neighborhood. Across the street, all our neighbors live on the lake. Behind us are parks and other places that host fireworks for the Fourth. All combined, that’s a lot of fireworks.
This year, our neighbors starting letting off fireworks probably in the first couple of weeks of June. They’ll continue through the rest of the summer but thankfully, not with the frequency we had over the Fourth of July weekend.
Saturday and Sunday nights were an almost continuous drone of loud bangs and pops after the sun went down.
We don’t mind the fireworks — my husband really loves them, actually — but the dog minds.
Fireworks make Sensi entirely neurotic. One year, we put him our bedroom during some particularly close fireworks. Bad idea. He completely ruined one of our windows, biting and clawing at the wood frame and causing damage that was beyond repair. We replaced the window.
He barks like a mad dog and I mean that literally. His barks just sound crazy. In the past, we were completely unable to calm him down or grab his attention in any form.
Last year, I began using “treat therapy” whenever fireworks would go off. I carried around treats to keep them literally in hand for when a firework went off, then called Sensi and rewarded him for sitting nicely.
He showed progress, but not great progress.
A year later, the progress is much, much more visible. The smaller, quieter fireworks don’t even bother him anymore. If my timing is bad when a really loud firework goes off, we still have issues. But, we can always get his attention and calm him down now.
The trick, obviously, is not to reward the bad behaviors. So, he must come to us and sit down, then he gets rewarded.
On Friday, there was a really long period of fireworks. I got to time the treats with each bang and I think that really helped.
On Saturday and Sunday, he did really well. It was actually surprising how well he did. He barked only a couple times and even then, we were able to get his attention and calm him down. One time, he was even on the leash outside when it happened and he barely reacted. We’re very proud!
Of course, he’ll never be the type of dog you’d take to watch a fireworks display. But if we can at least get him to be comfortable inside the house when fireworks go off, that’s all we really need.

Dog Days — lots of events coming up

Lots of stuff coming up soon. Plus, I stopped by the Orion Oaks Dog Park this morning and shot some video. It's a very cool place and I met a bunch of fun dogs and great dog owners!

SUNDAYS THROUGHOUT JULY
Holly Twp. and Fenton — As part of its 3rd annual pet appreciation month, Dynamic Works Photography of Holly will offer free photo sessions for pets at Fenton Park, 311 S. Leroy Street in Fenton, and at Holly State Park, 8100 Grange Hall Road in Holly, in exchange for donations of kitten food. Kim Wieas, photographer, will be alternating between the two parks and requires participants to call 248-634-2747 to make appointments. Participants will get a free 30-minute photo session valued at $100 as well as a 5x7 wall portrait and online viewing of photos. All pet food donations are appreciated, but kitten food is especially needed. All donations benefit the Michigan Humane Society.

SATURDAY, JULY 3
Orion Twp. — Celebrate the Fourth of July with your dog during “Patriotic Pooches” from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Orion Oaks Dog Park located on Joslyn Road just south of Clarkston Road. Prizes will be awarded for the most patriotic dressed pooch and the best-themed dog and owner team attire. Canine carnival games, giveaways and contests will be available. No pre-registration is required but a daily county parks pass or 2010 vehicle permit is required.
Watch video from my visit to Orion Oaks today, July 1:

TUESDAY, JULY 6
Madison Heights — Oakland County Parks and Recreation opens its third dog park, Red Oaks. The 5.2-acre park is adjacent to Red Oaks Waterpark and located at 31353 Dequindre Road.

FRIDAY, JULY 9
Highland Twp. — A fundraiser to benefit the Michigan Humane Society will be from 5 to 11 p.m. at 59 West’s Billiard Hall, 786 W. Highland Road. While pets are not welcome at the event, 10 percent of the night’s food sales will be donated to MHS. A silent auction will be from 9 to 10 p.m. and DJ Uncle Buck from 94.7 WCSX will be playing music from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Donations of pet food, particularly kitten food, will be accepted throughout the day at 59 West. The event is sponsored by Dynamic Works Photography.

SATURDAY, JULY 17
Addison Twp. — Join Oakland County Parks and Recreation for the “Animal Talk Pet Parade” from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Addison Oaks County Park, 1480 W. Romeo Road.

SATURDAY, JULY 24
Auburn Hills — The 9th annual “Pet-A-Palooza” will be at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25. The largest adoption event in the state and one of the largest in the whole country, Pet-A-Palooza will feature entertainment, contests and on-site vendors. Businesses can contact Marie Skladd at 586-914-1623 and rescue groups can contact Joe Sowerby at 586-469-8888. Go online to www.michpetapalooza.com.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 1
Orion Twp. — Celebrate 10 years of Oakland County dog parks at “Yappy Birthday” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orion Oaks Dog Park, located on Joslyn Road just south of Clarkston Road. Oakland County Parks and Recreation will celebrate the 10th anniversary of opening the park, its first dog park, with a variety of vendors and activities for dogs and their owners.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7
Farmington Hills — The 5th annual “Bowl-4-Animal Rescue” will begin at 7 p.m. at Country Lanes, 30250 W. 9 Mile Road. Tickets cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door and includes three games, food and a shoe rental. Auctions, raffles, door prizes, music, karaoke and a cash bar will be available. Professional bowling champions Aleta Rzepecki-Sill and Michelle Mullen are hosting the event. The person with the most pledges wins a free bowling ball with a lesson. All proceeds will benefit Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter and the Michigan Animal Adoption Network. Tickets may be purchased by calling 248-615-9060 or emailing michelle@yourbowlingcoach.com.