Hope the Easter Bunny was good to all of our furry friends today. Baxter made the most of the two days of sunshine we had last week by posing for photos in our yard. Good thing, too, 'cause the weatherman says we're in for another week of chilly rain. One day we'll see the sun again!

Some of you know that Baxter has been very ill recently. I'm happy to say that he's back to normal and thriving! He'll be happy to see his family later this week.

Dave and I appreciate every one of you. Thanks for your loyalty and trust.

After a very busy holiday season, I'm finally updating the blog again. And, it's a very special update, indeed!

Our dear Velvet is 8 years old today! David and I were so fortunate to have Velvet come to live with us just before she turned two in 2005. Velly is a retired breeder from Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), an organization which places fully-trained service dogs with people with disabilities, free of charge. She had 27 puppies during her career and was given her gold watch and golden parachute a couple of years ago. All of Velvet's puppies entered the program for CCI and some have graduated and are helping their partners live much fuller, and more independent, lives. We send a shout out to Vel's first Mom and Dad, Jen and Chris, who trained her for CCI and have shared her with us since.

Today, Velvet had a trip to Clackamas Feed and Pet Supply to pick out her presents and then we came home and had a few French fries (her favorite) before the big birthday feast later tonight.

Happy Birthday, Velvet. We love you!!

Dave and I received very, very sad news on Tuesday. Toby Merz, the elder statesman of Scooter's B&B, has passed away due to a heart ailment. Toby had stayed with us as recently as Labor Day and we're so happy that we got the chance to enjoy his company before his sudden illness happened. We are devestated at his  loss and send our deep sympathy to Toby's family and his many, many friends who are mourning him.

Toby was a character! Like most of the dogs who we know and love, he definitely had his preferences. We quickly learned during his first visit with us a couple of years ago that he was no ordinary guest. Toby liked things to be his way and that meant he would just wait until we figured out what that was. For instance, he wouldn't potty where the other dogs went. At home Toby was told to go way out into the back area of his yard to do his business and he thought that was a good plan at our place, too. After a very stressful day and night of Toby not going to the bathroom, I finally allowed him to lead me to where he wanted to go instead of me telling him where to go. After that, we never had a problem again. He'd traipse out to the very front corner of our property and do his thing.

One of Toby's delights while staying at our place was his chance to get up close and personal with my chickens and bunny. I remember many times when he'd be outside with me and we'd have a game of "You Can't Catch Me" as I chased him around the chicken coop. He never wanted to come in when the chickens were out and he could get close enough to nose them through the fence. I knew he would never hurt any of them, though, even if he could have gotten closer.

Toby was also one of the four-legged kids who would not touch his food while staying with us unless Dave fixed it up with yogurt and warm chicken broth. He ate his food dry at home from what I understand, but while at Scooter's he knew "room service" would eventually come through for him!

We love you Toby and will miss you so much. Selfishly, we wish you could have stayed around through the holidays so we would have had one more chance to pamper and coddle you, as was your due. Your rest now is well deserved, Angel Dog.

I don't have a lot of information on this yet, but one of our clients who lives near downtown Portland has told me there is a flea epidemic in the city. She discovered her poor dog was covered in them after he chewed his skin raw from being in so much discomfort because of the nasty little creatures. She says the dog is now getting a flea bath every three days and her house is officially the cleanest in the city because she's done so much to eradicate the fleas from indoors.

So, if your dog is coming to see us anytime within the next couple of months (including the holidays), I'm asking that you treat him or her with a topical flea product NOW, even if you don't see any fleas on the body. We try to really keep on top of a flea or tick outbreak at Scooter's by maintaining a very clean environment for the dogs. We also us a non-toxic pesticide, Diatomaceous Earth, as our main pest control. We are flea-free here and I don't want anyone bringing them along when they come to stay with us, please. That's why I'm asking for everyone's cooperation in treating their dog. You can get safe flea prevention products from your veterinarian's office. Please stay away from the Hartz or Sergeant's brand or anything else that isn't Frontline, Advantage or one of the other brands your vet sells. The chemical in the product actually dissolves into your pet's skin and enters the bloodstream, so you want to make sure you are using something safe and non-toxic. Let me know if you have any questions about this.

In addition to treating your dog with a flea prevention product, it's also a good idea to wash all pet beds (outer cover and interior of the bed) in hot water. If you find you have a flea problem in your home, replace the bed with a new one after having your home treated by a pest company. Fleas have many life stages. If you see adult fleas on your dog or in your home, that's an indication that you also have flea eggs and larvae living inside your house. Thoroughly vacuum your home daily for a couple of weeks. If your vacuum is the type that uses a bag, throw it away after each time you use the machine. If your vacuum is bagless, dump the contents and wash the canister with soap and hot water after each use. Fleas can live in your vacuum and crawl back out into your home when the machine is not in use.

As soon as I can find out more information about the Portland flea infestation, I'll post it here. Thanks for your help!

We're back from vacation and ready to see your sweet doggies again! We really enjoyed our time away in Idaho. We stayed in a cabin on the Clark Fork river and were treated to a show from Bald Eagles and Osprey catching their breakfasts each morning right outside our windows. Drove through lots of farmland in eastern Oregon and western Idaho. We came home through Leavenworth, WA, because I wanted to take our little German dog (Harvey, the dachshund) to the little German town. I'll definitely be going back there for shopping!

Now is a good time to start letting me know who will be staying with us for the holidays. I've already got a few dogs on the calendar for that time and new people are calling often to sign up their doggies. I'd always rather accomodate the friends we know first.

Happy Fall, y'all!

In response to the oppressive heat wave we've been having here lately, I thought I'd post some of our favorite pictures of dogs trying to stay cool. (Yes, Texas friends, the weather people post excessive heat warnings up here when the temperature is expected to hit 90 degrees!) Some of these doggies we have known and others belong to friends. There's also a couple of cat pictures for you dual-species households. Enjoy and try to stay cool!

Rowdy in the Tank


Launching


Abby on Float


Sharky in the Sprinkler


Kitty Sunbathers


Kitty in the Pool

So many doggies to care for lately that it's been hard to find time to  blog. Everyone has been having a great time in the sunshine and warm temperatures this summer. When it gets too warm, we all retreat to the air conditioned playrooms and house for a much-needed afternoon nap!

Some of the dogs staying with us over the summer have had really bad allergy issues. We have one poor guy right now, Sam, who has chewed his skin raw near the base of his tail because of allergy itching (and anxiety). Max the Chug was miserable with itchiness a couple of weeks ago. Even our Velvet gets allergy-related skin trouble this time of year. I often find myself talking to people lately about how to make their dogs more comfortable during flare ups.

Fish oil capsules are a great way to start giving your dog some relief from skin woes. Omega 3 fatty acids (found in fish oil) are "the most important supplement you can use for allergic skin disease" (The Complete Holistic Dog Book, Dr. Katy Summers). Dr. Summers was Scooter's and Velvet's vet when we lived in California and I go to her excellent book many times per week for help with some issue. She prescribed fish oil and vitamin E for both girls when their skin allergies flared up in the summer due to the lush grape-growing area we lived in. It sure did help, too. Due to the severity of the problem, I kept both dogs on the supplement year-round. I buy the fish oil capsules I give at Costco in the pharmacy department. It's the same stuff they sell for humans and I take it daily, too. For dogs, the recommended dosage is one capsule (1200 mg) per 10-15 pounds of body weight.

Another solution to consider with dogs who have skin allergies is their food source. Some dogs can actually have a continual allergic reaction to the food they are eating. This reaction doesn't necessarily show up as a stomach problem, but as a skin and/or ear condition. Any dog food you buy, unless you are extremely careful to check the ingredients, contains grain. Many veterinarians believe that the high amount of grain in most commercially produced dog food is the leading contributing factor in many dogs' allergy-related skin conditions. There are a few grain-free pet foods available now, and I've switched Velvet and Harvey to one called Taste of The Wild. It's made a huge difference in Velvet's itchy skin in just the few weeks she's been eating it. Her beautiful coat had become dull and flaky, but she's looking velvety again!

I'm always happy to talk about how to make your dog more comfortable and share what I know. Just ask!

Pensive Sam

Dave had a vehicle full of very tired doggies to take home this evening after a fun day at Scooter's for daycare. The usual two Tuesday dogs, Goodie and Blue, were joined by new guy, Sam, and Blue's cousin, Daisy Duke. Daisy is staying at Blue's house for a little while, so she came along today for the fun. Sam will be a new addition to the Tuesday crowd. Also here today were Mojo, Roscoe and Chewy, and Suzy. Chloe and Cooper went home with their Dad at mid-day. Lots of dogginess here today! Good thing it was a pretty day outside and they all could do lots of running around. It's much quieter here now with only three boarding dogs for the evening. Good time to catch up on blogging!
 

Harvey here! As a special birthday treat, Mom let me do the blog tonight. As you might have heard, I turned three years-old today. Mom and Sissy helped me celebrate all day, especially tonight (see the picture). Although we couldn't find the Scooby-Doo party hats and the real birthday candles, we had a fun party anyway. Dad kept muttering something about "no more terrible twos", but I don't know what he was talking about.

You might wonder how I got into this family in the first place. Well, my first family had some changes in their lives last year and didn't feel like they could take care of me properly anymore because of working and going to school. My then-mom called my now-mom and asked for advice about what to do. I had been coming to stay at Scooter's since I was just five months-old, so they knew me really well here. Anyway, without even asking my now-Dad, Now-Mom said "Harvey can live with us!"

Not being little dog people before, I had to teach them a few things about us guys in the smaller packages. Now-Mom loved learning how cozy it is in the bed every night when I sleep next to her under the covers. Now-Dad likes having a pint-sized little buddy to help with chores. I think my sissy, Velvet, likes it when I jump on her head when I want to play. I love living out in the country where there are lots of distractions to keep me occupied, like squirrels, chickens and rabbits. Plus, I'm an excellent security monitor and my family always yells my name when I start my shrieking bark to alert to danger. I'm sure they are thanking me for my service! More soon....

There's still time to get to your veterinarian to make sure you have whatever you need to make your skittish dog comfortable over the Fourth of July weekend. The fireworks have already started going off here in the evenings. That reminded me to make a quick post about those poor doggies who are not fans of the booms. Safe sedatives are available to get your pup through the festivities without too much stress. But, don't wait til the last minute to seek help. I'm positive, at least around our house, that the scary noises will be going for the foreseeable future, so I've already got supplies on hand to help the doggies staying with us for the holiday weekend. If you absolutely cannot contact your dog's vet and need help quick, Benadryl is a safe alternative to prescription sedatives. But, you should only give the drug unmixed with any other symptom reliever. In other words, the only ingredient listed on the package should be "Diphenhydramine", which is an antihistamine. You don't want any other medications for cough, fever, etc. mixed in with it. The normally prescribed dose of Benadryl for dogs is 1 mg. per pound of body weight every 4-6 hours. So, a dog weighing 25 pounds should take 25 mg. Do not exceed more than 4 doses in 24 hours. Benadryl comes in several strengths, from 10 mg to 25 mg and there is even liquid. Read the box carefully to determine the strength of the medication. The liquid form is really good for dogs who are small and those who don't like pills. However, be careful to read the label thoroughly. With liquid Benadryl you'll have to convert the strength from mls. to mgs. Usually, 5 ml = 1 tablespoon = 12.5 mg. If you need help figuring it out, call me and I'll be happy to help. Benadryl will make your dog very sleepy if given ahead of the anxiety. Don't wait until she is freaked out because of the fireworks. Give it to her early in the day and keep it going every 4-6 hours so that she doesn't have to get worked up at all. Adrenalin can cause the drug to have a much less satisfying effect! Also, try to mask the sounds of the fireworks with a loud radio and floor fans turned up high. If your dog has trouble with the flashes of light from the fireworks, try turning on the television and keep all the lights on in the room and close the blinds or drapes. Above all, do not put your dog outside in the yard or in the garage away from you. She will need the reassurance of your presence to make it through the scary stuff. Finally, even if your girl normally has no problem with fireworks, don't risk it. Leave her at home (safely INSIDE) if you are going to a display or party where fireworks will be lighted. We still have room this weekend for boarders if you have no other alternative!