Dear Roy – things that are not puppy toys

We are not used to having a puppy here at Mucky Pup. Roxy was at least two when she came to live with us and so you forget the silly crazy things a puppy can get up to.

Over the last three months I have compiled a list of things Roy has managed to steal to play with.

This list is by no means exhaustive, it is just the stuff I have remembered to write down.

I would also like to point out that Roy (and Roxy) have no shortage of actual toys to play with, Roy just seems to prefer to play with stolen goods.

Although he likes to play with stolen things, they are usually recovered intact, the only time it gets really messy is when Roxy decides to “help” retrieve the item from Roy and then it just turns into a new fun game of tug of war.

So here is Roys List, with some photos, often I was laughing to hard to remember to take them

1. My Lancome Lipgloss

2. Celery

3. Shoe Laces

4. Shoes

5. Packing Foam

Roy and Celery

6. Blankets

7. Apples

8. Belts

9. Dresses

10. Pajamas

Roy with stolen shoe

11. Pens

12 Socks

13 My mobile phone

14. Tea Towels

15. Coat Hangers

Roy playing with Apple

16. $20 note

17. Pole Tac – a sticky tac used by pole dancers to grip the pole better

18. Styrafoam

19. Carrots

20. The Power cord to my laptop

Does anyone else have anything fun to add to this list?

Taking Care of Your Dog in Hot Weather

The mercury here in Melbourne has just nudged 34 degrees and I thought it was a timely reminder to people to take care of their pets, especially their dogs in hot weather.

It really is just common sense, if you wouldnt do it, or you wouldnt do it to your child, dont do it to your dog

Otherwise enjoy the good weather and get out and enjoy it.

1. Alway have fresh cool water available

2. Alway have shade available and a place they can get out of the wind

3. Dont walk them on hot ground, dogs paws can burn and blister if walked on hot sidewalks or cement, if you wouldnt walk on it in bare feet, dont walk your dog on it.

4. Do NOT ever ever ever leave them in your car. Temperatures in cars can soar within minutes of the car being closed up. Heat stress sets in deceptively quick

5. Don’t assume your dog can swim and rinse off coats to avoid irritation from chlorine or salt water.

6. Minimise exercise on hot days

Roxy’s story

I have this theory that dogs who are rescued from shelters are more spoilt and loved than those who are not.

Two Dogs – One Vet

I have two dogs, both behind on their vacinations, my fault as we have just had such a hectic life over the past year that finding time to get Roxy to the vet for her shots seemed impossible and then Roy came along and it was all I could do to get him to the vets to have his stitches out.

I know that sounds bad and if you want to know more about why things got as bad as they have, check our my personal blog at www.roxyandroy.com

Finally we had a tiny window of opportunity and feeling very guilty I phoned our local vet and booked the two of them in.

MOTH looked at me a bit strange when I pulled out the short training leads for the trip to the vets. Are you kidding, that place has C. A. T.S I want all the control I have over these two.

Roxy loves the vet and has never been any trouble but Roy – the newest addition to our household has never been to the vet, apart from a super brief one to have his stitches out, and is yet to start formal obedience training and I didn’t want him to be lunging around the vets office like a loon.

In total we had two dogs, 4 shots, heartworm and c5 each plus a blood test for Roxy because it had been too long between heart work injections for her.

Roy got a basic check up and was pronounced perfect, all very well for the vet but she doesn’t have to live with the little bugger.  I did ask about his sneezing and now we think he has allergies. It doesn’t seem to bother him too much so we will keep any eye on it just for the moment.

Roxy was a darling for her blood test and also well behaved. She did make one jump for the door but was otherwise cooperative and we got brownie points from the vet for being so well behaved.

lesson 1: do not let your vaccinations become overdue

lesson 2: if you must take multiple dogs to the vets at once, make sure you have one person per dog to prevent catastrophes

lesson 3: good dog manners are appreciated by everyone and makes an otherwise arduous task much more enjoyable for all involved.

A good day… and many more

I have come in from a beautiful day, a nice long walk that had taken up most of the morning, Roxy and I had been wandering along in an almost zen like state.

Roxy sniffing at the trees and fences relaxed and light on the lead, and me drinking my coffee and feeling happy in the sunshine.  It’s been one of those mornings that turn into a great day.

I became dogless when I moved out of home and this followed 10 years of ‘doglessness’ as I travelled and rented.  Then when we moved into our own house, my thoughts turned to once again being a dog owner and on Australia Day 2006 Roxy joined our household from the RSPCA.

My friends who own dogs all say the same thing, sometimes we just turn off the tv and watch the dog. Australia’s funniest home video show regularly features funny dog videos so I know I’m not alone, my dog makes me laugh.

For me it’s the look she gives me at seven in the morning when its cold and not even breakfast is going to get her out of bed.  It’s the mouthful of cheek she gives me when I tease her about the cat next door, the forever optimistic look when she greets me with a toy in her mouth and tail wagging furiously, not to mention walking into walls because she is too busy looking behind her (mostly to see where next doors cat went).

Roxy is great company when I am home alone, and also for getting out of the house, its just not possible to keep 25 kilos of kelpie cross quiet for long and so since her arrival its been long walks on the beach and the destruction of many many tennis balls.

We go to the beach as often as possible seagulls become her play things! Engage self walking mode!

Life’s good.

My dog is back!

OK not in an “run away and came home again sense but the last 18 months have seen a slow decline in her energy levels, running and jumping abilities and general cheekiness that makes her such a lovable Roxy.

While she never lost her love and zest for life, she was  a lot quieter at home, finishing a run a stiffer, less likely to play and she had lost her famous six foot vertical leap.  She was also more prone to soft tissue injuries in her back and neck which caused us a lot of distress when we tried to convince disbelieving vets there really was a problem.  (Part of the problem with Roxy and with Kelpies in general is they get very wound up and not display any signs of pain or fatigue and of course a visit to the vet always got Roxy very excited).

Fortunately or unfortunately when she was due for her last set of vaccinations, she was found to have stomach bug causing her some pain and she nearly bit the vet.  It was during this examination he concluded there was some nerve weakness in her lower back and signs of arthritis.

Her lunatic behaviour and hyperactive energy levels make her a prime candidate for degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis).

The vet suggested a course of Cartrophen.  It doesn’t have a human equivalent and essentially works to stop the degradation of the cartilage and provide further lubrication for the joints.
It is administered as series of 4 shots, one week appart.  We organised her to have the shots every Thursday morning at nine and the vets had us in an out in minutes.  It cost me about $34.00 each time but I am not sure how much was the shot and how much was a consult fee.

The results have been great.  While she may never recover her famous leap, I have seen her jumping  with ease, she has had no pain and instead of curling up in her bed after an hour of chasing seagulls,  she is bouncing around the house with a toy in her mouth.

I’ve done some research on the web and cant see much in the way of negative press or listed side effects.  Roxy certainly hasn’t shown any. The vet seems to think it will be winter before she requires another round which I think is pretty good.

We have now started her on a daily dose of glucosamine to support these results and make them last longer.

For me the costs and hassle of a weekly visit to the vet were well worth the results of having my happy, cheeky energetic dog back.  We went for a run at the beach this morning with friends and Roxy was very much the last dog standing:)

Cheers Von