TEDDY BEARS' PICNIC DAY

© photo

According to the Fun Holidays web site, today is Teddy Bears' Picnic Day!

However, the web site also says, “…the origins of this unofficial holiday are unknown. It is also unclear what the holiday aims to achieve.”

Maybe it’s just for fun!

JULY’S DOGGIE HOST: LADY WILLOUGHBY

The only brown puppy in the litter
became my adored Lady Willoughby.

If anybody needed a dog, this girl did. Fresh out of high school. Fresh off the farm. This girl was trying to be an adult, but she had so much to learn! Unfortunately, she had set some goals she was determined to meet that blinded her to what would have been better choices. I tried to show her a better way, but she didn’t want to see.

At least she knew she needed a dog.

“After high school, I moved to the city to claim a job and my own life…I also quickly rediscovered my life wasn’t complete without a canine companion. When I moved into a house…a litter of puppies next door brought another furbaby into my life.” 

--from I WANT TO HAVE THE HEART OF A DOG

www.GenieGabriel.com

PAWS DOWN FOR FIREWORKS

“Almost all humans with canines in the U.S. declare this day [the 4th of July] the worst day of the year for their dogs,” states a guest post on dog trainer Victoria Stilwell’s blog.

Humane societies report more dogs are found wandering loose on July 4th than any other day of the year in the U.S.

Unfortunately, I have my own story about this, with ANOTHER COLLIE TO LOVE—THAT WE ALMOST LOST.

My parents found Duke wandering on the road on the Fourth of July…Now a single mother, I bought another house and built a fence so Duke could stay with my kids and me. It was then we found out how frightened he was by fireworks.

Duke was out in our now fenced backyard as dusk fell one summer evening in early July. I didn’t think much about it until I heard him fussing. I looked out the upstairs window and saw him running back and forth across the yard. I called for him before making a dash for the stairs, but he didn’t hear me over his terror.

He crashed through the fence and was gone before I made it downstairs. Then it hit me: my parents found him wandering in the road on the Fourth of July. I should have known fireworks would terrify him.

Beating myself up for not making the connection earlier, we searched frantically for him. No one nearby had seen him, so we finally came home.

I feared we wouldn’t see him again, but filed a lost dog report at the local humane society, contacted dog control, and posted an ad in the local paper.

That ad paid off.

A woman called and said she might have our dog…Her house was a couple miles away. I didn’t think he would run so far–more lessons for me. She said she found him lying on her porch, obviously sensing he would find safety with this kind woman. She also said he hadn’t made a sound in the few days he had been with her. Until he heard our voices.

Filled with gratitude, we took him home–definitely wiser. No more dogs out on the evenings when fireworks might be going off, and all our fencing would be reinforced.

Nowadays, my favorite way to spend the 4th of July is tucked safely at home with my dogs.

However, for those who are planning to celebrate and leave their canines at home, this blog post is an older one, but still offers some helpful suggestions.  

WISDOM FROM CORKY

You do not have to dramatize every experience in your life. Sometimes it is enough to quietly take it in and correct your choices from the experience. It is how those experiences affect your future decisions that determine their value. Sometimes in sharing over and over, you become stuck in the disempowering feelings. Instead, use these experiences to know what you do not want and choose something better.

TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK DAY PHOTO CONTEST

Pet Sitters International started Take Your Dog to Work Day in 1999 to celebrate dogs as great companions and to promote their adoptions. This year’s event took place on Friday, June 24. 

If you participated, PSI invites you to enter a photo of your dog at your workplace. Photos can be uploaded at PSI's web site until July 31. 

The winner will receive a $500 value products prize package from the contest sponsor and can select an animal shelter or pet rescue organization to also receive a $500 product donation in his/her honor.

Friends, family, co-workers and strangers on the street are encouraged to vote for their favorite photo. Take a look, there are some cute photos already posted! 

WHAT IF WEDNESDAY: ARE YOU AND YOUR PETS PREPARED FOR A DISASTER?

June is National Disaster Preparedness Month. 

Are you prepared for a disaster? 

How about your pets?

The American Humane Society gives a list of Top Ten Items to have for your pet in an easy-to-grab location in the event of a disaster. Those items include food, water, leash and collar, bowls, ID, medications, and immunization/vet records.

Interestingly, several months ago my instincts insisted that I prepare an evacuation plan for my eight dogs and what to take with us if an emergency came up. I’m not a person who would desert my furbabies, so my plan includes items to meet basic needs for both my dogs and for humans—shelter, water, food, cooking, cleaning, personal care, tools, extra clothes, and bedding.

We do have a “bug-out” location where we could go, but my plan includes items that would serve us if we can’t reach that location right away. You can find suggested lists on the Internet of what to keep in your vehicle for emergencies and tailor those to your specific situation and needs. (Search for “emergency supplies lists.”)

I have a vehicle that will carry my entire doggie herd—though we would be a bit crowded—and have decided where in that vehicle I would stash vital supplies like food and water. Fortunately, the seats fold down and there is storage space under those. 

My list is quite lengthy, but I want things that will do double-duty if possible. For instance, a roll of black plastic will provide shelter but could also catch rain for water. Five-gallon plastic buckets can hold our survival items as well as serve as stools to sit on. I like simple and natural cleaning items like baking soda—I can use it to brush my teeth, to clean cooking utensils, and soothe scrapes or insect bites. 

Hopefully we won’t ever have to use our evacuation plan, but it’s ready just in case!

TALK TUESDAY: WHY CAN'T HUMANS UNDERSTAND DOGS?

QUESTION: What should I do if my human doesn’t listen to me?

—a baffled Beagle

ANSWER FROM CORKY: Unfortunately, this is a common complaint from those of us in canine form. Most humans don’t understand that “Woof!” means more than “Feed me!” or “Take me for a walk!” or “I have to pee!”

You could try tearing letters out of the newspaper to form the words, “Learn to talk to me.” However, this could result in getting yelled at for destroying the newspaper. You could also try to form these words with your kibble—if one of your doggie buddies doesn’t eat the message. 

There does seem to be paw-sitive movement by some humans called animal communicators to teach other humans to understand pets. Until that happens, our best bet may be to keep learning seriously awesome tricks in hopes humans will catch on that we’re more than just a cute, furry faces!

Again, is it any wonder my eyes are closed in that prayerful position?