Dogs for PTSD Therapy

Spending just 15 minutes with a dog is reported to give better results than Music or Art therapy. Dog have great healing power. You would think every one would know that by now.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/09171203089700;_ylt=AmpcfsVDCAW4HvPzuiHVtW1k24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTJ1bGNzb3MwBGFzc2V0Ay9zL3RpbWUvMDkxNzEyMDMwODk3MDAEY2NvZGUDbXBfZWNfOF8xMARjcG9zAzcEcG9zAzcEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNicmluZ2luZ2RvZ3M-

Dogs Can Teach Us

Smash Is In The House

Yea!! I get to stay in the house while it is storming. I can stay warm and dry during this rainy, blustery day. I like to be in side the garage of the house lying in front of my skin mom's Jeep. I feel really secure.

My friend Link sometimes comes into the garage with me. He lies on top of the Jeep. Yeah, I know he is a cat, but he can't help that. He and I love to play chase with each other. Even when he gets to a tree first, he will come back down and let me chase him again. When I get there first I tag his nose and we run again. Life as a dog is really good, and I guess Link doesn't mind being a cat.

You know people could learn alot from us animals. We accept each other as we are and just enjoy life. We don't complain. We work to get along with everyone, and we don't worry about anything. Most of the time we live in a very peaceful environment. (It is not very peaceful for the dogs in service, and yes, we are thankful for the help they provide our service people.)

Still, people could take a few lessons from us. Accept others as they are. Make friends and enjoy just being in the moment.

Woof!! That's all for now.

Smash and Benton Falls

Smash's Hike to Benton Falls

This past Thursday, I took my dog Smash to Benton Falls in Polk County, TN. He was excited about getting to ride but he had no idea how much fun this hike would be.

When we arrived at Chilhowee there were two buses letting off 126 seventh graders from Ocoee Middle School. When the buses pulled away that is when Smash saw all the children. Some of them shouted, "Look at the dog!!" It was all fun with lots of pet the puppy.

Smash pulled me over to the children and as he was sniffing them they were all wanting to meet him. When we took off down the tail Smash wanted to be in front. (He knows the way to Benton Falls.) One young girl wanted to hold on to the the leash while we walked. Smash quickly knew someone else was holding the leash and he did what he does best, walk at a very fast pace.

As we approached the falls I took the leash and led Smash to the bottom of the falls. Here we walked on the boulders, wadded in the water and got a good cold drink. Several of the children got completely soaked and Smash wanted to show them how to shake off the excess water.

After seeing the falls, we hiked back to the picnic area where Smash walked around with his cute puppy eyes and asked to take care of the scraps as long as it wasn't chocolate or fruit. He also found out that dogs are not allowed on the beach at Chilhowee, but he didn't mind when he discovered that we were going to eat.

Overall, it was a fun day. Smash made lots of new friends and he got lots of pet the puppy. Smash is a good dog, and we love him:-)

Singing Dog

Smash loves to bark but I have never heard him sing. Maybe I will have to show him this video.

10 Tips from vets

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/pets-animals/stories/10-pieces-of-free-advice-from-a-vet

Smash agrees with this advice. There is nothing wrong with him being skinny. He just likes to run and play to keep in shape.

He also agrees that he is in a much better mood to visit the vet if he has had a chance to take a walk in the woods before he goes.

He actually likes going to the vet now. They give him lots of pet the puppy and make over how good he is. They did not even fuss too much when he decided to mark the desk as his territory last time he was there.

The Dog Days of Summer

A Dog's Point of View

This summer has been very hot for my dog Smash. He has been laying around most of the time just staying cool or at least staying as cool as possible. This past year Smash has had many skin issues, but I think one of the worst has been fleas. We have found a product that helps get rid of the fleas but here is Smash's take on it.

"The product is a pill that I have to take. It really tastes awful so I try to not swallow it. My Mommy had to try five times to get me to swallow it. I thought it was funny when I could get it between my teeth and lip. When she would think I swallowed it she would let go and I would spit it out on the ground. Hehehehehehehe!! I had fun doing this. However, I don't think Mommy thought it was as funny; therefore I swallowed the pill. Yes, I know it is a form of medicine, but within a few hours the fleas are gone and I no longer itch. Yeah!!"

Smash is correct. The pill really does work and the fleas are gone. This pill works for at least 30 days. I think it is better than putting the topical stuff on Smash since they irritate his skin more than the fleas.

Smash is a happy dog; especially when someone comes home and takes him for a swim in the creek. He also loves to get puppy petted. Lately he has been coming into the garage to stay cool and his friend Link the tuxedo cat enjoys being out in the hot summertime days.

Smash's friend visits the animal shelter

As part of a community service project, my son Caleb who is finishing up the 2nd grade at Sycamore Elementary School in Cookeville, TN visited the Cookeville-Putnam County Animal Shelter in April 2010.

http://heraldcitizen.uber.matchbin.net/printer_friendly/7177842

Smash and Caleb are very good friends. He has been a therapeutic dog for Caleb who mysteriously became scared of all puppies and dogs at a younger age. With the help of Smash, Caleb has become a little more relaxed around dogs as you can see in the photograph in the article.

Smash encourages people to spay or neuter their animals and to consider adopting from the shelter.

Smash Orge Dog

When I read Ogre, Ogre by Piers Anthony, I keep thinking about dogs. So when I got this puppy I named him after the character in the book, Smash Ogre.

Too bad the name seems to have been interpreted by the universe in a different way. Instead of being the smasher - Smash has been the smashee on to omany occasions. From a random gunshot wound or two to being hit by a car, attacked by an unknown wild animal, to severe food allergies, Smash has gotten pretty Smashed up over the years.

But he remains as lovable and loyal as ever. He is always ready for a romp in the woods. If a car door stays open too long, he will be inside waiting to ride.

He has been a great friend and companion. Just this morning as I was rolling the trash can up the driveway, he was so excited to walk with me that he kept zooming back and forth like Hammy the Squirrel.

I love my dog Smash and I look forward to many more adventures with him. I will keep you posted.

FDA says no bones for dogs?

Smash says the FDA has gone from preaching to meddling or a least just gone dog gone crazy on this advice. They say it is a bad idea to give bones to dogs. Now we know that chicken bones can splinter and not be so tasty but large bones ave been considered safe until now.

Smash tends to disagree with the FDA. He says if he does not get rib bones or steak bones, he will have to resort to dragging home dead dear and raccoon bones that he digs up in the woods. This may be an appropriate warning for fru fru city dogs but for country dogs like Smash, he says he will continue to clean his teeth on animal bones than you very much.

He also wants to remind people that the song is not: "Nick Nack Paddy wack give the dog a synthetic chew toy."

Read the FDA Alert here: No Bones for dogs

Smash says just give this dog a bone.

Be a fan of Smash on Facebook

Seems every one has a FaceBook fan page now days. Why not my dog Smash? Actually you don't become a fan any more, you just click I like Smash.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Cleveland-TN/Smash/48034337711?ref=ts

Hiking with Smash

Today we took Smash on a hike near the Conasauga river along the Tennessee Georgia border. This is a nice easy hike and since Janice is still recovering from her heart attack and Jenny was recovering form food poisoning, it was just the kind of place we needed to get some fresh air.

I am not sure of the origins of the trail but it looks like and old railroad grade as it is very level and pretty much straight. I looks like it was used to move logs from the forest to the lumber mill down stream.

Smash enjoyed being the leader most of the way. He did a bit of pulling on the leash when I had him but when Jenny's son Hunter who is four held the leash, Smash walked along very calmly.

The trees were blooming and were very pretty along the trail. Smash met a few other dogs along the way and they were all very well behaved. He got a lot of pet the puppy from some folks back at the parking area who all wanted to hear the story of his leg.

Abraham understands dogs!

The risk of a few bugs in the eye is so worth it!!!!

Just say NO!

While Smash does not approve of clothes for dogs in general this one new fashion trend definitely goes too far in his opinion. He wants to remind all of you that "That dog will bite you!"

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/detail?entry_id=56610

Shopping for dog food

Cooking for Smash has been a bit of a hassle this week so I thought I would get him some kibble to tide him over. He normally eats the Hill Science Diet Chicken and rice formula. I decided to grab a bag of their sensitive skin formula. I was shocked when I saw the label said Brewers rice as the first ingredient. Brewers rice is the ingredient that we have found is what CAUSES Smashes skin allergy!

I put that bag back and started looking for something else. I eventually found the Nutro Brand guaranteed to make your dogs skin better. No brewers rice is listed on the label and the rest of the ingredients look pretty good so that is what he is eating. I will take then up on their guarantee if it does not help him.

He got a bit of pinto beans and roast to supplement it tonight as well.

Smash Protests the Latest Lady Gaga Video!

While my dog Smash has enjoyed the use of the big black and white dog featured in Lady Gaga's previous videos, he is appalled at the scene in the diner where the dog is poisoned. See it for your self:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ95z6ywcBY

Maybe it is just the detox diet making him edgy.

Smash's Skin problems return

Poor Smash was almost healed up from his skin troubles when the lesion returned with a vengeance. We quickly found that the Sprotsman brand of dog food we had recently bought form our local hardware store was the cause of his severe allergies.

It was supposed to be a quality dog food and came highly recommended by the store but it did not sit well with Smash even though he liked the taste. I had just bough a new bag when we made the connection. Instead of throwing it out I set it aside in case it turned out not to be the culprit. I was planning to donate it to someone whose dog could tolerate it.

While Janice was in the hospital, our son unknowingly fed Smash the wrong food. We did not know this for several days and we we puzzled why the skin irritation had returned.

We think the offending ingredient is brewers rice. Even when we went back to the normal brand of dog food his skin did not completely clear up as we had changed
flavors. The one we bought had brown rice on the main label but in the ingredient list it said brewers rice. Of course we did not notice until the skin problems failed to clear up. The normal flavor we buy for him also says brown rice on the label and the ingredient list.

This week I have been making his food from scratch and feeding him very little of his normal commercial food. I have also tried giving him a little aloe in his water to help clear out his tummy.

Hopefully he will be back to normal soon. And we have learned to be very careful when reading the food labels.

Dog Massage

Another thing I have been doing to help smash with his skin problems is to massage the skin. He really likes to be scratched but I have found that giving him a deep and vigorous massage helps to stimulate the blood flow and helps to expel the toxins in the effected areas.

He has always been a big fan of pet-the-puppy so this form of handling is fun for both of us. It has been cold lately so I have had to coax him indoors so I can rub him while we sit together.

He always lets me know he has had enough by getting up and walking off.

To learn more natural ways to treat dog skin problems see this site: Dog Skin Solutions

Dog Skin Poblems

A few weeks ago Smash suddenly developed some dark itchy places on his skin. As the fur started to come out of these spots and he scratched the raw we became increasingly concerned about his health.

We made sure his bedding was clean and gave him oatmeal baths to help soothe his itching. It just kept getting worse.

I realized that it looked as if he had some kind of toxins in his body so I started to look at his possible exposure. We live in the woods and he drags up all sorts of dead rabbits and deer parts form time to time. But these have never phased him in the past even if they do stink up the yard.

I eventually tracked it down to a recent change in his dog food. Due to the sad experience with our last dog we have always fed Smash high quality dog food mixed with table scraps and other meaty supplements.

Recently we had switched to a different brand of dog food because it was slightly cheaper and it advertised omega 3 and glucosomine content.

Unfortunately for Smash I did not research the food enough and it seems that he is in fact having a severe reaction to the new food.

A visit to the vet confirmed that he had some kind of allergic reaction and that it could be food related. He gave him an allergy shot that calmed the itching for a couple of days.

I have switched him back to his original dog food formula and I have been making sure he always has plenty of fresh water in his bowl. Even if he does prefer to drink from puddles.

He is almost finished with the big bag of food and the dark spots are lessoning and his fur is starting to grow back. He still has some itching and some strange body odor but he is doing much better.

To learn more about how dog food can effect your dog's health see this web site: MyBestDogFood There is information there on how to read the dog food labels and other things to watch for to avoid what has happened to Smash and to help heal your dog should you encounter skin conditions like those Smash is having.

Puppy saved from Frozen train track

Read about a cute little puppy who was saved by a railway inspector after the dog became frozen to the tracks.

http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-stories/2010/01/puppy_rescued_from_train_track.html