Lucky Dog Blog

flyin'

A while back we participated in an event in Winnipeg for a local flyball club called the Flyball Fanatics.  They had a fantastic event showcasing the fastest fly pug in North America - Cujo.

I love the look on his face.

WHeeeee.....

I didn't get a chance to make it out but it looks like everyone had fun.  And the photographer took some great shots.

I love the last picture. My picture would just be a blur of dog but then again, I just use a little point and shoot Canon so I really can't expect miracles.

I can't really tell you a lot about the Flyball World but there are a number of websites that will help you find a club in your area. Check out the main flyball website here for more info.  And congratulations to all the flydogs.

No dog tails here...

Did you try filling out the dog psychology survey? Pretty interesting..or intense depending on your take. Unfortunately, the survey is just that, a lot of questions without a lot of answers unless you are into dog psychology.

But everyone isn't neccessarily a dog psychologist so questions like " Does your dog push his ears back?" or " Does your dog make you feel bossed around?" don't really give you a lot of insight into your dog personality unless there's an explanation. No we are not board certified dog doctors of the mind however we have a lot of experience and even more resources so lets see...

When dogs hold their ears back, kind of flipped back so the inside of the ear is facing you, usually along with a wagging tail and a bit of a crouched position, it's a sign of submission and respect. When my brother's Mastiff does it, he calls it scoops..like "Oh look, Hudson is giving you "scoops"". And it's pretty cute when this bouncing ball of 150lb Mastiff does settle down and give you this position. It is such a nice, clear communication that the dog digs you.

"Does your dog make you feel bossed around?" Well that came closer to the end of the survey. A good friend of mine talked to me after she filled out the survey and asked, what the heck is that about?! Kal's dog Crash is a super amazing dog so it's no surprise he doesn't make you feel bossed around. But when your dog vies for dominance, doesn't listen and does whatever, regardless of what you tell them, you get the message pretty fast that they think they are the one dictating what goes in the house.

Kal was also a little freaked out because Crash (boxer above) doesn't have a tail. How can you properly answer these questions (of which a good 30% were) "does your dog hold their tail like this?" questions?! Good point. And in NO WAY is Crash showing you his inner ninga by bearing his teeth..he does however look like he'd like to grab that flashy camera and see if it squeals..

I've finished Ruben's so I need to refill on b/coffee for the next half hour to do Calvin's survey...and do some more digging on dog psychology.

Have a great day!
Bonnie

Thanks for your replys...

About a safe weed killer. Charlene, thank you for the comment on Corn Gluten Meal. To read more about this, visit here. Corn Gluten Meal is a preemergent weed killer which means that you can put on your lawn early in the year, before there are weed roots and it will help control weeds. It doesn't effect plants with roots like your grass, it actually acts as more like a fertilizer at that point. COOL! I am totally giving this a try next year...I just have to remember to do it. There was a post by another corn gluten meal user who said her dogs would eat more grass shortly after it was applied...at least you know it's not covered in chemicals if they do.

Kim, I'm so sorry to hear about Cosmo (Cosmo is the pug with a soother in his mouth on our photo contest banner) (yah, I know, it hasn't been around for a while...it's summer!).

And well, heck, it you don't kill the weeds, maybe there's nuthin wrong with a lawn full of yellow flowers.

Have a great day!
Bonnie
Photo: Armin Weigel/EPA

Find your soul mate...?

Dr.  Lucinda Woodward, a professor of psychological sciences and personality researcher at Ball State Uni is dedicated to completing a personality application for your dog, eHarmony style.

So far she's determined that people who deem themselves at "cat people" often consider themselves to have the same personality traits as cats and ditto for "dog people". In a release from the university, Dr Woodward says

"Many people perceive themselves as being either 'cat people' or 'dog people.' These people often think they relate to their pets because they share similar personalities,yet, not all dogs and cats have traditionally perceived personalities. There are friendly cats that want to be around their guardians all the time and dogs that don't crave constant attention."

FU-NNY! I didn't know much about my two dogs before I owned them, except for the generalities of the breed: high energy, high energy, Velcro dog, high energy. I don't know if I'm a velcro dog but I sure wish I had their energy! However, even though Ruben and Calvin are from the same breed, heck, the same parents, they have very different personalities. I am interested to see where this research goes considering it's based on the breed.

The purpose of the research is to eventually provide shelters with ability to match dogs + dog owners using a scientific approach to matching highly compatible singles AKA eHarmony for people + people.

If you've got 30 minutes, get yourself a coffee/tea/coffee and bailey's/gin tonic, whatever floats your boat and fill our a personality survey for your dog. Get in there, be a part of match making history. Okay, it's really not that dramatic but maybe lots of surveys will translate to accurate results and maybe accurate results will translate to solid future dog + dog owner match making and just maybe that will result in less abandoned dogs.

Check it out at www.rate-your-dogs-personality.com

Photo: Dyno from St. John's Ambulance Therapy Dog program. Read Dyno's story here

Safe weed killer?

It's that time of year when your grass gets beaten down, not only by the dogs but by the competing (and often winning) botanicals...weeds.

We aren't too overrun with weeds but a friend asked if there was a product I recommended. I did a bit of research to see if weed management had got with the times and created a dog and kid friendly weed-killer that can be used next to stuff you'd like to keep...like grass. Not so much as it turns out...

Typical man made weed-killers are contain cholorphenols and other semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) that are toxic to human/animal health and environment. Apparently they are as bad as they sound..they are considered carcinogens which potentially cause cancers. According to a environmental engineer specializing in contaminant fate and transport that weighed in on a different post concerning this very subject, weed killer SVOCs seldom decade or break down in less than 10,000 years and exposure us usually through ingestion and inhalation. Yuck! Considering all of our kids( fur or no fur) are pretty close to the ground, some even enjoying a munch on grass (see why your dogs eats grass here), this is good to know! Unfortunately we don't live in one of the new progressive neighborhoods that has banned cosmetic herbicide use, which means are getting enough exposure whenever we head out for a walk. 

If you are spot treating weeds like those that pop up through concrete stone, never fear, you have options. According to the organic gardener and Dr. Quinn the Saskatoon Fruit Man, you can use lots of different stuff like steam, salt, weak organic acids and alcohol. Check out the Organic Gardener to see how to use these different solutions.

But if you're looking for a natural guaranteed harmless weed-killer that won't kill your neighboring plants, it seems your best bet is your hands in sturdy gardening gloves...or at least that's my research tells me. Honesty, I could use a good excuse to go hang out in my yard anyway.

Bonnie