Trained Dogs Rule » Dog Stories

Happy Birthday

Maureen Brownell — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 04:33:53 +0000

I am a bit late with this but today April 6th was our male doberman’s birthday. Wylie celebrated his ninth birthday. We are so lucky that he is still with us. He has had cancer twice now and is still beating the odds. He lost his one toe last summer due to cancer so he did not have that great of a summer. We are hoping, no I will rephrase that, we are really looking forward to a much better summer this year.
Last year we got those attachments for our bikes so we could run our two dobes. Poor Wylie only got out twice and then had the toe thing going on. We still did our walks but you could tell he wanted to run with our other dobe. So I am looking forward to our little jogs down the road this summer!

Until next time

Maureen

Happy Birthday

Maureen Brownell — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 05:02:12 +0000

Just wanted to let all you fellow dog lovers out there know that today April 6th was my male doberman Wylie’s 8th birthday. We didn’t get him a cake or anything but we did sing Happy Birthday to him. It really was a happy day because four years ago he was undergoing Chemo treatment for cancer. We were told that if the treatment went well he would probably get a couple more years. Four years later he is still here and going strong. We are just so grateful to have this time with him. He is a very gentle and loving doberman who still acts like a puppy.

Dog Training – Not just for Dogs

Maureen Brownell — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:23:42 +0000

Today started out like any other day. After getting up and pouring a coffee, my two dogs and I headed downstairs to go outside. They are out for their morning ritual and I am out to let the ducks out for the day. It’s a cold November day. We had some baby ducks late in the season and they are growing rather slow. Lately they have gotten in the habit of going under the fence and into the backyard. Yes you guessed it into doggie territory.

The ducks really motor in the morning. One minute they are in

the pond the next minute they are in the field – they are just going and picking, picking and picking.

After giving them fresh water and topping up their food I start to head back to the fenced yard and into the house. The dogs are doing their normal thing. As the three of us head back to the house I noticed there is only two of us. I then hear a very loud quacking. I know instantly one of my female ducks is extremely agitated at something.

Seeing that my male doberman – Wylie is no where in sight I call him and run towards the shed. This is the only place he can be and the ducks are over that way also but outside of the fence.

As I round the corner of the shed I see three of the little ducks inside the yard and Wylie nosing them. The ducks are frantic and Mama duck is going nuts on the other side of the fence. I tell Wylie to “Leave it” which he happily does and he just lopes off to where our female dobe is.

That’s the second time this year that he has had contact with the ducks and both times had responded immediately when told to leave them. Without training would he have responded the same way?

Two of the little ones get out under the fence but the third one is very confused and stressed at this point. I manage to corral it, pick it up and take it back out to the rest of them. Mama duck was quite happy when I brought her baby back to her. They all headed off to the pond to safety.

If our dobe had not had any training would this have had the same ending?

Until next time

Maureen Brownell

Dangers of Leash Free Dog Parks

Maureen Brownell — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:31:09 +0000

I was watching the news this morning when I heard a report of two dogs dying and others becoming ill after being at a Leash Free Dog Park. I live in Ontario, Canada and this report was coming from Toronto, Ontario.

This park is located in the High Park area of Toronto. It has been there a number of years but with anything there is always complaints. Complaints have been mainly about the cleanliness of the park. Anyway there is a place for the dogs to get a drink and apparently someone spiked the water with anti-freeze.

To me this was not only a very malicious act but a very cowardly and stupid one also. People using the park not only bring their dogs there but some may bring their small children there also. Small children will put just about anything in their mouth including the water meant for the dogs. So this person has not only endangered the dog but also he/she could have very well endangered small children as well. If they have a problem with the park there are better ways to go about expressing them!

They could have easily have taken this up with their local politician. They could have gone to the park and talked to the dog owners. They could have written a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. But no! This person would rather just sneak around probably under the cover of night and try to kill innocent animals and possibly children. As I said before very malicious and cowardly.

For those using dog parks please be careful. I’m not a big fan of muzzling my dog but if it would prevent them from having access to poisoned water then I might be considering it. They have those fold up dishes also that you could bring with you along with bottled water if your dog needs a drink.

Also since the main complaint about the park seems to be the cleanliness of the park, make sure and pick up after your dog.

It just boggles my mind sometimes at what some people will do. To my fellow dog lovers please try and keep your pet safe!

Until next time

Maureen Brownell

Dog Parks – Are they safe?

Maureen Brownell — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:53:31 +0000

Dog Parks are becoming a very popular way for you to exercise and socialize your dog. How safe are they though? Most owners are aware of some of the dangers that are associated with dog parks. Since dogs tend to get into a lot of things we would be afraid to even touch, some obvious dog haters have been known to put meat laced with poison in dog parks. Knowing this dog owners are usally very careful when they bring their dogs to these parks. Unfortunately the unexpected will happen. This is exactly what happened to this dog. It was a very tragic accident.

News for cats and dogs – High Speed, High Impact(http://www.itchmo.com/high-speed-high-impact-4559)

We want to do the best for our dogs. Could this have been prevented? Well if you were watching your dog and could see the upcoming danger, a dog trained to come when called, could have prevented this tragedy. Although this was a very unforseen accident, some accidents are just waiting to happen.

A dog running loose in an uncontrolled environment is never a good thing. Training your dog to come when called, to lay down etc. could someday save their lives. Think of the dogs that have been hit by a car as their owners watched in horror. This could have been prevented if you had taken the time to train your dog in basic obedience.

Yes it is a lot of work to train your dog but aren’t they worth it?

Until next time

Maureen Brownell