The Squirrel Returns

And, the squirrel saga continues! The day after the murder (Tuesday), I took the dogs on a long walk and then went to the dog park. I was a bit frazzled when I arrived at the dog park. First, I had been walking them while talking on my phone to a friend whom I went to college with. Her wedding was supposed to be November 4th, but had to be rescheduled to October 29th. Well, I'm the Maid of Honor/only bridesmaid, and this created a major scheduling problem, as I'm a bridesmaid in my brother Teddy's wedding on the 29th. While chatting with her on the phone both dogs pooped... so I had to bend down to pick it up. So here I am, tottering (tottering because I had dislocated my hip hours earlier) down the W&OD trail, trying to hold the leashes of two extremely hyper dogs (hence why we were headed to the park!), my phone wedged against my ear talking about wedding stuff, and three bags of dog poop.

Of course, with terrible single-girl luck, this is the time when two hot cyclists peddle by, shirtless, with 6-pack abs, and golden tanned skin. At which point, I drop my poop bag dispenser... and then, the hotter of the two yells, "Cutest Goldens ever!" And I start blushing...

So fast forward a few hundred yards, we're in the dog park, I'm still discussing wedding logistics with the bride, and the last thing on my mind was the squirrel carcass looming somewhere in the shadows. My dogs immediatly find their prize from the previous outing, and I have no other option but to pick it up and throw it away.

This was no small squirrel, and it was now infested with maggots and covered in flags, far too big and gross to use a poop bag to pick it up with. I find two grocery bags and a very long stick (probably 4-feet or so). Set bag one on the ground. Get the stick under the squirrel, and lift it about a foot off the ground when, of course, it falls off the stick. Damn it. I find a second stick, wedge the first under the squirrel, use the other stick to hold the squirrel on, giant chopsticks, if you will, a look of disgust plastered on my face, while I try to put the squirrel in a bag. It doesn't work, I'm going to have to get closer. Eww.


I wiggle my hands down the stick so now the squirrel is about 18 inches from me. Try to get it in the bag, still can't, and give up and drop the squirrel on top of bag one. Next, I have to try to get the squirrel on a bag into another bag so i can throw it away.


I can only imagine what the other dog owners patronizing the park must have been thinking. Girl with a look of pure terror on her face, two golden retrievers running amok, a carcass on a stick, sweat dripping down my forehead, hair stuck to my face, a cell phone wedged between my shoulder and my ear... when a mosquito flies up my running skirt and bites me on the back of my thigh. I yelp in pain, drop the call, finish bagging the squirrel.



The whole thing was just too humorous not to photograph, but I wasn't about to take, nor post, a picture of a dead animal on my blog. So here is my hand, complete with boarding school class ring, carrying a dead squirrel to the trash can. Oh what a wonderful life...

Murder At The Dog Park:

After work on Monday, I decided to take the dogs on what I hoped would be a nice long walk in the woods, followed by some time playing in the creek. Our plans were cut short by the following events, as told to you step-by-step, by Milly.

Step 1: Sniff out a squirrel hiding in a bush

Step 2: Chase squirrel up a tree and weigh the options

Step 3: Begin to bark at squirrel

Step 4: Consult with Hush to formulate a new action plan

Step 5: Attempt to climb tree

Steps 6-11: Miraculously coerce squirrel from tree; with the help of Hush surround squirrel on all sides; catch squirrel; Play tug-of-war with the squirrel; Chase Lydia with the squirrel; Murder squirrel

Step 12: Realize the squirrel got his final revenge before death

The Muddy Mutt: A Self Serve Grooming Salon

When the day comes that I no longer lease, and I find myself a homeowner, I have plans of transforming my basement into a dog grooming room. I’ve looked into what tubs are the best, saved up for a professional dog dryer, have selected my grooming table of choice, and even drawn out how I want everything laid out!

Until that day comes I am stuck with either bathing Milly in the driveway with a hose and drying her with a hair dryer on the cold setting, spending $65 at the groomer for a bath and brush (I’m particular about where she goes, because she is geriatric and I need to know the groomer will give her breaks throughout the process), clogging my shower drain and struggling to rinse her in my walk-in shower, or going to the do-it yourself dog wash!

I’ve found a fabulous dog wash in Shirlington (a part of Arlington, VA) called The Muddy Mutt. For $17 (you get your 6^th wash free) you are provided with a professional grooming tub that is off the wall so you can scrub from both sides, professional all-natural and organic shampoos (mixed on site for your dog’s particular needs), a professional AirForce brand dryer, all the brushes and combs you could need, an unlimited supply of treats, an unlimited supply of ShamWow’s (they’re great, but the generic sold at AutoZone work even better, incase you were wondering), and the softest wash cloths I’ve ever felt. The Muddy Mutt backs up to the Shirlington Dog Park, talk about prime location, and is owned by the sweetest lady who will help you through the entire process and answer all of your questions. They even have a small retail section, and provide you with aprons so you can leave just as clean as you entered! The Muddy Mutt supports pet adoptions by offering one free wash to any dog adopted from a reputable within the last three months.

A dog waits to be bathed in the grooming area

For senior dogs and dogs with limited mobility they offer ramps!

They have all sorts of fun dog accessories, toys and leashes in their growing retail section!

While I have the money saved up for the Chris Christensen Kool Dry Dryer I’ve been coveting, I’m a bit hesitant to make the purchase in the winter. It truly is back breaking work to bathe Milly in the driveway, and it’s way too cold this time of year, and it is just a big mess to do her in my shower (the drain clogs just from my hair so think of what Golden Retriever fur does to it!). I never thought it could be so painful to be bent over for so long, but after grooming her at home my back usually hurts for two days. So, until I can groom her in the driveway with the hose again, I’m happily spending my money at The Muddy Mutt.

If you’ve never used a grooming tub and professional dryer you don’t know what you’re missing! I can get Milly 90% dry with a professional dryer in under 5 minutes! With a regular hair dryer on the cold setting we’re looking at over an hour of coat damaging work. A professional dryer works by blowing the water off the coat, and then you can adjust the settings for detail work. The lack of heat makes this a pet-safe tool that can be used weekly (or more) with out causing skin and coat irritations. If you are spending a fortune or hurting yourself grooming at home you should check if there is a self-service grooming salon/dog wash in your area – it’s totally worth the money!

The Muddy Mutt is conveniently located (walking distance!) from my very dog friendly office. I can take Milly to work in the morning, let her play and get really filthy for a few minutes at the park, and simply put her in a tub and scrub, scrub, scrub.

This is one business I happily frequent every other week - and where I'll be spending my lunch break today! Miss Muddy Paws gives The Muddy Mutt FOUR PERFECT PAWS!

How Much Do You Trust Your Dog???

I had a very interesting conversation with my boyfriend last night, and it got me thinking... do you trust your dog? If so, just how much?

I trust Milly completely, but I do know that she has claws and teeth, and while I don't think she would ever be destructive in the house, or bite a person, I know that she is completely capable of these things. I usually plan my life around this knowledge, and don't take chances, even though I trust her.

As many of you already know, I firmly believe in crate training. Not only is this, in my opinion, the optimum way to housebreak a dog, but it also provides a safe haven for your pup. Dogs sleep in dens, they like to have their own space, and feel secure in their crate if you crate train them. A crate trained dog makes life much easier should you ever go out-of-town and have a pet sitter. If your dog is crate trained, and ever is injured and activity levels need to be limited time in the crate is ideal. 

I also believe that at least as puppies it can be very helpful to keep the crate not in your bedroom. There are two reasons for this - first, you'll get more sleep... just set your alarm for some middle of the night potty breaks for a very young puppy, and secondly, keeping the crate not in your bedroom makes your puppy less dependent on you, and can help separation anxiety problems from developing. 

When I got Milly she was petrified of her crate, but she has come along way, and now happily walks in when asked. I doubt she'll ever walk in it on her own (like a dog crate trained from puppyhood would), but she does not mind her time in the crate. When I am not home, Milly either is outside with access to the sun room, in her crate, or in my bedroom with the door shut, TV on, and the door leading into my bathroom closed as well. One thing I never do is leave her with free range of the house. She'd probably be fine, and not do anything naughty... okay, I know her, she'd probably jump on the sofa while I was out, and she isn't allowed on furniture. She might even get into the trash if something tasty was in it, and she's been known to do a little bit of counter surfing, especially if there is a loaf of bread on the counter. I don't want to be mad at her, and I don't want to set myself up for disappointment, so I just avoid the instances that could be potential problems. I find she is happier, and feels much more secure when left in my bedroom with all of the doors closed than she would if I left her alone with free range of the house.

When it comes to behavior in other situations, and my trust of Milly, I work very hard to have a positive relationship with her, and a lot of this comes from her feeling secure. When we go to the dog part I work on her recall (this needs a lot of work, especially when at the dog park) from the very beginning. I don't just let her play and then start calling her when I want to leave, because this is counter productive. Why would she want to listen to me calling her if I've ignored her for 45 minutes as she played? She should respond whenever I call, and she should feel secure that I am there for her. So I'll take the time and call her over every few minutes. While I want her to have fun at the dog park, I also want her to feel secure. If there was ever a fight at the dog park, or something I didn't want her near, I want her recall to be strong enough that she comes when called with distractions, and knows "leave it" if she shows interest in something I don't want her to have, or something that could be dangerous for her. I've noticed a lot of dog park conflicts come from dogs whose masters are not working on their dog's recalls, and instead are talking on their phones, reading the paper, or simply not paying attention to where their dog is, their dog's body language, and the relationship to other dogs around their dog. 

I recently dog sat two toy breed dogs. The dogs had a lot of fear of new people, new dogs, new houses, and were filled with anxiety. Both were rescues, adopted together, and still had a long way to go before they felt secure. I wanted their time with me to be as positive as possible, and really worked on emphasizing their security. To meet Milly they were in their crate, and Milly was leashed on the other side of the room. Eventually Milly walked around the room, but the little dogs still were in their crate. I took them out, and they were introduced (obviously, all dogs on leashes), and things went okay, not great, but okay. When it came to them being outside I kept them in a large pen for the first three days, and let them get used to seeing Milly, and smelling her from the security of their play pen. By the time I removed the play pen the toy dogs were totally confident, and realized the play pen was their safe place, just like their crate is their safe place when inside. They were free to come and go as they pleased from the playpen, but they really seemed to enjoy having this security.

When it comes to feeding, I firmly believe in giving your dogs meals, and not free-feeding. This is my personal opinion, but I want my dog to eat on a schedule, and I'd like to know exactly how much my dog is consuming. I want her to eat when I feed her, and I practice the 15 minute rule: the bowl of food goes down at meal time for 15 minutes, if she doesn't eat it in 15 minutes the bowl is removed until the next feeding. Eventually, and usually pretty quickly, your dog will start to eat at meal times, and appreciate the structure of a schedule. If Milly needs medication in her food I want her to eat it at meal time. I really appreciate the structure of meal times, if I have to go somewhere, I know exactly how much time it will take to feed Milly. If I have to board Milly, I know that she will eat at meal times. Having a structured feeding schedule helps with your dog's overall sense of security.

In short, sometimes it's good to think about how much we trust our pets. I don't want to set my dog up for failure, and I really want her to feel safe and secure. I work hard to always be aware of her surroundings, and put her in situations where she is safe, and the amount of destruction she could cause is left to a minimum. When I introduce her to new people I always tell them the best way to pet her or approach her (especially with small children). I even practice taking her bowl away mid-feeding every few weeks. She's totally fine with this, and always has been, but I want her to know that we work on this. If ever I had to remove her food mid-feeding for a reason, I want her to not get upset or aggressive about this. If a child ever stuck their hand in her food bowl, I want her to not bite a hand. 

Guest Blogger: The Adventures of Yuppie Puppy & Super (Dog) Mommy

One of my favorite things about being a blogger is making friends with other bloggers! If it wasn't for blogging I never would have [virtually] met Lea Munley, and connected over our absolute infatuation/love of animals, particularly dogs. I have had so much fun reading Lea's creative writings, and have really enjoyed her dog Riley's blog. I'm sure you can identify with what it is like to own a Yuppie Puppy after reading her guest blogging post... I know I sure can! I say this after having bought a new set of ceramic handmade food and water dishes (yes, they even are hand painted with "Food" and "Water")... I'm justifying this purchase because they were 1) At T.J. Maxx 2) Milly's current bowls are a bit too small and she makes a mess when she drinks out of them. Without further ado, I would like to present to you The Adventures of Yuppie Puppy & Super (Dog) Mommy! ENJOY!!! :)

The Adventures of Yuppie Puppy & Super (Dog) Mommy

A specialty pet store?!

Salmon?! I don’t even eat salmon!

Beds made of recycled soda bottles?! For a dog?!

Dog parks that have secret codes to get in?!

Doggy daycare?!

WHO AM I?! What happened to the girl who wore cut off jeans from Goodwill & made tuna mac for dinner? I make fun of suburban moms with their pimp-my-ride, celebrity-crib strollers and organic baby food, toys, & clothes. Herds of women with strollers scare me, frankly!

I am the dog-owner equivalent! Much to my shock, amazement, and now acceptance.

I get up early and take Riley to the dog park. We walk around to the playground and visit with the young moms and their beautiful babies. I chat with the other dog moms and dads about doggy things--behavior, training, food choices, and funny things the dogs do. We all call each other “Fido’s mom/dad” because we don’t know each other’s name. But we know their dog’s names (& life history including health records). Or if there are multiple dogs or children, they are “Fido’s sister/brother”.

Riley & I go on adventures. This means I drive around and discover new neighborhoods while Riley hangs out the window or sleeps. He seems to really like this & it‘s not uncommon for me to keep driving as if he‘s a sleeping baby.

These trips usually end at the super-duper, organic, all-natural, holistic, hard-wood-floored, big-windowed pet store. I always go in for “just 1 thing”; but then there are new treats to try, funny toys to play with, and cute clothes to browse. Usually several dollars more than I intended later, Riley has new treats, a new toy, and a special Turkey Patty for the car. He expects these now!

Riley is Allergy Boy. He’s allergic to chicken, beef, pork, duck, lamb, turkey (we won’t talk about that turkey patty), eggs, wheat, soy, corn, and I’m sure preservatives of all kinds. He needs special food, special treats, hypoallergenic beds, free & clear detergent for bedding, and frequent bathing with special prescription anti-allergen-something-or-another shampoo.

In spite of these issues, Riley almost always gets a doggy treat (usually a veggie bone or doggy frozen yogurt) in the afternoon when I eat lunch--he gets a couple nibbles of this too). I packed a bone for him to have during “quiet time” at doggy daycare. I put his name and when to give it on the bag in Sharpie.

I forgot to give it to him, felt guilty, and gave it immediately when he got in the car at the end of the day.

Dinner is gourmet all-protein, no-grain fish & potato kibble. Said kibble is served in a Break-fast bowl so as to prevent bloat. I’ve added enzyme to his water to make his digestive and urinary systems happier. Once in a while, salmon dust (otherwise known as the end of the bag of freeze-dried, wild-caught salmon pieces that serve as training treats) get sprinkled over his kibble.

Riley loves training time because it means more treats! These treats are often salmon bits. The last box was Pumpkin & Quinoa Crunchies. He’ll do anything for food! He has learned the basic tricks like shake & roll over. He has also learned fun things like backing up, and nodding. This prevents boredom on both of our parts.

This dog has an immense amount of toys, and they are strewn far & wide! These toys are super safe, non-toxic, often all-natural and of course varied & fun. Wouldn’t want the lad to run out of choices!

I travel to pet stores far and wide, always in search of buffalo, venison, salmon or veggie treats & kibble. I seek out different dog parks and neighborhoods so that Riley & I don’t get bored.

I clip his toenails, trim the fur between his pads & whiskers on his face, clean his ears with special anti-whatever solution and brush his teeth. No groomer for him! He freaked out the first time, & I’ve never been back.

We go on road trips together. He’s been to my family’s 30-person Thanksgiving, my old haunts in western Mass, and several hotels. I wish I could bring Riley with me everywhere. I, of course, think he’s perfect and capable of going anywhere. No one agrees with me. But I don’t care.

I love every minute of spoiling my “Yuppie Puppy” speckled mutt & now understand all those super mommies. Right on, ladies!!

Visit Riley’s Dog Blog @ http://rileysdogblog.blogspot.com

© Lea H. Munley 2009

Guest Blogger: Rachel & Hershey

I wanted to share a guest blogger post written by my dear friend Rachel. She was one of my very first blog followers, and it is so much fun having a local friend with a retriever too! I've dog sat Hershey, and she is just an amazing, spunky, dog that is still in that seems like forever Labrador puppy stage! I hope you enjoy reading her post!

I was asked to guest blog and I didn’t know exactly what to write about. I have learned so much from reading all of the posts and knew that I wouldn’t be able to provide such an informative, helpful post. Instead, I am going to share with you my dog, Hershey, and what I have taken away from the blog to help with Hershey.

First, let me introduce you to my pride and joy, Hershey! Hershey will be one years old on August 20^th. I first met Hershey while I was visiting my family in Idaho for Thanksgiving last year. My cousin had bought her for $50 outside of a grocery store, so we don’t know too much about her. Obviously she has some Lab in her and we are guessing she is part German Short-Haired Pointer as well. I loved her instantly and my cousin said I could have her if I wanted. After a brief discussion with Dave, I agreed to take her and arrangements were made to have her flown out to Maryland the day after we moved into our new house, December 31^st, 2008. I have been working on training her since we got her and will go over our progress to date.

Luckily for us, Hershey was practically housebroken and only needed some reinforcement to end that stage of puppyhood. Additionally, she knew to sit when told. I have her now trained to sit when I snap. To train her for this, every time I told her to sit I would snap my left hand and raise it slightly. She will now sit whenever I snap; ultimately I want to get her to sit when I just raise my left hand up. Occasionally I still need to verbally tell her to sit, but I highly recommend training your dog non-verbal commands. It was very easy for me to do and she picked up on it rather quickly.

Since her previous home was in the country, she was HORRIBLE on a leash. She just didn’t get it at all. We started off with retractable leash, a body harness, and a typical lead. We found that the harness resulted in less pulling. I think Hershey felt we had more control over her (which we did) and that resulted in less pulling. Key word is less. She still pulled quite a bit. After reading Lydia’s post on training your dog to walk properly, I decided to stop using the retractable leash and the harness. I took Hershey out for a walk on the lead and when she started to pull I used the “Lose it” method. I immediately yelled “no pull!” and lightly slapped the leash on her back. This may seem extreme, but it got her attention. After doing that a few times, she stopped pulling whenever I said “no pull!” Because I believe in positive reinforcement as well, whenever she was walking next to me and not pulling I would tell her what a good girl she was being and pet her occasionally. We had a few more walks where I was constantly saying “no pull” but it eventually sank in and we can now walk without pulling. Occasionally I still need to remind her with the “no pull” command, but things are MUCH better than before. We still have the occasional pulling when she spots something to chase, but she is learning that chasing is for when she is at the park and not on the leash.

Speaking of chasing and the park, Hershey has a lot of energy. Though we have a yard and she is not crated during the day, she still needs to go to the park to run and get some energy out. Annapolis has an excellent dog park at Quiet Waters. In addition to the fenced dog park, it has a dog beach for them to swim, but the beach area is not fenced in. This park has a $5 daily admission fee or a yearly pass for $30. We go there a few times a week and love it. For the days I don’t feel like driving there, I take Hershey for a run or go to the school down the street. We are so fortunate the Annapolis is such a dog friendly town!

Chewing. Puppies love to chew. Especially Labs. From day one I knew that this may be a huge issue for us. I didn’t want to set Hershey up for failure, so I purchased a lot of toys and continue to purchase new ones frequently. I figured if she had things of her own, with a little reinforcement, she would leave our stuff alone. Though there have been some instances where she has chewed our stuff, I stand behind this method. Hershey LOVES her toys. We have an excessive amount I am sure (well over 30), but she loves them and plays with them daily. Without them I think we would have had a lot more damage done to our stuff and the house. We have not had a problem with her chewing the wrong thing in the last couple of months and I am hoping we have conquered this (knock on wood). When she did chew something she shouldn’t have, I would show it to her, lightly tap her butt and yell, “No!! Bad girl!!!” Most time she would walk/run away and then crawl over to me and want to sit in my lap and give kisses to apologize. It didn’t take her long to learn the word “bad” and I can now apply it to other situations besides chewing with no physical correction.

A few days ago I decided it was time to teach Hershey to lay down on command. My verbal command for this is “down” and I move my right hand down towards the floor. To begin the training, I did my combo command and had to physically make her lay on the floor. Once she was down I repeated “down” and praised her. After three or four times of that, she got the point and would lay down on command. I plan on working on this every evening for 30 minutes for the next few weeks until she really gets it. I eventually want her to lay down when I lower my right hand, so this will take a lot of time.

We are very fortunate that Hershey aims to please us and has trained pretty easily. She is truly a joy to be around and I can’t imagine not having her. She loves to play and be active, but yet other times she is content to cuddle up with us on the couch or bed. Since she is such a lovable, fun dog and loves to get out of the house and meet other dogs and people, we are going to join the Pets on Wheels Volunteer Program in Annapolis. After I attend orientation in September, we will visit residents in long-term care facilities or the hospital. I cannot wait to start that with her. Not only will we be giving back to the community, but I think Hershey will enjoy it as well.

I cannot end this post without mentioning the Furminator. I absolutely LOVE this grooming tool and am so grateful that Lydia posted about it. Hershey’s coat isn’t too thick and she doesn’t shed that much, but this brush has definitely helped with what she did have. She did not love being brushed at first, so we started slowly and gave lot so praise and some treats. Though she doesn’t love it yet, she will let me brush her without running away. I have passed along the Furminator tip to others as well who find it amazing. If you missed her post on it, click here. I highly recommend it as well!