Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Morrigan (update)

Hi Don,

Lovely to hear from you! I was actually thinking about sending you an email a week or two ago...

Last summer puppy and I moved to England (we live in Plymouth which is in the Southwest). It was all very rushed and I didn't have much time to say proper good-byes. Moving a dog to the UK is a very stressful process! Luckily, everything went very smoothly. It took her a few months to get settled but she is back to her usual happy self - still very much a puppy at heart. If she didn't have grey in her muzzle, you'd think she was 2 years old!

Dogs have it really good here - they are allowed to travel free on all public transport and are welcomed in pubs. Morriganne also has her own EU passport (she has more rights in Europe than I do as a Canadian!). There are also nice (dog-friendly) trails all over the country...including tons of coastal walks.

The weather has been beautiful lately and we're both pretty excited about the long, warm days. I bought her a soccer ball yesterday and she absolutely loves it! I'm going to get a surfboard this season as the surfing is really good here. Puppy can climb up onto the board and balance better than me. If I steady the surfboard while she climbs on, I can actually let her go and she does a decent job of surfing! She is definitely a unique dog.

I've attached a few pictures of puppy in her new home. I also have a Picasa site that I update on a fairly regular basis (http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/107173262355334826734).

How are you doing? Keeping busy? Have you had many more puppies this Spring?

I look forward to hearing news.

Cheers,

Lisa & puppy

Nala (pics)

Hey Don,


Nala had her first swim last weekend. Not intentionally she was running after Tucker and then she was swimming. I think the water was still a little cold for her, she would follow him back in but not enough to swim.

Over the last couple of days she has been showing more interest in retrieving.

Since I was replying I figured I would attach some pictures of the bad one.

Evan


NalaNalaNala

Hi from Bahrain (pics)

Hi there guys,

Just a brief note to let you all know that I have now finally arrived back in Bahrain safe and sound after a long but uneventful journey.

It was good to be home and see you all again and thank you all for the time I spent with you. We hope to be home again in early August and look forward to seeing you all once again.

Take good care and look forward to hearing from you when you get a chance.

All the best,

Rod


Mollie in BahrainMollie in Bahrain

Coal (pics)

Hey Don,

Just thought I send you a little note on Coal down here in Glace Bay. He's a great dog, getting big fast and he's great with our daughter Haleigh. He loves being around people, for example my daughter had her 3rd birthday last weekend and he was right in his glory out in the backyard playing with all the kids.My wife takes him for a walk everyday and he stays perfect on her left side without pulling or dragging. I don't think he's fussy about the car though. Coal really seems lost when my daughter is in daycare there turning in to such buddies, he misses her when she isn't around. Anyway just thought I send you an update. Oh ya I haven't received anything on his papers yet.Is that normal.How long does it usually take?

Thanks Chad

CoalCoal April

Kim PENNIE showed It in Truro

Kim PENNIE showed It in Truro. She won the maximum points possible at one show, 5 making her total enough for the title of “Canadian Champion”.

db

IT COBEQUID show

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Exercise Induced Collapse In Labrador Retrievers (EIC) by Sue Taylor

Exercise induced collapse (EIC) is a common cause of episodic exercise intolerance and collapse in otherwise healthy, adult, Labrador Retrievers. Dog owners and professional trainers have recognized affected individuals for at least 20 years, but they have not had a name for the disorder. Veterinarians have speculated that the episodes might be due to heat intolerance, low blood sugar, electrolyte (sodium, potassium or chloride) disturbances, heart rhythm abnormalities, or an inherited muscle disorder. Dogs with EIC are normal at rest and able to tolerate mild to moderate exercise but occasionally become incoordinated and collapse after 5 to 15 minutes of strenuous exercise. It is common for related dogs (littermates) to be affected.

Read More....
http://www.doindogs.com/exercise_induced_collapse_in_labrador_retrievers_EIC.shtml

Be careful with dogs off-leash


from article

Hi everyone,

I had a scary incident yesterday at Long Lake provincial park and I was hoping you will take a few minutes to pass this email on to any of your dog loving friends who may use the park. I walk this trail occasionally and had just been there the day before with my own dogs and although it is not the most popular entry point, I know of another dog walker and a few other people who frequent the spot. The incident occurred on the Prospect Rd. side, behind Exhibition Park. I was walking four Springer Spaniels who love to bound through the woods but always "resurface" frequently and check in with me. It didn't take long for me to notice the mom of the group was missing. I began calling her and walking back along the trail but no sight of her so I walked back to the truck thinking she may have become disoriented but she was not there so we walked back down the trail again.

Fortunately, one of her daughters alerted me to something in the woods and I followed her in to find her mom sitting next to a small bush, not moving but still alive, about 15 or 20 feet off the main trail. It took me a while to realize the reason she was not moving was that there was a snare like the ones I have attached wrapped around her neck and she was actually suffocating. I reached in between the snare and her neck to give her a bit of air and thankfully I remembered an email that had been sent around a couple of years ago saying to do the opposite of what you would want to do ie: pull the snare apart so I pushed the snare closer together at the top of the dogs neck and thankfully it quickly unlatched and I was able to free the dog without further incident. She is doing fine now.


This could have ended so much differently and I am so thankful that it turned out the way it did but if you are like me, you may have a false sense of security on provincial park trails when it comes to hunting. I just want everyone to be careful - if possible keep your dogs on the main trails, you may want to put bells on your dog so they are easier to locate if they are out of sight and if this does happen to you, remember not to panic. Thanks to one of my other dog walking clients, I will now have a pair of wire cutters in my first aid kit (which can be purchased at Bark n' Fitz downtown) that I always carry with me when I am out hiking.

I have informed the department of Natural Resources about the incident and the Springers' owner will be taking this to the next level so at the very least there will hopefully be more signage letting people know they are not allowed to hunt back there.

Riley (pics)

Riley beach dayRiley beach day

Monday, April 05, 2010

Angus (special bond) (pic)

There's a special bond there. =)

Theresa

Special bond

Mollie in Bahrain

Here are some pictures of Mollie in Bahrain. She has a nice big yard with lots of grass and all sorts of interesting trees to chew on. The weather is nice, still relatively cool in the low twenties (C) and she is really having a ball. Thanks for training her so well, she knows quite a few commands and is learning fast (how to get her way). We just wanted you to know she is one happy girl!

Best from us and Happy Easter to all!

Wendy & Steve
Mollie in BahrainMollie in BahrainMollie in BahrainMollie in BahrainMollie in BahrainMollie in BahrainMollie in BahrainMollie in BahrainMollie in Bahrain