University Village was all the buzz, or should I say bark, this morning as hundreds of puppies from all corners of Seattle came out to support the Seattle Humane Society for the “Walk for the Animals” fundraiser. Ferdie, Winnie, Kaiya and Ruckus were all there (with owners in tow) to strut their stuff for the 5k walk around Sand Point neighborhood.

Some of the finer points:

• Well organized, easy to register, great t-shirts for the humans and fun scarves for the dogs.
• A little bit of a bottle neck for the first few blocks as we wound our way around the shops and up to the trail with a couple of stops to allow for cars to pass, but nothing too devastating and it allowed for us to gab with each other.
• Friendly vendors with great samples like the 100% freeze dried wild Alaskan salmon bites from Wild Side Salmon (good for dogs and cats).
• Fun to see dogs of all breeds and ages coming together and getting along.
• The Humane Society had dogs on site for adoption. For those who couldn’t attend and are interested,

 

All-in-all a great way to spend a Sunday morning. Helping a notable charity by donating and raising funds that contributed in a small way to the approximately $100k raised towards saving the lives of animals, took a nice walk on a brisk morning with the pups, and watched our fluffy kids enjoy the company with a few hundred of their closest friends. Not too bad, huh!

Despite the amazing summer-like weather we’re still having here in Seattle, fall is just around the corner (actually, it’s here, but let’s not jinx the sunshine…) and that means…Halloween!

Now, I’m not one for dressing up my dog, painting his nails or even trying fancy collars.  But passing by the Target pet Halloween aisle, the little costumes were too overwhelming to resist.  (yeah yeah, I know…)  Here’s Ferdie as a bee – there was a head piece, but that was not popular!  I had him in the costume just to take this picture, not sure if he would want to go the distance for Halloween.  What do you think?  Does your dog like to play dress up or would they trade their Halloween loot to never wear a polyester lobster suit?

Have a picture of your pup in costume?  Send it to Dogland and we’ll feature it in an upcoming Halloween-themed post!  doglandadventures@live.com

A few links to kick off your weekend – some light reading and a chance for your dog to earn his or her 15 minutes!

Ever wonder what the world is like from your dog’s point of view (smell!)?  The New York Times reviews Alexandra Horowitz’s “Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know”

CityDog Magazine’s Cover Dog Model Search continues on Sunday at the Fremont Oktoberfest.  Can’t make it?  The search continues on 9/27 at FidoFEST at U Village.  More details and a registration form are here.

When fellow Dogland blogger Kristen told me she planned to board Ferdie during an upcoming trip to Chicago, I quickly volunteered to dogsit for him instead. You may think I was acting purely out of the generosity of my heart, trying to save my good friend money and her dog the stress of staying at a boarding facility. You would be wrong. My intentions were selfish, plain and simple.

 As you may recall from previous posts, my dog is crazy. No, she’s more than crazy. She’s quite possibly one of the top five worst dogs in the world. Marley had nothing on Winnie. In fact, just last night, Winnie stole a brick of brie from our kitchen table, bold enough to do it while I was standing right next to it. To recover the brick of cheese, we had to chase her out of our house, up the deck stairs, corner her and have one person hold her collar while the other pried her mouth open. When that failed, we threw a glass of water in her face, breaking her jaw-clenching concentration and retrieving the brick of cheese from the back of her throat shortly before we can only assume she would have choked on it trying to swallow it whole. It should be noted that this is one example in a list of countless counter- and table-surfing incidents. Despite this and a long list of other misbehaviors, we love and adore her. She’s lucky we’re shallow and she’s so darn cute. But I digress…

 My intentions were selfish, plain and simple. I have a crazy dog with boundless energy, and here was an opportunity to bring a magical creature into my home that would take much of the burden off myself and Alex in entertaining and exhausting our crazy dog.

 Three days later, I can report that the dogsitting experience has been fun, enlightening and on the whole, a success. Both Ferdie and Winnie are sweet, affectionate, playful dogs. They love each other and are fun to be around. And, hallelujah, they wear each other out. Sure, we’ve had our bumps. It turns out that Winnie is a selfish brat about toys and food and that when Ferdie hits a wall of tolerating this selfishness, he can spaz out and attack her. We’ve had to break up a handful of spats turned nasty, but for the most part these dogs love being together.

 It’s been interesting to test my theory about having two dogs, which until this weekend has always been: It’s pretty much the same amount of work, right? Wrong. While there are definite energy-busting benefits to us non-canines, there are other management issues to consider. The play turned sour, the toy/food protectiveness, jealousy over affection, meeting different dietary needs, walking two dogs pulling intently on two leashes and mopping up double sets of muddy paw prints, among other things. Nonetheless, this weekend has taught us that Winnie would love a canine-sibling, and that one day we’d love to give her one.

 One day.

A person’s health (mood, skin, hair, and overall well being) is tied closely to their diet. Not surprisingly, animals, including your pooch, aren’t much different. We learned this first hand the time we didn’t pay close enough attention to the ingredients in the bag of Bil-Jac dog food we purchased from PetSmart and saw poor Kaiya and Ruckus suffer the consequences. Within two weeks their energy levels had weakened and their coats became coarse. When we did a little online searching we discovered all the icky additives leading to our pups’ poor state. Needless to say we’ve been scrutinizing food labels ever since, and have found Acana to be a great fit.

While we are happy with the kibble, we still wanted to give them something homemade, straight from the kitchen, and made with love – something healthy, fairly inexpensive, all natural and easy to make. Below is a recipe we found through researching dog nutrition books during one of weekly trips to Barnes and Nobles. The result, two happy huskies!

Recipe
• 1.5 – 2 lbs of uncooked chicken thighs (you can also use chicken breasts, but we like to give the dogs a little bit of fat since they are extremely active and to help maintain a healthy coat)
• 2 large yams chopped into small cubes
• 2 zucchinis sliced
• Head of broccoli broken into small pieces
• Head of cauliflower broken into small pieces
• 4 large carrots cut into small bite size pieces

Place all of the ingredients into a crock pot, fill 2/3 of the way with water, and cook on high for 6 hours.

We feed our dogs one cup of homemade food in the morning and then one cup of kibble in the evening. If you have two dogs, this recipe should last you one week.

Bon Appétit

Angela just posted here about the joys of (and preparations for!) camping with your dog.  What if you want to head to one of Seattlites’ favorite escapes, the San Juan Islands?  Dogs are allowed to travel by ferry, but a few tips before heading out.

• Driving onto the ferry is probably your best option with a dog, although they need to stay on the car deck (and so should you – frequent car horns and ferry noises can cause anxiety for a pup who’s been left alone in the car for an hour and a half).
• If you need to walk on, dogs are allowed onto the ferry deck, but not in the passenger decks.  Be prepared to stay on the car deck for the full trip.
• Each ferry has a small, (very) informal area for passengers with dogs, usually at the front of the boat.  There are a few chairs, but be prepared to sit amongst equipment and with any other dogs that might be making the trip.
• Buying tickets: there is no extra fee to walk on with your dog, but getting your “human ticket” can be a pain, since you can’t bring Fido into the waiting room at Anacortes.  I recommend driving through to purchase your ticket in the vehicle line and then cutting off to the parking lot.

Several San Juan and Orcas hotels and camping sites are dog-friendly – be sure to check before you head out.  If you make it to Eastsound on Orcas Island, there is a great dog park in town to tire out your canine companion.  Muddy beaches abound on all islands, so be sure to bring an old towel!

If you and your city dog are looking for budget-friendly ways to escape urban life on the weekends, look no further than your local state park campgrounds.

The Pacific Northwest is a camper’s dream: mild temperatures, plenty of coastal and inland options, well-maintained campgrounds, hikes through lush forests…I could go on and on. For dogs, a few days spent outside with their people surrounded by 10,000 new smells and endless exercise options is an absolute fantasy.

A few tips for camping with your dog:

• Do your homework before you book. Most campgrounds allow friendly, leashed dogs at campsites but not all do. Pay particular attention to national parks and forests. Even if your dog is allowed on the campground, it may not be allowed to join you on planned hikes throughout the wilderness.
• Take care of any flea and tick protection needs before you leave. ‘Nough said.
• Bring a stake and tie-out cord. Nearly every campground that allows dogs requires them to be on a leash, but does not necessarily restrict them to a six-foot leash. Bring a longer tie-out cord so Fido has more leeway to explore.
• Pick-up after your dog. Same rules that apply in the city apply in nature.
• If your dog is a barker, be prepared to manage it. No one appreciates waking up at 5 a.m. to barking from a nearby campsite. If your dog tends to startle easily and has difficulty calming down, have a way to manage it. We bring Winnie’s crate along with us, and when she barks she goes in her crate in the car to calm down. Works every time.
• Pack a bag for your pup. So much of camping involves sitting around a fire cooking, drinking and chatting. This is a young dog’s idea of BORING. Be sure to bring toys and treats from home to keep your dog entertained when the group wants to be mellow.

So far, we’ve taken Winnie to Beverly Beach State Park in Newport, OR as well as Riffe Lake Campground in Mossyrock, WA. Both are great for dogs, though Beverley Beach was Winnie’s favorite because of the nearby easy water access and large sandy beaches. If your dog loves water, this is the campground for you.

 Where else do folks like to camp with their dogs?