Hump Day: Why Should I Spay/Neuter My Dog?

Easy answer: it is the most socially responsible thing to do as a pet owner. I could end my post here, because the answer is that simple. I really don't know the answer to why you wouldn't spay/neuter your animal. Besides of course, if you want them to reproduce and you can be a backyard breeder. And even then, honestly, I don't think it's a very good reason to keep your dog's lady parts (or man parts). 

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The US has a huge problem with Pet Overpopulation. And do you know why we have this problem?  1. Animals are not spayed/neutered. (Only 10% of animals that are brought into shelters are spayed/neutered)--that means that 90% of animals are able to reproduce and so they DO reproduce causing more and more animals to be born, causing this overpopulation. 2. Animals are left and abandoned by owners to become strays. If these owners did NOT neuter/spay their animals then there we go again, more strays. If they were neutered/spayed (again only 10% are) then woohoo, cutting down the amount of strays ever so slightly. 

Do you know how many strays there are in the US? No, you don't. No one does. THE NUMBER IS TOO HIGH AND TOO QUICKLY CHANGING! According to ASPCA, "It is impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the United States; estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million." Homeless animals OUTNUMBER homeless people 5 to 1, says DoSomething. So why is it a big deal that there are so many stray animals? Well, where do you think these strays go? They go to shelters, and if they aren't adopted, then they (approximately 2.7 MILLION animals per year) are euthanized.

I can not believe these statistics (or lack of one because of the rapid constant increase). It truly makes me sad that most of the problem is us as owners, not being responsible enough to either spay/neuter our animals or just surrendering them because of what ever reason we can think it's okay to do so. (Clearly owner surrendering boggles my mind and that's a whole other tangent that I can go off on).

If you are still unsure about spaying or neutering here are some Pros and Cons that I found:

Benefits to Spay/Neuter:

• Unable to get pregnant or get others pregnant (this IS a pro, because of the many statistics of OVERPOPULATION of animals in America)
• Reduce the amount of animals that are euthanized each year.
• Healthier pets. You reduce a lot of reproductive cancers out there and even (especially) mammary tumors. Even this writer who is completely against spay/neuter says so himself. Other health related reasons to spay/neuter you can find here.
• Save money. You can save money if you spay/neuter your animal. This may seem a little backwards since you have to pay to get them the surgery, but in the long run you are cutting down many cancers and other health issues they might run into. Also you can save a little on their license (spayed/neutered pets are cheaper to license).
• "Less Aggressive." I hesitate to put this on here because I think aggression doesn't always have to do with sexualization (which is the only aggression that spaying and neutering would stop). There are many types and reasons dogs become aggressive, and it's up to the owner to stop it and train the dog appropriately.
• "Improves Behavior." Another one that I hesitate to put on this list, yet so many vets say that it will help. Again, I think your dogs behavior has a lot to do with the owner and how you are training he or she. If you are really having serious problems bring them to a dog trainer.

Disadvantage to Spay/Neuter:

• If your dog is too young, and you get them spayed/neutered it can result in many different problems, which can get controversial. Here are more reasons "pediatric spay/neuter" can cause problems.
• Your animal may gain weight (not become obese), but gain weight.
• Your dog will not be able to reproduce (this can be a disadvantage if you are trying to breed your dog, but again is that really socially responsible? Remember the stats)
• Can affect bone growth. When your dog has it's surgery, hormone production is interrupted and can cause bone growth to be affected.

Know of other Pros/Cons that I should be aware of and add to my list? Comment below!

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You Won't Believe This...

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How cute is that tiny tiny Malamute puppy!? Oh wait, it's not a puppy? Then it must be a toy...nope, not a toy either. You won't believe what the owner of this dog did!

It is in fact a mini Malamute made out of....FUR! (I'm guessing they used the Furminator-- Read my review of the Furminator). I can't decide if the mini puppy made out of fur is adorable, or creepy. I'll settle with...creative. Here is a close up of the dog and the fur mini me. 

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Look at that detail! Crazy! What do you think of this?

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Furminator: Product Review

It's summer, the season of shedding. Oh what a great season it is. If your dog is an inside dog like mine, the shedding seems a lot worse. Fur becomes part of your everyday life. Part of your outfit of the day, part of your bedding and blankets, part of your dinner, part of your shampoo, etc. I mean where ISN'T there dog fur? It got to the point where I needed to figure this thing out. Let's start where the problem occurs: Luna. Well, I'm not getting rid of her, so lets just shave her? No, not realistic. 

I heard about this "Furminator" brush that sounds very intimidating, when I was at Pet Food Express. They even let me try it out for a test ride. A couple brushes down Luna's back and the thing was filled with fur. And when you gave her a pet on the back your hand was not filled with fur! What a concept! So what's the catch? The price. It's retail price is about $40-$70 on their website. And with my tight budget, I couldn't bring myself to pay for a $55 brush. What did I do? Ebay! It's a poor girl's best friend in times like these. I went home and found a Furminator for about $15-20 bucks. Still pricey for a brush but WAY more reasonable than $50. So I bought it, and waited what seemed like forever for it (since it was shipping from China, I'm sure they still had to build it!)

Finally, it arrived! And the first time I used it on Luna, it looked like a small animal exploded in my trash can. I kid you not, I could've made a stuffed pillow with the amount of fluff that came off Luna. Luna turned a complete lighter shade after I finished Furminating her, and probably at least 5lbs lighter. I gave her a bath right after and it seemed to be less work because I didn't have to scrub as much fur. It was similar to when your get your hair cut a lot shorter and you take a shower for the first time and realize you don't have to use a huge glob of shampoo because you hardly have any hair anymore. As I was scrubbing, I did notice a couple bumps on Luna's skin. I had also just switch shampoos on her, so it could've been that or possibly the intense Furminating that occurred 15 minutes prior, or a combination of both. I just kept my eye on it, and within an hour or so it was gone. Whatever it was, it wasn't life threatening. 

A couple months have passed since we first used the Furminator. I use it once a week (or at least try to) and the outcomes are not as crazy as the first time. Not as much fur comes off, which makes me aware that it's doing its job. But the shedding doesn't stop. A couple hours after I use the brush, Luna starts shedding again. Maybe it's because it's been really hot and she's just shedding like crazy. It's still a good investment and it's the only brush I use on her now. I don't regret that purchase at all (especially since I got a great deal on it).

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American Weekend

This 3 day weekend was action packed and huge for Luna!

1. OFF LEASH!

Friday, Drew and I experimented with off-leash potties with Luna. Last time we did this it turned into us chasing after her for an hour, the whole time I was having a heart attack. The Husky in Luna makes her BOLT, and the Lab in her makes her have ADD which makes it hard to get her to "come" when she sees a squirrel. But we have been working on it...slowly. So we decided to take a "leap of faith" and we took off her leash, grabbed a couple motivational treats and opened the door (dun, dun, DUNNNNN)! 

At first she was a little hyper to be off leash but stayed within 15 feet of us and just ran circles and peed. Then we told her to "come" and she did (so we gave her a treat), then told her to "go home" and straight up the stairs she went! SUCCESS!!! Happy parents for sure.

This is a video of Luna when told to "Go Home" after doing her business. (She gets ahead of me but looks back a couple times to see if I'm following).

2. Playing with 5lb Teddy

We went over to Drew's parents' house for Independence Day and Luna got to play with Teddy. I swear, every time we go over there, Luna and Teddy get better and better about playing together. The two got a little crazy when Moxie came around (3 dogs at G-ma and G-pas house can get exciting at first), but then settled down. They went outside and played with bubbles. Teddy was all about them and definitely won first place at popping the most bubbles. Then after a long play day the 3 were exhausted, and fell asleep. 

3. FIREWORKS!

This was the first time Luna would be experiencing fireworks with us. We didn't know how she'd react but seeing that the garbage truck that sounds like a plane crashing into our apartment never phases her, we weren't too worried. And when we walked to Downtown Livermore where they were setting off the fireworks, Luna was intrigued by the lights in the sky. She was staring at them just like she stares at flies, questioning how they got there and how in the world is she gonna get them! All in all a very successful, non-freak-out experience, which is a HUGE relief.

4. OFF LEASH X2!

Saturday, I took Luna to Lake Borris (the off-leash dog lake/trail area in Livermore, behind Shadow Cliffs). It is by far my favorite place to bring her. She can swim, play with other dogs, and get in a nice little tiny hike at the same time. This place is COMPLETELY off leash, and quite frankly it's the best place to train your dog off leash. There's no place the dog can really go and get into any real danger (far from busy streets, and it's basically all in a large ditch). Luna is a HUGE fan of water, I mean she tries to swim in the fountains Downtown, and I don't stop her. 

I decided that this time at Lake Borris, I would try to see how she does off leash on the walk over to the beach (well more like on leash, and I just drop it on the ground and let it drag behind her). I kept treats in hand and when she would get too far I would tell her to come back, and if she listened she was rewarded. She was amazing! I told her to "stay" when I wanted her walking right next to me (which was whenever I saw a dog coming towards us). Then I would have her sit, when the dog and its owner were about 10-15 feet away, and when they passed we would keep walking. 

I'm telling you, it must be a maturity thing, that once your dog hits 1, they listen better and do what you say (for the most part). I don't think that a week ago she would have been able to do this! It's crazy!

So we get to the beach part of the lake and she's playing and swimming and having a great time. Then this 5 month old Black Lab comes around and starts playing with Luna. This was the first time this dog has gone swimming, and the best way to teach your dog something is to have another dog train it! DO NOT EVER THROW YOUR DOG INTO A POOL TO TRY TO HAVE THEM SWIM!!!! EVERRRR!!! (It's like throwing a kid who doesn't know how to swim in the pool, and then they are traumatized for the rest of their life and will refuse to go in the water.) 

When it's time to go (when mom is tired and hot and sunburnt), I decided to put her on the leash again but drop it on the ground for a little. Then a couple minutes later I thought I would try and do NO LEASH AT ALL! And usually (like I said before) she will BOLT like there's no tomorrow. This time? That was not the case. She acted the same as when the leash was on the ground! She was a little more testing her limits but it was okay, she would turn around and walk by my side when I told her to. 

I was such a proud Mama. When we were almost to our car I put her leash back on and a dog who had just arrived was pulling his (or her) owner like you see in those movies. That Lab was easily 90lbs. Big boy (or girl). Then he (or she) just starts barking and barking and BARKING! Meanwhile, I just tell Luna, sit and stay, and she's quiet, just watching this chocolate Lab go berserk. And the owner and family say "Wow! How old is your dog?" And I tell them she's one. And they are shocked since their dog is 5 and "not as well trained." (Clearly a socialization issue). Sorry, was that bitchy? 

Not going to lie, Drew and I have done a great job training Luna on how we want her to act. Of course she isn't perfect and she still makes mistakes, but she's a dog. I'm not a military sergeant training soldiers, I am just a crazy dog lady training her crazy dog. 

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Photo Friday! Happy 4th!

Again (if you didn't actually read my last post), here is a visual of exactly what I wrote. Happy 4th! Stay safe :)

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Happy 4th of July...'Murica!

With 4th of July being tomorrow, you usually are too busy thinking about where you are going to go, what you are going to eat, and what you are going to drink. But most importantly, where are you seeing FIREWORKS! But what about your dogs, what is your plan for them? Everyone knows that dogs and fireworks is like mixing water and vinegar, they do not mix well together. I recently found out that the 5th of July is the busiest day of the year for animal shelters because more dogs run away on the 4th than on any other day of the year. Why? Because the fireworks freak them out so much that they try to find somewhere safe where they can escape the fireworks. So what do you do?

1. Keep you dog inside safely secure, either in their crate or where there's no way for them to escape.

2. Turn on the T.V. or radio or some kind of constant noise that will distract them from hearing the fireworks.

3. Give your dog a long-lasting durable toy or treat (like a stuffed Kong, or Luna personally loves Bully Sticks) that will keep them distracted.

4. Make sure your dog has their collar and tags on! If they do escape somehow, and someone finds them, they can be easily returned to you. 

5. Microchip your dog, if they aren't already. And if they are Microchipped make sure their ID is up to date! Here is a good site to make sure this is up to date.

6. If you still are uneasy, stay home with your dog. They will feel so much more secure if they are with you.

Enjoy your day, and stay safe!

Luna got SUPER excited about 'Murica, couldn't contain her excited...so naturally she jumped on me.

Trying on her patriotic bandana!

And last but not least, Luna (attempt to) pledging allegiance... such a good American pup.

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Luna's Birthday PAW-ty

Emphasis on the "PAW." Yes, now I am that lady who throws birthday parties for her pets. I tried to keep it "low-key" so I didn't seem that crazy, but let's be honest, I'm still crazy. But, if you compare a birthday party for a dog, and a birthday party for a 1 year old, at least my dog will have fun and sort of remember it. Even though I wasn't expecting anyone to show up who said they were going to, there was actually a big turn out! There were 9 dogs who ended up coming! (There were a couple of random people who showed up who weren't invited to the party, but it's a public park and I honestly didn't mind—The more the merrier!)

Luna's PAW-ty was at Robertson Dog Park, in Livermore. I bought some cheap dog toys (rope toys and tennis balls) from the Dollar Tree, and a kiddie pool from Target to keep the dogs entertained. I also ended up making goodie bags, which consisted of the Homemade Peanut Butter Oatmeal dog treats with the recipe. 

There were SO many different personalities at Luna's PAW-ty (it's just so fun to say PAW-ty). There's Luna, who would get so excited when another dog would come, so, like a good hostess, she would go greet them. She also WOULD NOT slow down the entire 3 hours that we were there. No resting or laying down once! She was having way too much fun. 

Then you had Casey's dogs, Stella and Toby. Stella is a full blown mutt, and Toby is a 14-year-old Shih Tzu. Stella was in charge of making sure all the dogs were getting along. When someone was playing too rough she would bark, as if saying "Nope, that's not okay, someone is going to get hurt." Eventually, Stella would try to get in on the fun and play wrestle too, but she just ended up being the awkward third wheel. Toby, was the dog who did his own thing and didn't care about anything going on around him. He just smelled the fence line and peed on some patches of grass. At one time he ended up on the other side of the dog park (he must've gotten under the poorly made fence), and he was just chillin' and doing his thing over there. So stealth, Toby.

Allie, the standard poodle, with her dog owner Amanda, was the next to arrive. Allie was such a diva. She did not want to play with any other dog, because she's a model now. She was just at a fundraising event and she was asked to model off the new poodle clip. So when Allie and Amanda came, Allie stuck by mom the entire time, or tried to jump up on the table to be above all the other dogs (dominance thing for sure). But in the end she seemed to do just fine and have a good time soaking up some sun.

Shree brought her dog Lilah, who is a rescue but she thinks she has Boxer, Greyhound, and some other breeds in her. Lilah is a very energetic dog, and VERY fast. She was the only other one besides luna that I saw play in the pool. She is a barker, and since she's a larger dog, it tends to scare people. Shree had to put Lilah on a leash a couple times to calm her down. And when it was time to go, Lilah whined and whined, not ready to leave.

Drew's family showed up with Teddy, the Pomeranian puppy. It was their first time at the dog park and with all these dogs and their various personalities, they held him the entire time. At one point, they took him over to the other side of the dog park to have him run around without any dogs in the way. Luna and Lilah watched Teddy from the other side of the fence and would run back and forth trying to chase him.

Hannah brought her two dogs: Bell and Louie. Bell is an older Golden Retriever, and Louie is a Ridgeback mix (a HUGE dog). Becca came with to help Hannah with Bell and to hang out. Bell did her own thing, but was still very playful and very happy. Louie played a lot with Luna, who was probably half his size. That boy was a tank! I would not feel scared walking at night if I had Louie with me. But he is such a friendly guy. 

Ziggy, the Beagle mix came with Mackensie, and she was super interested in Teddy. She was trying to play with Teddy the entire time, even though he was in someone's arms. Once Ziggy realized the tiny Pomeranian wasn't getting down to play with her, she became interested in playing with the other dogs. Ziggy and Mackensie left a little early, but still got ample amount of play time in.

Brian was the last to arrive (yep, just called you out!) with his Golden Retriever, Fez.  Fez was probably tired from the 2 hour drive over and wasn't really in the playing mood. He just sat next to Brian most of the time, and occasionally played fetch. He did however like to get real close to people and sit on their feet and lean against them, getting his fur ALL over them.

Then there was Shreya. She is dog lover, but she doesn't have a dog, so she came to get her puppy fix. Shreya ended up being the photographer and got a ton of photos (basically all of the photos in this post are from her). Thanks Shreya!

And for those of you who think it's absolutely absurd that I have thrown a birthday paw-ty for my dog, you are probably right. It is a little overboard, I'll admit, but at least I'm not a crazy cat lady ;)

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