Keeping Our Dogs and Pets Safe for the Holidays

I just read an article written by Dr. Donna Spector telling about the hazards that arise when you feed your pet Holiday fare. So many foods are dangerous for your pet and need to be avoided. Dr. Spector warned of the following and gave an explanation of why. I have summarized them for my readers. This is yet another reason why I recommend using a dog crate during the Holiday season. It is a great place to put your pet during preparation, eating and cleaning-up of those scrumptious holiday meals. It is one of the best ways to keep him safe.

A Few Things to Keep Your Dog Away from During the Holidays:

• Chocolate – (all kinds, but dark and baking are the worst) Problems associated with consumption of this are mild stomach upset to seizures and death.
• Alcohol – Dogs tend to like sweets and eggnog is especially tempting. Don’t let them lick the glasses or bottle caps; its consumption can be lethal.
• Rich Fatty Foods – Not only are they bad for us they will cause mild stomach irritation and can lead to pancreatitis. This often requires hospitalization and can be fatal.
• Uncooked Dough – The yeast in the dough can expand and cause excess gas in the stomach which results in bloating and possible rupture of the digestive system.
• Fruits and Nuts – During the holiday season candied fruits, fruits and nuts are plentiful and left out for holiday visitors. Be careful, especially with grapes, raisins and macadamia nuts as they are prone to cause problems with your pet from digestive upset to organ failure and death.
• Sugar-Free Candies – These treats contain Zylitol, a sugar substitute, which even in small dosages are life-threatening to dogs. They cause low blood sugar and liver failure in dogs.
• Wrappers, Aluminum Foil, Etc. – Keep these out of harms way. Dogs can sniff them out and swallow them. If they do not pass through the digestive system, it may require surgery.

A Few Precautions to Take for the Safety and Well-Being of Your Pet During the Holiday Season:

• Avoid feeding him from the table. Ahead of the meal, satisfy him with his own high quality natural pet food.
• Keep him away from the table by placing him in his crate while the food is being prepared, eaten and clean up is over.
• Any treats that will be made available to guests need to be out of the reach of your pet.
• If a spill occurs, quickly clean it up and keep your pet in his crate. Don’t take chances on him rushing over to lap up the spill. 

We all love our dogs and pets and want them to be safe and happy.  The responsibility is ours.  The Holidays are a lot of fun, but can be stressful too.  Keeping our pets safe is one way to reduce some of this stress.  Happy Holidays from Canine Crate Store!

Burglars take a Dog in Dog Crate in Dallas

I like to read the news and keep up on current events, especially when it comes to dogs and pets.  I like to have knowledge of what I write about to inform anyone that comes across this blog.  In my search of events, I came across this article in the Dallas News where a dog was stolen from his home in his pet crate.  It makes me sick when people do such horrible things.  Apparently the burglars took the dog amongst about $7000 worth of items from the apartment.  I hope this post gets out because the dog is still missing and maybe someone that reads about it here will get to the article and and help the owners find their dog.  Their email addresses are posted in the Dallas News Article where they are offering a $500 reward.  At least they had an alert neighbor who saw two men carrying the dog crate and a television out of their apartment, but apparently there is still no dog.  It makes me realize that even in pet crates, dogs can be taken from their owners.   Hopefully if anyone has any knowledge, they can click on one of the links to the article I have put in this post, read it, and help these people out.

New Puppy and her Dog Crate

I got to see a new puppy in action yesterday, and boy was she great.  My best friend just got a Brussel Griffon pup.  What a cutie.  They have been implementing a dog crate during their house breaking of the pup, and once again it is just more evidence that this method works!   I was able to baby sit her a few weeks ago when she was brand new to the human world, and I had to keep a close eye on her to make sure she wasn't going to use my house as a bathroom.  Then yesterday, I was privileged to take on the task of baby sitter again.  Actually, I should say that my 2 year old Lab is the real baby sitter, I just get to supervise them both.  Since the first time she stayed at my house a few weeks ago was a night and day difference.  Only a few weeks of using a dog crate as a house breaking tool, made this a completely different pup.  She was great!  She knew the ins and outs of potty training.  My props to my friends, and another reminder to me that dog crates and kennels are great tools.

The Biggest Little Dog in the World

Our dog Sampson is the most unique, colorful dog I have ever seen. He is a black Pomeranian with a personality unique to himself. Sampson came into my life about five years ago when I met my wife. He was six years old at the time and is now eleven years old. He is still going as strong as ever. I grew up with big, hunting dogs my whole life, so it was fun having a little dog around. He had little dog syndrome big time. He would pick fights with any dog around, especially two Rottweilers that were part of the neighborhood. He hated his dog crate and still does, but he has come a long way in his education and is now much calmer. I tell you what though, this dog has always been and is still the best retriever that I have seen. That says a lot coming from a guy that grew up with bird dogs. If only I could get Heather, our Lab, to retrieve like Sampson does. Too bad he would get lost or stuck in the marsh, or I would take him out on a bird hunt with us. Just like the Sampson in the Bible, I had better not cut his hair. It might make him actually like his little dog carrier.

Rudy and the Dog Kennel

I love writing about my dogs. It has brought make some many great memories. Some from my childhood and some from recent experiences. I remember a dog we had named Rudy. He was a German Shorthair I believe. I was very young. It was back in the first days of my memory. We had two dogs at the time. Rudy and Rowdy. Rowdy was a Brittany Spaniel. We had moved to a new house and the entire yard was not fenced off at the time. My dad had built a nice, big chain link kennel for our dogs  to be in when my parents were at work and the kids were at school. Each dog had his own kennel and dog house in the kennel. Rudy was a mischievous mutt. He figured out how to use his nose to lift the latch and open his kennel. The funny thing is he would open his kennel, let himself out, then go let Rowdy out and get in Rowdy's dog kennel and stay there. When we would get home, Rowdy would be running in the yard, Rudy would be staying like a good boy in Rowdy's kennel. The good times ended for him when my father invested in a padlock. The fun memories that dog's bring are priceless.

Had We Only Used a Dog Crate

I grew up with dogs my whole life. One of the best dogs we ever had when I was growing up was Bud. Bud was a Chocolate Lab and was to be our next great bird dog. He was one of the smartest dogs I had ever seen. It was towards the end of my high school years, and I was soon to be moving off to start my own life. My parents seemed to baby this dog more than others we had while growing up, maybe because their kids were leaving. I don't know, but he has spoiled. Bud never had to go to his dog crate or his dog kennel. In fact, I don't remember if he ever had one. Anyway, training Bud was an experience. Despite his intelligence, he was rebellious. He would roam the neighborhood freely and even chewed up one of his training videos. Of all the videos we had, that was the one he decided to chew. He was like a bad teenager. We got through all of this, and he ended up being one of the best dogs and definitely the most memorable dog of my youth. He was fabulous, but we could have eliminated some of the frustrating experiences had we only used a dog crate or dog kennel from the beginning. One of the saddest days of my life was finding out we had lost Bud to cancer. This one's for you Bud.

The Pheasant Hunt Draws Near

My family has been an avid group of pheasant hunters my entire life. Many Stories have been told around the dinner table. This year one in particular enters my mind. We were out on the ditch banks hunting an open beet field with our two Brittany Spaniels, Gyp and Rowdy. This was Rowdy's first hunt. He was still a pup full of energy. We were hoping Gyp, his father, would teach him a thing or two. Rowdy was a perfect hunter. He would sniff and hunt right in front of my father's feet and then go run and hide under a beet leaf. I'd say he was right on track. The one thing he did do right, however, was jump up in his dog crate and sleep the whole ride home. We have always crated our dogs, and secured the crate in the back of the pickup truck. Nothing bothers me more when it comes to dogs than a dog freely roaming the back of a pickup truck going down the highway at full speed. Take care of your canine companion no matter if you hunt or not, and he will give you many unforgettable years. Travel safe this season and make sure your dog travels safe in his dog crate too.