My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.
Give me time to understand what you want of me.
Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.
Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.
Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice, when speaking to me.
Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.
Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.
Before you scold me for being lazy, or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or, my heart might be getting old, or weak.
Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.
On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please.
Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me
face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are
there, because I love you so.

I’ll be posting more soon.

What happened you ask? Well CK and I were at the NMC Dog Park this weekend to play fetch. As usual I am impatient and couldn’t wait to chase my chuck it ball, I was so excited to chase that I didn’t even notice my foot was bleeding. It was only when CK stopped, put me in the car and went to visit Dr. S’s office, that I noticed my right paw was feeling a little funny. I licked and the taste was familiar. ..

When Dr. S finally saw me, she noticed my back claw on my right paw was nearly off. She quickly pulled it off, tingled at first. She then bandaged me up and slapped this funny looking thing on my head. It was quite uncomfortable and annoying at the same time. My paw was itchy and wanted desperately to chew off the bandage, but this damn cone wouldn’t let me. Grrrr….

Happy Halloween!

It is also important to allow your pet to be with other dogs and allow them to be…dogs. Since dogs are in nature, pack animals. So when I got JR, I knew I wanted him to be the friendliest dog on the block and to get along with other dogs. The best place to let this happen is at the dog park, where they can meet different types of dogs. Thankfully there was the NMC Weekend Dog Group near our home.

I’m not going to claim that I am a great dog owner or trainer, but I do know that when visiting a dog park there are basic rules you must follow. I like to call them Dog Park Etiquette.

1. Your dog should know the basic commands. Sit, Stay and Come. This is very important especially at an off leash dog park. The last thing you want is your dog to run across the street and have an accident.

2. Your dog should know its name and know your voice. Again this is very important, this is a sign that you have control of your dog, and that your dog does not control you.

3. You should always have doggie bags with you. You are expected to pick up after your dog. Sometimes you may not be paying attention to your dog while they are doing their business so normally another owner will let you know. It’s nice if you return the favour.

4. Your dog is a fetcher; bring his/her fetching toy. Although the dog park is a great place to meet and socialize with other dogs, it’s also a great place to play fetch with your dog. If your dog is naturally a fetcher, it’s probably best to bring his/her ball. The last thing you want is your dog to constantly annoy another dog owner or retrieve another dog’s toy.

5. Fights. Some dogs will play fight and wrestle, however just like children, it can sometimes get out of hand. If your dog ever gets into a fight, that goes beyond play fight. You better get in there and pull your dog back. Whether it was your dog that started it or not, you should discipline him/her by using head control or laying them on their backs. Whatever method you see fit and effective. Dog owners at the park will not tolerate dogs that are aggressive towards another dog.

6. Respect. Respect all the various types of dogs and dog owners. The dog park is a great place to socialize your dog. It’s also a great place to socialize and network with other dog owners.

So those are some of the basic rules I think that are important whenever you enter a dog park. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on other Dog Park Etiquette, please feel free to post your comments and share with everyone your thoughts!

Seeking Home for 2 Family Dogs- Two gorgeous labs trained Cookie and Coco Contact: Katherine kjmorris74@yahoo.com

We are moving overseas in just 2 weeks. Unfortunately, I have still not been able to find a good home for Cookie and Coco. We’re not able to take our beloved doggies with us and I’ve been desperately trying to find a home for both of them ‘together ‘. They were raised together and pine without each other. The Lab rescue have already said that they would probably separate them, so this is my last resort. Recently I tried to take Coco out in my car alone and she TOTALLY refused to even get into the car without Cookie……!!!! She absolutely pulled back on her haunches until Cookie was by her side.

Both doggies are in great health, have been spayed and have ID chips implanted under the skin. Cookie turned 3 December 10th and Coco turned 3 April 1st. Cookie is my mellow-yellow, and just loves her tummy rubbed. Coco is adorably funny and lives for her “ball.” She also loves the water…… Cookie loves lots of attention. Both doggies are loyal and love to walk. They have been raised with my 3 kids running around all over the place, and have survived Sammy’s constant hugging and love of ‘ dress-up ‘ , so they are fantastic family dogs.. This is by far one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, but under the circumstances I have no choice. Please, please forward these pics to all your friends. I want to find a great home for these fabulous doggies. They are just adorable and it’s heartbreaking to let them go. In a perfect world, I hope that we could find someone local so that we can still keep in touch and visit them. I pray that someone, somewhere can help us keep Cookie and Coco together, and love them just as much as we do. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

kjmorris74@yahoo.com

He got out of the yard on Sunday, September 20th. Unfortunately he didn’t have his collar on and he was scheduled to get his tattoo later this month.

If anyone has seem him or have any information, please contact his Mum Michelle (204.232.0560) who misses him very much.

Braff Rhaff NMC Weekend Dog Group friends. You probably noticed that my silly presence was missing last weekend at the park. That’s because CK was away again and I had to stay at the Winnipeg Centennial Pet Boarding for a few days.

I had a good time as always, my day camp friends were all there. One of these days I will sneak my camera in and take pictures to show all of you. Braff Rhaff!

Although it was fun, I was really glad that CK finally picked me up after six nights. But Dawg, I was soooo tired from all the fun, that as soon as we got home, I just fell right back to sleep, I tried so hard to stay up with CK…Here is a picture he took, that sneaky guy! Oh, BTW I’ll be gone again later this week. CK is off to another trip. I miss him already.

Although Hoops may be the oldest dog at the NMC Weekend Dog Group, he truly is a puppy at heart. Sure he may be a litle deaf, and he usually doesn’t notice me when I sneak up on  him. Braff-Rhaff!… But he enjoys chasing after his Kong and some yummy treats.You can easily spot hoops by his smile and stylish bandana around his neck.

I only wish J.R. was this talented…