Monday, September 30, 2013

Tuffie Squid, still swimming (.....kind of)

Back in March, I reviewed the Tuffie Toys squid that Elka had been playing with (in short, supervised sessions) since Christmas.

Mr. Squid only has 2 tentacles left. I've sewed him up just once, as Elka chews specifically on the area that's a ring of nylon reinforcing the seams at the "bottom" of the critter, where the tentacles were attached. This is also where I can see how valuable the extra layers Tuffie puts into their toys is; Elka hasn't been able to pull out any of the stuffing.

(it looks like it's saying "Help me.")



Thursday, September 26, 2013

Tell them what they don't want to hear

Lots of people buy dogs every year. Lots of people buy puppies every year. They get them from a pet store, or the newspaper, or Craigslist. They get them from a breeder that advertised their litter on the AKC web site. Every day.

So, what's wrong with this?





Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Athena and Boss, in Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue

Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue has many Dobermans looking for homes. They are a 501(c)(3) non profit organization, and run on volunteers. They rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome Dobermans in need, and adopt all over the United States and Canada, if they can arrange to have a home visit done. If you adopt outside their immediate radius, you are responsible for arranging the ground transport of your new family member. They are always in need of fosters and volunteers, so if you're in southwest Ohio, and interested, they would appreciate it!

It's hard, when confronted with a list of adoptable dogs, to pick the ones to showcase. This week, though, I picked two dogs who are opposites: Athena, who is a young, all natural female Doberman and Boss, who is a mature cropped and docked male.

Athena is an exuberant little girl who needs some refreshment on her obedience training.

(picture from SWODR site)
She had a home, but she didn't get along with one of the older dogs in the household, so back she came. She needs a family that understands and can accommodate the exuberant, energetic nature that comes with young Dobermans.
(picture from SWODR site)

Exercise and patience! (an exercise in patience? Though that's all puppies!)


Boss was part of a two dog household, but when a divorce happened, only one dog could fit in the car so he was surrendered to a shelter (it's in his bio, I kid you not). They think he's around 5, and though he is cropped and docked, as you can see, his left ear is cropped and flopped. Makes him look kind of rakish!
(picture from SWODR site)

Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue does not know whether the dog Boss lived with was male or female, but it was a lab. He's been kissyface with dogs he's met over a fence, and kind of mouthy when tested on cats. 

(picture from SWODR site)

Boss has been neutered, and they're still sussing out his personality. He looks like a happy guy in the pictures, though!

If you're interested in adopting Boss or Athena, or any of Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue's dogs, they list their requirements on this page (including adoption fees) and their adoption application is here. They also have a very nice section with information on the Doberman breed, and an FAQ page that has both info about Doberman rescue and also ten myths about rescuing a Doberman.


Monday, September 23, 2013

Why I Watermark My Pictures

Well now, anyway. I didn't always watermark them. I forget when I started, exactly, but it's just part of the routine now.

But, there are a few reasons. It occurred to me to list/discuss them after this past Wednesday's post, wherein many of you commenters said you did or did not.

1. Copyright. My pictures are mine. I might not be a good photographer, but I own that. And, watermark or not, pictures I produce are mine, and I don't want to just hand 'em out. You can look at them, that's what pictures are for. But use them? Represent them as yours? I'm pretty much not okay with that.


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Wordless Wednesday September 18 2013



This used to be the blog header, and was on my original business cards. I thought I'd re-edit it, see if I could make it look any kind of better. Really, I should've been tweaking and watermarking my photos all along. Ah well. Live and learn, n'est-ce pas?

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Available Dobermans at Doberman Rescue Unlimited

This is Cooper:


He's a red and rust boy with natural ears AND tail! He's two years old, very food motivated, and has been good with cats and dogs when he met them at Doberman Rescue Unlimited. He likes car rides, and chewing on his bed (so he's got a Kuranda).

Isn't he handsome? He looks kind of like a joker, I think.

Here's a link to the DRU adoption procedure. You can find the application there as well (they want you to print it out and mail it), in addition to some information about the Doberman breed to make sure you've got a little introduction and know what you're getting into!

This lovely matriarch is Freda


She is 7 years old, black and rust, with cropped ears and tail. Freda lived with three other dogs for many years, though I guess she didn't get along with one of the females, so that's something to consider if you have a multi dog household. She loves stuffed toys, and will carry them like a baby and gather them up to nest with (which sounds like a nice change from a certain somebody I know.) Freda finds herself at DRU because her owner had a terminal illness, and I do hope this senior lady goes home with somebody soon.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Command Clinic: That's not your problem.

"That's not your problem" is a cue I developed with Elka, because of course I can't possibly take peoples' advice when they say to keep cues simple. She's smart enough, I feel that simple cues don't always get the point across. Or, they come to mean a broad category, and don't really apply to the next category.

So, while "Leave it" would suffice for most dogs, for Elka, "leave it" refers to items, objects, and wildlife in the yard.

"That's not your problem" applies to other dogs, either in view or barking blocks away. It applies to people walking past on the sidewalk across the street, car doors closing, people coming home next door, etc. The longer phrase seems to assure Elka that yes, I do see the issue, and she can leave it.



Friday, September 13, 2013

September 14 (tomorrow) is Doberman Rescue Minnesota's Dobe-o-Rama



Tomorrow, September 14, Doberman Rescue Minnesota is having their Dobe O Rama at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds from 10 am to 5 pm. This is their annual fundraiser, and they will have merchandise, food, games, raffles, and DRM adoptable Dobermans will be there for you to meet!

(I don't have inside info, but Mordecai and Beau are both DRM dogs, and I've heard of Mordie being at such events!)

Remmy in PA is still available for adoption



Remember Remmy? He's back with his foster family through Dreaming of Better Endings Rescue, inc. (DOBER, inc)


From the DOBER, Inc web site (his info says "adoption pending", but I think that's the family that brought him back)

Note from Remmy's foster:
Remmy is a super sweet boy who is so eager to please. He knows basic commands (sit, down, stay, shake) and will happily comply with anything you ask of him, though it's always accomplished with a wiggly butt. Remmy is crate trained but will need some additional help with housebreaking if being left uncrated. Remmy does have a burning desire to eat socks and blankets, so the appropriate home will be one that will make sure these things are not within his reach. He has been respectful of cushioned bedding and does not chew or destroy anything else but socks are his weakness!
Remmy is a boy who is very bonded to his people. We will consider a home with a very laid back resident dog but would prefer Remmy to go to a home where he will be an only dog. We are unsure of how he will do with cats. Remmy does seem to enjoy children but because of his size and energy level, a home with very small children may not be appropriate.

Here is the link to their Adoption Process, and one to their adoption application. If you have any questions about Remmy, or would like more information, you can email Adoptions AT doberinc DOT com


I'd love to read a happy ending for this guy!



Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Please help Maisy, of the Reactive Champion





Maisy, of Reactive Champion is in the ICU. They're not really sure what's wrong with her, and suspect perhaps a bacterial infection or tick borne illness. She's been displaying pain in her neck and hips. So far, she's got two nights of hospital stays , IV's, and other medications and diagnostics under her belt. The current estimate for her care is $3200, and rising.

If you can, please donate to help Maisy and her owner Crystal Thompson out. Crystal is Maisy's owner and the writer of the Reactive Champion blog, which chronicles her efforts with Maisy, her training experiences, and other dog training information that's useful even if you don't have a reactive dog.

Juke Box, 5 year old female Doberman in Atlantic City, NJ

(I've never used the "embed post" feature from Facebook before, so bear with me.)

The Humane Society of Atlantic County is in Atlantic City, NJ. If you think you might be interested in adopting "Juke Box" (not a bad name for a Jersey Girl, I guess!), the dog pre adoption application is here. There is also some information here about their adoption fees, and the fact that you need to bring state ID and paperwork pertaining to your residence (i.e., if you rent, you must bring your permission to have a pet).

To contact the Humane Society of Atlantic County, their phone number is 609-347-2487 and their email address is info AT hsacpet DOT org.



Monday, September 9, 2013

An Aloof Young Lady

When Elka was younger, she would greet every person exuberantly. A little too exuberantly, as Elka's love is not a gentle one. But, we worked on it. And worked on it. And she doesn't jump on people anymore. Sometimes she'll jump next to a person still, but never onto them. And that's good.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Friday, September 6, 2013

Duchess, Internet sensation, is no longer with her owners

A Doberman puppy in Ft. Lauderdale may be ending her day today in a far better situation than she started. Though she was returned to her owners, with animal control saying they saw no signs of abuse, the owners were subsequently arrested on non animal abuse charges and the puppies (Duchess and a dog whose name I have not seen) were taken into custody as well.

(picture linked from Examiner.com article)

Duchess was apparently been chained out back of her family's house for hours, barking, and the neighbors report that they did not see food and water out for her. She also had no shelter, and a neighbor is quoted as having seen the puppy try to dig a hole and crawl under a porch for shelter. For reference, it's been 90 in Ft. Lauderdale. When people approached the owners and said things to the effect of "hey, can we take your dog to the vet? Hey, she needs water and food", the owner said "It's just a dog" and told them to get off his property. (We already know how I feel about "just a dog" statements)

Police had visited the home once already, and took Duchess who animal control, who determined that she was in good health and released her to the owners. I'm not a medical professional, but when I saw the picture I linked above, I thought it was of a dead puppy. Not one who had a "tub of high quality food" inside for her. I don't know how you can look at that little girl and say there are "no signs of abuse", though apparently when a vet did see her, she wasn't gaining weight because she had hookworm (according to the NBC 6 video). They were displaying vaccination records, maybe somebody should've said "hey, we shouldn't see a dog's ribs, spine, and hips" and done a fecal.  Also according to the video, straight from the owner's mouth, though a house dog Duchess was chained out back because she had a "discipline problem with barking". She's 8 weeks old, for God's sake. She's a baby. Puppies bark; do you put a baby outside for crying?


(pictures from Dogster article)


No dog deserves to be chained outside. There's a high correlation between dogs who are chained/tied up outside and bites, in fact. Obviously, this hits me hard, because I know Elka doesn't want to be outside without us. I tried to get her to go outside and potty without me once during the winter; she'll stand in the middle of the yard and bark at the house. Dobermans want to be with their people. I'd risk making the assumption that most dogs do.

Duchess does look like a sweetie (though somebody needs to clean hear ears up; they were cropped, and clearly have gluey stuff from tape all over them in the NBC 6 video.) I hope she has a good and happy life, and those nasty hookworms are taken care of.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Business cards from Moo.com

So, necessary or not, I have business cards for this blog. I give them to people I meet occasionally, press them upon my friends and coworkers, and tack them to corkboards at the vet's office and the feed store.

My original ones were from Office Max, a not so great picture of Elka laying down on a white background. Thin paper. Little information, just my name and email address (no phone number. I'm running a blog, not a "please call me" business).


My newer ones from Moo.com, though, are beautiful. I've gotten them twice now, the first time on their heavier paper, the second time on recycled. Fabulous paper quality both times. When I got the cards on recycled paper, the box was too, which was a nice surprise! They also ship quickly.



The first time, the cards were free because of a Klout.com perk, and so had to have the Klout icon on the back. Oh yes, the back. Moo.com cards let you put a picture and stuff on the front and back. Maybe I'll get even fancier next time and do a QR code (or that might be too fancy and not work. I'm never sure what's too far).

(this is the picture I used on the back. I couldn't get a good picture of the card, for whatever reason)


But, if you're interested in your own business cards from Moo, you can use my Super! Special! referral link, which will give me an amount off my next order  http://www.moo.com/share/p8cgnn

FTC diclaimer: I received no compensation from Moo.com for this review. I decided to do it all on my own.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Doberman Health: Color Dilution Alopecia

In my The Doberman: Color post, I touched on Color Dilution Alopecia briefly. I've actually seen it coming up in Google searches, and thought that I would do a more in-depth (or at least slightly more informational) post.

It is a condition resulting in hair loss and skin irritation that only affects the dilutes of the Doberman breed, so blues (which are a dilute of black) and fawns (which are a dilute of red). I think Nola from Thursday's post is a blue, if that gives you some color perspective (I'm not saying she has CDA, just pointing out her color):

Monday, September 2, 2013

Purina One BeyOnd recall

Nestlé Purina PetCare has announced a limited recall of it's 3.5 pound bags of Purina One beyOnd Our White Meat Chicken & Whole Barley Recipe Adult Dry dog food. A bag of the product was found to contain salmonella. This is thought to affect only customers in the United States, only that size, and only that flavor.

The bag size to keep an eye out for is the 3.5 pound bags, and the Best By Date and Production codes (located on the bottom or back of the bag) OCT 2014 31071083. UPC code is 17800 1269.

If you have the food, discontinue use. Nestlé Purina PetCare also says to discard it, but I'm not sure how one gets a refund from the store that way. For more information or to obtain the refund (!), you can call them at 1-800-473-8546, and that is a 24 hour, 7 day a week number.


From PetMD.com, symptoms of Salmonella in dogs can include lethargy, fever, dehydration, weight loss, mucus in stool, and abnormally fast heart rate, among other things. If your dog has had this food, definitely keep an eye on him or her for these symptoms. But geeze, if you see these symptoms in your dog ever at all, get thee to the vet!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Black and White Sunday September 1 2013


For those of you who asked last time, I just use the Photobucket "effects". So, It was "Concordia" on that one, and today's is "Metropolis". Oh yeah, and Elka was still itty-bitty.