Socializing your pug

Good Morning!  I'd like to talk a little about socialization.  I have included an e-mail I received from Todd H.  It says, "Mollie Lu and Mabel Rose are doing unbelievably amazing! They are growing quick and are absolutely gorgeous. The picture was from their first visit to PetsMart today. They have been extremely social around the neighborhood and well behaved with everyone they come in contact with, including big and small dogs. We couldn't be happier."
 It's no secret that taking your pug out to experience new sights and sounds...people and other animals, will help them to not be afraid of new experiences. Pugs are pretty social and friendly by nature, but can become frightened easily if you fail to socialize them.  I knew someone that had a pug that wouldn't step on the grass as she didn't like the feel of it under her feet.  This was because they lived in an apartment/condo situation and their pug used indoor potty pads only.  At some point you will need to take your dog to the Vet for check ups and you don't want a dog that is petrified of the car, other dogs, and other people.  The best time to get them used to being 'out and about' is when they are young. Make sure they are current on their vaccinations and be very cautious around other dogs.  I don't trust anyone saying "My dog is fine..he wouldn't hurt a flea"!  My next door neighbors have a very large dog named Macho.  I always thought they said is name was Nacho..so that's what I called him.  I live in a semi rural area (in a housing area, but there are woods across the street...with no houses built there yet).  Macho-nacho has been in my front yard playing around many times while I was out there talking with his owner.  He never bothered my pugs, and happily played with them.  One day Mr. Neighbor guy was walking him around the block....being pulled by him was more accurate.  When they got around the corner, the neighbor outside washing his car greeted them.  That neighbors little 15 year old Min-pin was barking at Macho-nacho.  The guy washing his car said "is your dog friendly?"  While next door neighbor guy was trying to say "Oh yes...he would never hurt a flea", Macho-nacho lunged forward (pulling free) and literally ripped the hide off of the little min-pin. He died in rout to the Vets office.  The craziest thing about this whole situation was the reaction that my next door neighbor had.  He felt it wasn't really his fault that he couldn't control his dog while walking him...that it was the min-pins fault for barking at Macho-nacho.  He asked me how much min pins cost...maybe he could offer the car wash neighbor some money and everything would be fine.  What? Are you insane?  Your dog just killed a member of those people's family...like their baby!  Needless to say, I never allowed my pugs out in the front yard after that.  They finally moved and the new family that moved in, kept a chihuahua tied up outside all day in the heat.  That little dog was an escape artist (I'd escape too if I made to live tied to a tree in the Florida summer).  When she would escape, she would run into my yard and try to kill me. Numerous times I would go over and make sure she had water if she knocked her dish over.  There was no explaining this to her.  Thank goodness they moved too.  The bottom line is that you need to be very careful about other dogs when you have your pugs out for social time...or walks....or have insane people for neighbors.
 Below is the picture Todd H. sent of his two girls at petsmart. 

 

Mollie and Rose are having a fun shopping day!

Flying with your pug!

Good Morning!
Are you thinking about traveling, and wondering about taking your pug with you?  The great thing about pugs, is that they love to travel too!  They seem to know it's 'quiet time' and are pretty good about these things.  You do need to check with the airline ahead of time and make sure they allow dogs on board, in the cabin with you.  You will have to pay for a ticket (unless your dog is a service dog)...and that is usually around $80.00.  Most pet stores carry soft sided carriers....and most airlines require these.  If you are going to a Hotel prior to departure, or when you arrive, make sure the Hotel allows pets.
The picture (above) is of Miss Claira (all 10 pounds of her)....loved and owned by Bonny B.
Bonny travels often for her job, and wouldn't think of leaving her behind.  Miss Claira knows when it's time to go and gladly jumps into her flight carrier. Bonny makes sure she has a doggy day care lined up for her work day the following day, and Claira is always a big hit at her hotels and day care centers.  How can anyone not like a well behaved, non-barking pug!  She politely waits in her room for her room service meal...a pouched egg. Claira never leaves home without her purse...which she carriers with her...in her mouth.  (It's just a stuffed toy purse but we won't tell her that).
Pugs are like little people in doggy suits.  Their funny antics and wonderful personalities make them such a joy to have in our lives!  I feel Blessed!

Dog treats?

Good morning!
I love to give my dogs a nice treat.  They get so excited and know to run to the fridge and give me that 'look".  I think it makes ME happier than it does them.  We all love to go shopping and get a new little toy or treat for our furry children.  What is so disturbing, is that we can actually kill our dog if we choose wrongly.  Some treats can be deadly.  I saw the package of one brand of store bought treats that said 'made it America' on the front of the package, but in very small letters on the back it stated that the ingredients were from China. A friend of mine's pug almost died from this very brand of dollar store 'waggin train' treats. I hate that we live in a world where I feel almost scammed at every turn.  Can't we even trust that a dog treat is safe?  I guess not.
I buy cheese for treats.  Sometimes I cook a chicken breast or two and cut it up in small chunks and put it in the freezer.  There are so many recipes on the internet for homemade cookies and treats for our pets.  I've bought a 'homemade' cookie (that looked like our cookies) in the pet store for my pug...but they were as hard as a rock and my pug wanted nothing to do with it.
Below is a link if you would like to do more reading....
http://www.greendogpetsupply.com/blog/almost-2000-sick-or-dead-pets-reported-to-fda/

Here is a simple three ingredient recipe for you...

3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Pumpkin Homemade Dog Treats

1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter
1 cup 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree, canned
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (I used Whole Grain Brown Rice Flour)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together peanut butter and pumpkin. Stir in the flour 1/4 cup at a time just until dough is no longer sticky.
3. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4″ thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the dough, then place on the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container or freeze for up to 3 months.

Spiders

Good Morning!
I started this blog yesterday.  The lady that did my web-site suggested that I start one.  How on earth am I going to find something interesting (informative?) to say on a regular basis? That's a strange thought since I am always chatting away (most of the time to myself) about something.  So...instead of worrying about it, I'll just start sharing.
This morning I was on my porch having my coffee, when I noticed a big nasty spider.  I don't care how little they really are...they all look big and nasty to me.  I know they have their place in the environment...I just don't want them in MY environment.  After my heart started beating again, I noticed it was not moving...and actually had its legs off the ground....sort of trapped in a web that connected to my little wicker table.  That usually means one thing.  There is probably a brown widow spider nest up under the table.  Florida has these everywhere!  Unlike the black widow, the brown widow spider seems to not care about finding dark places to build their webs and egg sacs.  I've seen these in window casings (outside) and under my house eves every year.  Just leave a plastic chair outside for a month and then flip it over...almost always I can find the egg sacs.  The spider itself is a big chicken and will hunker down in the corner somewhere.  The web is VERY strong and can be hard to swipe away.  I use a stick to remove the web and eggs, after spraying the nest with wasp spray. The wasp spray shoots out so far that I don't actually have to be very close...which is good.  I wait a few minutes until I can see the spider die and then go back to remove the web and eggs.  No one on earth can know how much I hate this process. I have arachnophobia in the worse way.  The only things that spurs me on is the knowledge that those eggs will produce more babies.

These egg sacs are about the size of my pinky fingernail...and are usually seen in clusters of three or more...and they are everywhere here (outside).  Under chairs, flower pot lips, garage door crevices, window corners. The venom is twice as toxic as a black widow spider, but they are less likely to bite....and when they do, they inject less venom.  I'm not that concerned about the venom.  Anyone with arachnophobia understands the heart attack that accompanies just seeing these things.  I worry about my pugs.  They get under things and are much more likely to come in contact with a spider than I am.
So...today I am going to get outside for an exterior house and yard check.  I'll be armed with my trusty wasp spray and long pointy stick.  Of course my dogs will be inside enjoying the cool indoors while I'm doing this.  Anytime I use any chemical or pesticide (and I try not to), they are not allowed in the area.  Be still my heart...I must be brave..for I am Xena Warrior Princess!
   

Trifexis?

Good Morning!  I have received numerous e-mails concerning people wanting a puppy (of course) because their prior dog died a mysterious death.  Of course they didn't get their prior dog from me, so there are big questions as to why a previously healthy dog would die.  I have never used Trifexis as a flea/heart worm prevention, but there does seem to be a link.  When I send a reply to them, I now ask if their prior dog was on this.  While it is a simple pill given once a month, I'm guessing that no one would be using it if they thought there could be a link (death).  Facebook even has a page "Does Trifexis Kill Dogs?"
Anytime we expose our animals to toxins and pesticides, we run the risk of a reaction, or a possible poisoning.  I certainly don't want fleas though! I think everyone needs to make their own decisions on what they choose to use. The veterinarian office I use pushes Trifexis. I won't use it....and if I question it, I am told it is perfectly safe.  Hmmm....how many times have I seen ads on T.V. for various pharmaceuticals ("is your child badly behaved or hyper?...Why wait...give him Risperdal!")...and then the next commercial is an attorney ("if you gave your son Risperdal and he grew boobs and could nurse a baby...call us!")  Sometimes things are touted as safe, but are not safe.
Trifexis contains pesticides called Spinosad and Milbemycine oxime.  Because this pill is ingested (eaten) it is more absorbent than putting flea meds on the dogs back.  I copied this from the internet:
       The claims of the drug's safety and advertisements on their company's website may seem premature to boast for a drug that's been on the market just over 2 years and that already has claims of this magnitude. And for the dog owners who have recently lost their furry family members to Trifex, the claims of safety are not offering comfort. The Trifexis website also has a warning, "Like all medications, sometimes side effects occur. If you suspect your dog has had an adverse reaction to Trifexis, please call: 1-888-545-5973."
According to an interview with an FDA spokesperson, Channel 2 Action News Atlanta reports, "The agency hasn't updated the numbers, because it is updating systems. The new numbers also show a huge jump in the cases of dogs reported sick after taking Trifexis." Among reports of death, are other ailments including dogs who appear excessively lethargic, "The FDA numbers posted online for lethargy is just above 600. The updated number..it's actually nearly 8,000. The numbers on the web for vomiting is at 2,200. Updated figures revealed it's closer to 30,000."
       I have more than one dog, and don't want fleas or heart worms, so what I use is frontline.  I skip a month between uses (unless we are having a very bad flea year)..and skip several months in the winter.  Did you know that you pay the same for a dose of frontline for a 10 lb dog and/or a 130 lb dog? 
Most people probably wouldn't want to mess with it, but I buy the dose for the biggest dog and break it down.  That way I get about 5 or 6 doses for the price of one.  For heart worm prevention I buy the ingredient in heart-guard (ivermect).  It's sold in a glass container in most farm supply stores (ivermectin), and is sold as a swine wormer.  You could dose your dog for the life of your dog for under $40.00.  I do this every other month as the research shows it actually stays in their system for up to three months.  If I do flea meds on the first, I do heart worms meds on the 15th. It gives their bodies a chance to get over the first meds before the second.  I don't have fleas or heartworms and don't have poisoned dogs.  Thank Goodness I don't have sons with boobs either!
See Lotus Blossom Pugs for more information