Dogs of the week. Buster and Kerby from Houston.

Buster has been a good friend of mine since 2005. He is owned by Toby and Gwen, who used to be my clients in Chicago. Buster was found wandering the streets. Toby and Gwen took him in when they found him on a walk, with their Australian Shepherd mix Kerby, and got him to a vet. He was riddled with heartworm. They took him in and nursed him through his illness. Buster is a loving dog, just full of personality! Loves to be on your lap but, because that is not allowed by the family, he will sit on the floor with a paw or his head on your knee and look at you intently until he gets the attention he so rightly deserves. One of my favorite quirks about Buster was taking him to Lake Michigan. He loved the waves. Not a big swimmer, he preferred to chase them and bite them. He would race up and down the beach telling those waves they needed to pay attention! Kerby on the other hand is a nut. You don't get that on the first meeting, but he really is. Bit aloof with humans on the first meeting but loves to play. My friend Loretta had a Lab/Newfoundland mix named Mackie. We introduced the boys at the tennis courts and spent the next hour in laughing fits. Both were a bit over weight which both owners were trying to address. But these boys took to each other in a WWF smackdown, only play style. We continue to call it the dance of the fatties. Kerby was right in his element in Chicago. All the left over chicken bones and bits of pizza he could cram in his mouth. But Kerb is a beautiful and loving dog, who I adore to this day.

10 ways dogs have helped to advance medicine

All I can say is wow! A friend found my site and asked me if I would share. I told her I would have to peruse the article, but it sounded like just the thing I like to share. Well it certainly is! A few are no brainers, but a few might just surprise you. http://www.mritechnicianschools.org/10-amazing-ways-dogs-have-helped-advance-medicine/ Editors note: One asset to a dog's ability to assistance, that was not mentioned, is their ability to watch over autistic children. Dogs have an innate ability, to not only calm autistic children, but to alert their parents to a problem. There is a wonderful group here, in Greenville SC, called Dogs for Autism. http://www.dogsforautism.com/index.html Such an amazing group that trains dogs to be of service to autistic children! I have learned so much from my dogs about how to live life. How to be in the moment,how to let the past go, how to be happy with a toy, how to snuggle at night, how to go through an illness with dignity, how to enjoy green grass or blue water and, most important, how to be a good friend. I owe my kids so much, perhaps a bit more!

Nupro and an interesting incident

Nupro is a nutritional supplement I highly recommend. Lots of vitamins, kelp, flax seed and other stuff your regular kibble might be missing. Smells great and the dogs love it. You can make it into a gravy and I strongly suggest you do so. Case in point, my 5 yr old Aussie got a cake of the powder stuck on the roof of his mouth. He went positiveley beserk, Tried to claw it out to no avail. I tried to intervene, but he was so terrified he would not allow me in his mouth. I know he didn't mean to but he kept clamping down on my hand. Having been badly bitten in the past, I wasn't keen on reliving the experience. It finally occured to me that I could get a dinner knife between his front teeth and back molars. Worked like a charm. Was able to scrape enough of the cake off to ease his distress. Then he allowed me to open his mouth and remove what was left behind. Lesson learned the hard way. But I will never feed the dogs a straight powder again. The girls would likely be more patient with me. Syd was found at 6 months and had been barely handled in that time. He gets better over time, but bathing,tooth and nail care and grooming were a challenge when I found him. Not to mention prostrate exams! There is a funny story there! The point is a dog in panic is never a good situation. And clearly having something on the roof of the mouth puts them in panic, some more than others. So just be cautious if you give them any kind of powdered supplement. You just don't know how they are going to react to that kind of stress. Mix it in a bit of water.