We live in the High Peaks area of the Adirondack Park of New York. There’s one thing you can always count on – snow!

Our back yard

It snowed some yesterday, about 5 inches, just a preview of things to come. The dogs, Tsunami and Annie were ecstatic. They love to play in the snow like otter dogs, leaping, sliding, rolling and nipping at snow balls.

Soon though, depending upon the temperatures and the type of snow, Annie develops huge ice balls on the bottom of her paws and between her toes. She’s then forced to lie down and try to lick and bite the ice balls from her feet. It’s a painful situation. I have seen dogs with bloody feet due to ice ball paws.

Annie bothered by ice balls in her paws

Both dogs are German shepherds, but Annie is a long haired or coated version of the breed. It is considered a show fault though not uncommon in the breed and shows up periodically in many lines. I don’t much care about confirmation shows but I can see why a coated shepherd is undesirable. Though beautiful, the long coat is subject to tangles and burrs. In many cases, like Annie, the coated dogs lack a dense undercoat which protects them from the elements. The German shepherd dog was bred primarily in the early days as a sheep herding dog – a dog that had to endure the elements everyday of the year regardless of the weather. Tsunami has a traditional coat. One good shake and she is rid of rain, sleet or snow – a wash and wear dog who can hike all day in any weather.

Coated shepherds are not the only dogs to suffer from paw ice balls. Just about any dog with whispy fur between the toes or under the feet has the same problem.

There are some things to do that will help:

1)      clip the fur between the toes and between the pads of the feet

2)      spray the foot with vegetable oil spray

3)      put boots on the dog

Ice buildup on Annie's feet

I used to clip Annie’s fuzzy feet. She hated the process. And we kinda like the look of her fluff feet.

I have tried the vegetable oil. It doesn’t last that long and needs to be re-applied, especially if you have a dog with a palate for vegetable spray. Annie would just lick it all off.

So, we boot up. We got a real nice, sturdy, comfortable set of boots from the Canine Kingdom http://www.caninekingdom.com/travel-outdoors/barkn-boots-grip-trex.php

Annie agreed to show off her boots

They’re well made, are designed to fit properly and have a nice treaded sole. Most importantly, Annie is not offended by them. She readily hops on the couch to allow me to slip them on and strap them up. That may not sound like a lot – but you don’t know my Annie. If she doesn’t like something…case closed. There are no negotiations or re-visiting the subject.

There are some other good reasons for a good set of dog boots. Every year I read of dog electrocutions in cities. I don’t know the science behind it but the combination of water and salt and deteriorated infrastructures have led people and pets to get electrical shocks when they step on metal sidewalk grids. The thick lugged soles of these boots may help a bit in those situations. On Thanksgiving Day, while on a daily walk in Seattle with his owner, a dog was killed by an electric shock he received when he stepped on a metal plate around a lamp post.    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013551882_dog30.html  Please keep your dogs away from any metal on sidewalks – especially during the cold months when salt is used to melt ice. Boots that are wet and have salt or mud on them may not provide much insulation properties – no matter how thick the soles are. And dogs are likely to sniff metal lamp posts and other metal structures.

Most municipalities use salt on roads and sidewalks. This stuff is dangerous if a dog ingests it. What dog does not lick its wet paws when they come back in the house? Better they wear boots which protect the feet from toxins.

These boots are comfortable. They could easily be used indoors to provide traction if you have non-carpeted flooring. Lots of uses…a good product…and a nice gift for the pooch.

Best dressed dog in town

Like her hand beaded collar and lead? Check out the Kenyan Collection at the Canine Kingdom.

Semper Fido,

Marilyn

They’re everywhere! Dozens of retail stores in Manhattan have shut down. The most posh hotels have closed their doors. Island resort hosts are scratching their heads and more.

Bed Bugs Crawling on a Mattress

The bed bugs have invaded. Once the plague of slum neighborhoods the bed bugs have moved uptown – wealth and riches mean nothing to these biting pests.

For the past few months the bed bugs have made headlines. We know what they look like, what they can do, how resilient they are and what they like to eat …blood!

Man’s best friend – the dog – is ready and willing to help us detect their presence and let us know when it is safe to curl up in bed for a night’s snooze.

The nose knows. Dogs have proven to be effective in detecting so many distinctive scents when properly trained. Who can forget the images of those brave search and rescue dogs sniffing through the remains of the World Trade Center, wading through the flooded houses in New Orleans, searching through the rubble of homes in Haiti? The SAR dogs always come to mind when we think of detection dogs who are trained to find live people and human remains.

My Tsunami - a SAR K9

But dogs have been trained to detect many other signature scents. Many people who have flown into California are familiar with the Beagle Brigade. Long eared Snoopy dogs sniff out illegal food. Each time they find a piece of fruit or a summer sausage they are rewarded with a morsel of dog food for a job well done.

Cops use trailing dogs to pick up the scent of bad guys. Law enforcement dogs fearlessly enter buildings and sniff out the perpetrator. Law enforcement agencies and our military use dogs to detect narcotics and explosives.

Checking for Explosives in Iraq

It has been noted that some dogs have a propensity for detecting illnesses – diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, anxiety. It is not totally clear how they are doing it but laboratory studies prove that they are.

Environmental specialists have enlisted dogs to help them detect the presence of rare and threatened species of wild animals and plants. For centuries dogs have been used to find truffles, the elusive and expensive culinary delight.

Recognizing their abilities, exterminators have utilized dogs to detect termite infestations. And now bed bugs.

I spoke with my friend Andy Hanellin the other day. Andy is a dog trainer from North Carolina who produces many types of detection dogs – law enforcement K9s for narcotics, man trailing, and explosives, SAR dogs, service dogs and now, due to the demand, bed bug detection dogs.

A Bed Bug Dog at Work

It takes about four months of intense work to train a dog to passively (a sit and stare at the source) indicate the presence of live bed bugs. Pretty tricky stuff. The dog must ignore the presence of dead bed bugs, any of their sheddings or feces. Andy’s advice – “Detection dogs of any type are only as good as their trainer and handler…carefully choose a reputable company.”

Dogs rock!

Semper Fido,

Marilyn

My dog’s name is Tsunami and my husband’s dog is Annie.

Tsunami & Annie

I am always intrigued about how dogs get their names. Let me tell you about our girls.

A little black German shepherd ball of fluff joined our household in the spring of 2000. We had recently lost our 16-year old Jilly girl and our home was so sad…we needed another dog in our lives.

My husband Hal and I really wanted to work with a search and rescue dog and decided to begin looking for an appropriate pup to train. We found a breeder of working line shepherds. She had two litters available. We sat on the ground and held and played with a blur of cuddly puppies. So hard to choose. Which one would grow up to have what it takes to become a SAR dog? Even the most experienced dog trainers can pick a puppy that grows up only to wash out from a working program.

Who to Choose?

We had a few favorites. June, the breeder invited us into her home to discuss purchase details. We sat down at the dining room table to look over pedigrees. Under the table was a pup – older than the others we looked at – about 3 months old. I sat on the floor and called the pup over. She obliged and curled up in my lap.

“What’s the deal with this pup June?” I asked.

“Oh, she’s not for sale. She’s the last pup from another litter,” she explained.

“Why isn’t she for sale?” I inquired.

“I don’t know,” June replied. “There’s just something about her. Something special.”

After a lot of haggling we came home with that very special pup.

We named her Tsunami because she came into our hearts like a big wave. She went on to dramatically change our lives. She continues to inspire me every day.

Tsunami this Summer

On September 11, 2001 terrorists attacked our country. Hal and Tsunami responded to the World Trade Center to search for the lost. Our world had changed.

On July 4, 2002 we received a call from Tsunami’s breeder. A puppy she had sold was no longer welcomed by its owners. The dog had to go. Allergies were cited – sure – on the Fourth of July! June did not have room in her kennels as it was a busy holiday. The dog was going immediately to a gas station to work as a guard dog. Could we take her in?

We’d taken in dogs before and found lovely homes for them. Sure, we said. Bring her over.

She was named Cheyenne. She was skinny, shy, and smelled like a thousand ash trays. Allergies indeed. She tolerated Tsunami, who was very gracious to our guest, barely looked at me and immediately latched onto Hal.

Arfin' Annie & Hal

We thought Cheyenne did not suit her but were reluctant to stray too far from that name…it was the only thing that was still familiar to her. Hal renamed her Orphan Annie – or Annie for short.

Annie is still with us. Wise dog that Annie. She cleaved to Hal, stole his heart. He renamed her again – Arfin’ Annie.

So, what’s in a name? I’d love to hear your stories.

Semper Fido,

Marilyn

I have been adding fish oils to my entire family’s diet – both pups and people for quite some time. The fish oils provide us with Omega 3, an essential fatty acid, which is commonly deficient in modern diets. In days of yore, our protein sources – like game, grass fed livestock and wild caught fish – contained sufficient amounts of Omega 3. But today, with most livestock either fed grain-based diets or fattened up on corn in feedlots, we lack Omega 3.

Feedlot cattle fattening up on corn

I suppose I have received good advice from nutritionists as now the major kibble manufacturers taut the addition of Omega 3. Well that is nice to see but I can’t find that it is effective and it may even be harmful to your dog. Kibble is made through an extrusion process and the ingredients are subjected to very high heat. Fish oil, an excellent source of Omega 3, is extremely fragile. It could never withstand the kibble manufacturing process so the Omega 3 source is sprayed onto the kibble after the heat process. Then it is packaged and may sit on the shelf or in the warehouse for a year or so before you pour it into your dog’s bowl. It is doubtful that the fragile oils could withstand that and fish oils can go rancid and cause serious harm.

Bags of kibble sit in a warehouse

My nutritionists have advised me to add fish or krill oil to supplement Omega 3: Buy the best you can afford and be careful how you store it – out of sunlight, in a cool spot and refrigerated in some cases.

For many years I have also been a fan of extra virgin olive oil (EVO). Recently I read some interesting information on Dr. Joseph Mercola’s site  www.mercola.com concerning the safe way to use and store EVO. Extra virgin olive oil is also fragile – as much so as the fish oils.

According to Dr. Mercola:

Extra-virgin olive oil is a good monounsaturated fat that is also well-known for its health benefits. It’s a staple in healthful diets such as Mediterranean-style diets.

However, it’s important to realize it is NOT good for cooking. It should really only be used cold, typically drizzled on salads and other food.

Due to its chemical structure and a large amount of unsaturated fats, cooking makes extra-virgin olive oil very susceptible to oxidative damage. However, during this interview (with Dr. Rudi Moerck – noted oil expert) I learned that extra-virgin olive oil has a significant draw-back even when used cold – it’s still extremely perishable!

As it turns out, extra-virgin olive oil contains chlorophyll that accelerates decomposition and makes the oil go rancid rather quickly.

In fact, Dr. Moerck actually prefers using almost tasteless, semi-refined olive oil rather than extra-virgin olive oil for this reason.

If you’re like most people, you’re probably leaving your bottle of olive oil right on the counter, opening and closing it multiple times a week. Remember, any time the oil is exposed to air and/or light, it oxidizes, and as it turns out, the chlorophyll in extra virgin olive oil accelerates the oxidation of the unsaturated fats.

Clearly, consuming spoiled oil (of any kind) will likely do more harm than good.

To protect the oil, Dr. Moerck recommends treating it with the same care as you would other sensitive omega-3 oils:

• Keep in a cool, dark place
• Purchase smaller bottles rather than larger to ensure freshness
• Immediately replace the cap after each pour

To help protect extra virgin olive oil from oxidation, Dr. Moerck suggests putting one drop of astaxanthin into the bottle. You can purchase astaxanthin, which is an extremely potent antioxidant, in soft gel capsules. Just prick it with a pin and squeeze the capsule into the oil.

The beautiful thing about using astaxanthin instead of another antioxidant such as vitamin E, is that it is naturally red, whereas vitamin E is colorless, so you can tell the oil still has astaxanthin in it by its color.

As the olive oil starts to pale in color, you know it’s time to throw it away.

You can also use one drop of lutein in your olive oil. Lutein imparts an orange color and will also protect against oxidation. Again, once the orange color fades, your oil is no longer protected against rancidity and should be tossed.

This method is yet another reason for buying SMALL bottles. If you have a large bottle, you may be tempted to keep it even though it has begun to oxidize.

Thank you Dr. Mercola. I have always made a habit of buying gallon tins of Extra Virgin Olive Oil when it is on sale. I would then de-cant a manageable amount into a decorative glass pourer that has a rather un-air tight top. Also, with all of the to-do about toxins in plastic containers these days – I will only buy my oils packaged in small glass dark colored bottles – even certain cans are lined with plastics.

Semper Fido,

Marilyn