Tag Archives: puppy

dog, dogs, pet care, socializing, training

Book Review: Animals Make us Human

January 2, 2015 Michael Ezzo

Animals Make Us Human
Creating the best life for our animals
By Temple Grandin & Catherine Johnson
(Amazon, $13.24)

I received this book as a Christmas present and couldn’t resist sharing it and raving about the information inside!

Temple Grandin, who has a PhD in animal science and is a professor at Colorado State, has a unique perspective about animals. Writing as a person with autism, Grandin has taken her position as a scientist with autism to create several works about animals and how they interact with humans.

Animals Make Us Human is a great, in depth view on how we humans can strive to maximize the happiness of our animal companions. Using years of scientific data and citing dozens of experiments, Grandin dives into everything from keeping a lion in a zoo from pacing in its cage to keeping a dog happy when you leave home.

Of course, this is a dog blog, and I was totally engage with the ideas around dog training and behavior management. Grandin challenges the traditional approach of training dogs in which humans are taught to become the “dominant”, or “alpha” figure in their dogs life. According to numerous studies cited in the book, dogs don’t quite act like wolves in the way we once thought. Grandin takes the “Cesar Milan” approach and spins it into a new light, agreeing that even though some situations (doggie daycare, for example) may warrant having an alpha presence, these strategies aren’t necessary in everyday training.

The problem occurred with studies done on wolves in captivity, taken away from their natural setting and put in “forced packs”. These dogs, unstable and insecure, created a pack pecking order to maintain structure. This resulted in more fights and lashing out then with normal, natural wolf families. The change in environment and familiarity with their mates caused drastic changes in the way they interacted.

As a former daycare worker and as a dog owner, I loved that Grandin was able to compare two opposing sides of methodology without completely denouncing either. She respectfully presents both sides of the coin and tries to help the reader understand that old methods are born from old understanding, and as we become more knowledgable, the methods change.

Gardin dives deeper into the idea that as dogs become further removed genetically from their wolf brethren, they lose their ability to express submissive behaviors, resulting in more aggressive communication between dogs. The escalation of emotion leads to more fights between unfamiliar dogs. For example, malamutes, who are genetically much like their wolf descendants, exhibited all the submissive signs that wolves do when they greeted another dog. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, which are clearly very much removed from a wolf, exhibit none of these traits, and are thus more feisty (putting it mildly, that is).

Understanding the ideas behind dominance and submission are crucial when training a dog, but so are understanding there particular drive behaviors. Finding an outlet for a dog’s seeking and play drives, and learning how to handle their fear, rage and panic emotional triggers, are critical to developing a dogs well being.

The best way to handle all these drives, according to Grandin, is through proper socialization (and I obviously agree). I loved the quote Grandin used, from Patricia McConnell, “Socialization is not the same as enrichment. You need both.” I couldn’t agree more! And proper socialization can be the preventative cure to all kinds of later life issues. What I didn’t know about was a second socialization stage, between 18 and 36 months, when a dog becomes socially mature. This is a great opportunity to have your pup around positive adult-dog influences to steer them into the right direction through their teen years.

There is so much information about dogs in this book that I can get carried away. I’d also miss out on mentioning how Gardin talks about creating happy lives for your cats, for pigs, horses, birds, and captive animals in zoos. She talks about ways to stimulate their deepest instincts to help give even a caged lion a happy and content life. Believe it or not, an animal raised in the wild, yet put into captivity, tends to react better to being behind the glass in a zoo. You’ll have to read to find out why!

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in animal science and animal psychology. Scratch that, I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever cared for an animal and wants to better understand the way they think. Not every animal is dealt the best hand, but with a little help from us humans, we can totally give them the happy and content life they need. Grab your copy today to find out how!

diet, dogs, exercise, puppy

New Year’s Resolutions

December 31, 2014 Michael Ezzo

That time has come again for everyone to make resolutions and give themselves two weeks of new hope to start the new year.

I for one am going to start running more, drink less, and get back to doing hot yoga. I have all these plans to eat better, read more, watch less Netflix and expand my business.

Seriously, I’m going to do all of these things!

You see, I have a secret weapon this year. Her name is Pickle, my sweet, hyper, lovable puppy that has entered into her “I’m going to drive you crazy with all my energy and newly found sense of adventure” phase. Over the past week or so it has become painfully apparent that the one hour walk each day won’t be enough to make Pickle nap during the day. It’ll take more than 20 minutes of food games and fetch down the hallway. So clearly we’re going to have to start running or else I’m going to go bananas trying to keep Pickle busy. Our 6am potty breaks mean not going back to bed, but instead getting up, running, doing my pushups and chin ups, and mixing up a protein shake. I’ll feel so good about myself I won’t feel like a fourth beer or a Big Mac (okay, maybe I’ll run that extra mile instead).

Physical resolution: Check.

With all of the physical demands that come from Pickle becoming more of a brat, and with the need to expand my knowledge as my dog walking business grows, I’ll be forced to read more articles and books related to dog behavior and training. Say adios to all those status updates and tweets. I won’t have time to watch as much TV or as many episodes on Netflix, and my brain won’t feel like mush at the end of everyday.

Educational resolution: Check.

I’ll be the first to mention that training Pickle has been fairly easy, but there have been some low points. She has been so great with her potty training and commands that we forget sometimes that she’s a puppy, so when she gets distracted by an off leash dog or a squirrel, I sometimes lose my patience. Then those sweet eyes pull me back in and I can’t help but want to get on my knees and apologize to her. But as we progress with our training, and as we figure out ways to wear her out, I can take the time to take a deep breath and help her calmly and with patience. Then maybe I won’t get so easily overwhelmed by my day full of puppy play and training. It’s so hard being me!

Emotional resolution: Check.

Okay, here’s a tip for any inspiring business person. If you want to get the word out quick about your business, rent a puppy. Seriously, there are services for that. Anyway, I’m not exactly a social butterfly, so openly talking about my business is tough, no matter how excited I am about it. Pickle has given me the best ice breaker into building a client base and talking about my walking services. I want to become more vocal about all the excitement in my life, and I resolve to exploit Pickle’s cuteness to do so. I want to expand my business and become more financially stable. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to say that, it’s about time I take the plunge and start networking!

Business resolution: Check.

Every year I make small promises to myself to get a ripped set of abs, earn more money and spend less time playing with social media. This year, I am writing it all down to stay accountable. Feel free to call me out on it, and I can do the same for you! Luckily I have the power of a rambunctious puppy to keep me on track. Hopefully this year will be my year!

I’ll check back in with you on December 31.

dogs, pets, socializing, training

Socialization for a Happy Life

December 15, 2014 Michael Ezzo

Socialization is hugely important to a puppy. It is their way of learning how to deal with living in a human world, filled with all sorts of curious noises, sights and smells. Socialization helps your puppy be comfortable in all kinds of otherwise stressful situations. But there are lots of caveats when it comes to socialization: when should I start, how should I go about it, where should I take my puppy? Hopefully I can point you in the right direction, and help you to give your puppy a good start to their new life!

WHAT:

Socializing is teaching your puppy about new sights, sounds and smells that overwhelm them in their early days. A passing bus or a strange man on the sidewalk can be frightening to a dog if they have never seen or heard them before. Socialization is a process that teaches a puppy that these things are okay and will not hurt them, and help them to become comfortable with the world around them as they grow into adulthood.

Dogs naturally go through a period when they are young where they are open and curious about the world. This is a great time to expose them to new things. When they are slightly older, however, dogs become instinctively cautious, approaching new experiences with hesitation and more thought. Naturally, this helps them to avoid potentially dangerous situations that they would have faced outside of their life with you.

Socializing helps to harness your pup’s curiosity when young, and help them be safe and happy when things get a little rougher.

WHY:

Well socialized dogs prove to be happier and more relaxed as pets. This is because they are able to adapt to a wider range of environments and situations. Poorly socialized dogs have a tendency to react to new experiences with either fear or aggression. Trust me when I say that a fearful dog is not always a peach to own, especially when it comes to meeting other dogs and people.

Though the amount of socialization is up to the owner, the more you socialize your pup, the better their odds of being relaxed and happy with new exposures. More safe exposures add up to a much happier relationship between you and your dog!

WHO:

You and your pup. And the mailman, sidewalk strangers, the old woman at the bus stop, 15 of your closest friends and all their kids, your neighbor Jim, even the bus driver or the lady handing you food at the drive thru. When it comes to people, you want to get your puppy exposed to as many types of looks, personalities, ethnicities and ages of people as possible. Especially people with hats, scarves, hoodies, any kind of unique style that may throw your puppy off later.

When it comes to dogs, a little discretion is important. Puppies are very susceptible to disease and illness, and their little immune systems cannot cope with a lot of the sicknesses that older dogs may carry. Make sure if you bring your new puppy around dogs they are dogs that are fully vaccinated and healthy, and of course make sure they are okay with puppies. Remember, puppies are super rude, and not all older dogs will be okay with that.

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(Author’s note: Dog parks do not constitute good socialization. For one, if your puppy isn’t FULLY vaccinated, DO NOT TAKE THEM TO THE DOG PARK! Your pup could contract Parvo, kennel cough, or any of the other dozens of illnesses that dogs carry. Second, puppies are rude and don’t have very many boundaries. Don’t put them in a situation to piss off a mature dog and get bit. Just don’t do it.)

Our trainers used to say “a puppy should have 100 new exposures per day”, and even if that sounds a bit overwhelming, every new moment to a puppy is a new exposure.

WHERE:

Everywhere. Seriously. When we got Pickle, I took her everywhere. I took her on car rides, carried her around the neighborhood (read below to see how), brought her to friend’s houses, took her on trips to Grandma’s, to the hardware store, EVERYWHERE!

Our best strategy (and the one we owe Pickle’s sweet demeanor) was taking her to Chuck’s Hop Shop, a dog friendly bar in our neighborhood. When she was young we would hold her in our laps and limit her interactions with dogs, but we encouraged everyone to hold her, even the bartenders. Pickle adapted to all the sounds and smells, and became very comfortable with being handled by dozens of people and a short time period. This did wonders for her socialization!

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WHEN:

Puppies handle new exposures best between 8 weeks and 12 weeks. They are really curious and their senses have come alive! Of course they may be young for random dog interactions, but there are ways around that (keep reading).

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The trouble happens around 16-20 weeks. Puppies enter a phase called their “fear stage”. They become more cautious of new things and it becomes harder to introduce them to new exposures. The more work you do when they are young the easier your life will be during this time.

HOW:

Here’s the big one. How is it possible to safely get your puppy 100 new exposures everyday, and fit them into a small window where they will appropriately help the pup?

First, throw a puppy party. Have your friends and family come over to your house with the sole purpose of showering your puppy with love, attention, treats and love. Encourage soft wrestling and face playing, grabbing at paws and ears, and making sure the puppy is comfortably okay with these things. When Pickle first came home we invited people over for a Seahawk game, and our little puppy got more face time than ever before. Right off the bat she was becoming comfortable with loud noises and sudden movements, and with the quirkiness of humans.

Being outside is a little tougher. Before Pickle was fully vaccinated, I did a lot of carrying (did wonders for my biceps). The ground has a bunch of bad bacteria that puppies could become sick if they sniff or ingest. Pickle spent a lot of time in my arms as we walked, or in my lap if we visited a dog friendly bar. Luckily, she was so little and cute that she spent a lot of time in other people’s arms as well, so the human side of her socialization happened really young.

For doggie interaction, we signed her up for a puppy play class, where she could run around and romp with dogs her own age. Even 30 minutes a day was enough to wipe her out and teach her better habits when playing with other puppies.

IMG_20140926_105647 When she got a little heavier, Kira bought her a little duffel bag type carrier that I could put her in when we went on walks. Pickle could lay down and soak in the sounds and smells from the city, or she could poke her head out of a hole in the top that allowed her to meet people on the sidewalk. I highly recommend any one with a small enough dog get one. Funny how many places I could take her when people thought I was just carrying a gym bag!

After Pickle was fully vaccinated, we started going on longer walks and having more exposures. She could meet strange dogs, teaching good introduction methods (we’re working on it) and having her on the street, closer to the smells and sounds of traffic and strangers. She also became more visible, so there were many more pets and hand outs from people passing by, which made Pickle happy. It helps that I am a dog walker, which puts her around dogs for at least 2 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Lastly, remember not to push your little one to hard. If your pup expresses a lot of stress during a new experience, either tone down the amount of exposure (turn down noise, remove a stimulant) and/or praise the crap out of them. For example, if you are at the park around lots of screaming kids, monitor how your pup is handling it. If they seem stressed, flood them with treats and comfort, and if that doesn’t work, sit further away from the commotion. The goal is to develop comfort, note generate fear.

Socializing your puppy will help them to adapt to new places and sounds. They will approach new experiences with confidence, not hesitation. It will also teach them to handle places like the dog park in a safe and appropriate manner. Owners will experience a better relationship with their dog and will be able to approach more situations with safe and happy expectations. So get out and get friendly!

dog toys, dogs, exercise, pets

Entertaining your Puppy on the Cheap

November 22, 2014 Michael Ezzo

Puppies are expensive. Often times there are adoption fees, vaccinations, vet bills, food, snacks, bedding, training, and so much more, and those are just the essentials! It’s easy to suffer from a little sticker shock when you start adding up the dollars necessary for raising a puppy (but they are so worth it!).

When it comes to entertaining your dog with toys and games, it’s easy for that dollar amount to skyrocket. A quick search on PetCO.com revealed toys as expensive as $41.24 (that’s after a 25% discount!), and toys on average sit between $10-15. So stockpiling your dogs toy bin can be quite difficult.

Luckily, there are alternatives! With Pickle, we’ve made some great discoveries about ways to keep her entertained and ways to stimulate her body and her mind. Here are a couple tips and hints about entertaining your puppy on the cheap:

Where to Shop:

Skip the big name stores and go to second-hand stores. Store’s like Marshal’s and Ross are great places to pick up the same puppy toys as Pet Co, but at half the cost (not to mention dishes, leashes, etc)! The fun part is a store like Ross does not track their inventory from store to store, so shopping in their stores is like a scavenger hunt for new goods! Fun for your inner shopper, and a huge payoff to your pup (and your wallet!).

For a little more adventure, we’ve gone toy shopping in Goodwill and thrift stores all across Seattle. Goodwill has a great pet section, sure, but the pay off is finding a fun stuffed animal from the kid’s toy aisle. Kira came back with a stuffed horse and a mopey Eeyore that drove Pickle nuts! I think the smells from these toys cannot be replicated, so it puts her on sensory overload when we play with them. For an added bit of fun, we bought a giant stuffed bear (for $6) that Pickle wrestles with and uses as a dog bed. We ran it through the dryer on high to kill any possible bugs, just in case.

Make sure if you are purchasing none dog approved toys from thrift stores that you remove any hard plastic eyes or attachments so your pup doesn’t choke. Also make sure they don’t eat any of the stuffing from inside as it could cause blockage issues. There’s a little extra work needed, but worth it!

In your Home:

Believe it or not, your home is already a great resource for dog toys (if your pup chews on everything, maybe it’s not a surprise). The crunching and texture of a plastic soda bottle mimics the same crunchy texture inside loads of existing dog toys. Before Pickle’s jaws were strong enough to cause problems, we would give her glass bottles that she could nose around the floor (she tried and tried to get the sugary drink from inside the bottle). Any old or torn shirts can be balled and knotted up to create toy ropes. It’s recycling for your dog!

Pro tip: At the bottom of any treat bag is a pile of crumbs. Don’t through them away! I mixed mine with some water and pumpkin puree, and then froze it in an ice-cube tray. Now, whenever Pickle is bothering me in the kitchen, I can toss her a cube and it’ll keep her busy for a couple minutes. Long enough for me to finish cooking dinner.

Mind Games:

We’ve covered toys, what about games? A dogs easily exhausted if they are mentally stimulated, and simple scavenging games can exhaust your pup while buying you a couple minutes to breathe. Our game is quite simple, and quite effective. The set up is simple. Lay some of your pups favorite treats on the ground, then cover it with a blanket. Lay some more treats, add some toys, fold over the blanket, and repeat (as many times as you can). Your dog will have to dig through all the blankets and queue into their scavenging instincts, exerting both physical and mental energy.

Your dogs are precious members of the family, and as owners we want to give them everything to ensure they have a happy life. Unfortunately the bill can get out of control before we have time to realize. Luckily, there are simple ways to give your dog lots of joy and entertainment, all it takes is a little creativity in your day. So get out there and spoil your pups!

Have any insider tips on puppy entertainment? Share them on Facebook, Twitter and show off on Instagram!

dogs, exercise

Why I Love Being a Dog Walker

October 28, 2014 Michael Ezzo

I consider myself a lucky man. Everyday, get to earn my living doing the things that I love, how many people can say that?

In the evenings, I am a math tutor, enriching the lives of young students and helping them to unravel the intricacies of numbers and equations. I get to be a mentor and an educator, not only helping kids to navigate the windy roads of the classroom, but also the roller coaster they call life.

But during the day, I get to do something else that I truly love: walk dogs. Now that may cause some to question my background and my goals (not to mention my sanity). So let me lay it out for you: I am a college grad, where I double majored in mathematics and business economics. My father always pushed me to be a teacher, yet I graduated more trained to work as a bank teller, able to work money and do all kinds of calculations. My path was leading me to a career behind a desk. Yet, something about that wasn’t very appealing. Why would I want to sit at a desk, cooped up and isolated from the wonderful things that this city has to offer?

Well, I didn’t want to. Then I walked into a job as a kennel assistant, handling 30+ dogs everyday and interacting with their owners, building relationships with the two-legged and four-legged friends. I built a love for obedience training and the commonalities that existed between working with dogs and kids. Especially the light bulb that hits them when a lesson finally hits home. Every time it happened, it was a new reason to pursue a job I loved.

So now, instead of showing up and facing coworkers shut up in windowless offices and choking on a necktie, I am welcomed into every home by a loving four-legged friend who only wants to attack me with kisses and love. How would you feel if you were welcomed into your job everyday by someone who expressed unconditional happiness and appreciation to see you? I wish all my math students felt that way.

How could that not rub off on me? It’s impossible to spend my day upset and to let anything stress me out. Do the dogs push my buttons sometimes? Sure. But a wag of their tail or a glance from their pouty eyes melts my heart, and any anger slips away, forgotten.

Furthermore, Seattle is an amazing place to explore, with all its nooks and crannies and mazes of parks and side streets. Dog walking has given me an opportunity to discover the nuances of neighborhoods that would have otherwise gone unexplored. Everyday, I find a new little library, a piece of street art, or even poem benches.

With every new neighborhood comes a new population of people to meet and have conversations with. Dog owners tend to be really social, and lots of people love to stop and chat about their dogs (and mine). Not only do I have the privilege to see the attractions in each neighborhood, but I get to meet the people who live and raise families there. Dog walking is like one big networking opportunity!

I know, your gut reaction is to say there is no way that a person can make a living doing this. But trust me, Seattle is a city booming with dog owners, and is a place in great need of decent dog walkers and sitters who can give their dogs dependable care. And I would be lying if I said it was easy (I still tutor for a reason). Besides, getting paid to be a pooper-scooper and running the potential of getting caught in the cold and wet weather makes me question my job choice.

But if I have to risk the one day every week that I may get caught in the rain, it is worth it to spend hours in the wonderful parks Seattle has to offer, meeting her residents and learning about her neighborhoods. The result was Paw Prints Seattle, my ticket to running my own business (thus justifying all those accounting and management classes I took in college) and going to work everyday with a smile on my face.

What’s not to love?

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My Puppy’s a Brat

October 27, 2014 Michael Ezzo

Seriously. Don’t let that cute face and those pouty brown eyes fool you, our little Pickle is a real brat. Even before our alarms have gone off, Pickle insists on getting up to go outside and doing her business. Every morning we share a chilly morning as I watch her do her business and the sun rise. Not only that, but when we come back inside, she insists on getting into bed with us, pushing her way between our legs and curling up by our heads. I can’t get the smell of puppy breath out of my nostrils!

Ten minutes of rolling around the bed and nibbling on our ears is usually enough before she is at the foot of our bed whining for breakfast. Without even a thank you she gobbles down her food and runs back to the living room to demand that we play with her. Her pouncing and play barking keeps us from addressing our own breakfast needs just to entertain the little beast (with all the rolling on the floor and tugawar). Turn your back for one second and she’s gnawing on a sneaker or one of my girlfriend’s boots (or destroying flip-flops).

God forbid we have time to make coffee in the morning. Before long Pickle is ready to go back outside and walk around the neighborhood. Would it be so hard for her to ignore that pile of leaves and walk more than ten feet in a straight line? And forget getting her attention when another walker comes by. Her tail wags so hard and her body wiggles uncontrollably, there’s no way to keep her focused.

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When this ball of energy and fur has had enough she just ignores everyone and goes to bed. Seriously, she’ll get all antisocial and curl herself up in her kennel and not even ask if I want to play. Sometimes I think all she wants is food. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t pry her from her kennel, unless with loads of stinky, greasy treats. I don’t know if that smell will ever come off.

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I guess, in the end, Pickle is a pretty cute pup. She is a brat, whining when she doesn’t get her way and unable to focus through most of her obedience training. But how can you be mad a puppy that’s crate trained, hasn’t had an accident indoors since she was spayed, is getting really good at her impulse control and biting, and at the end of the day just wants to cuddle up at your feet or under your legs with her chew stick. My heart melts every morning when she starts whining because it reminds me that I have a wonderful pet who sleeps through the night and doesn’t wake up until 7:30 AM. Not only is she potty trained, but she comes when I call her to come back inside.

On our walks, Pickle barely pulls on her leash, and loves to greet everyone (dogs, adults, children, etc) with the same reluctant politeness and love. She’s given up on the biting of fingers and gone to licking wildly. She no longer tries to automatically jump on the faces of dogs and greets them more controlled. Not bad for a puppy that’s not even 4 months.

Pickle is a loving, adventurous, curious, ear biting, howling, chews-anything-within-reach puppy. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Restless nights: Adjusting to Life with a Puppy

September 30, 2014 Michael Ezzo

5:43 AM. I sit at the kitchen table and watch Pickle gobble down the mush of wet and dry food mix from her silver bowl, chasing it as she noses it across the floor. My eye lids barely stay open enough to focus on the clock, and all I want is to crawl back into bed under the warm comforter.

We’ve hit the two-week mark as puppy parents. Understandably, life around the house has changed in many ways, some expected and others not so much. We can’t look forward to those late mornings after a long night out with friends. Our Friday nights are more about reconnecting after a week of barely seeing each other, and not so much about bar hopping and late night movies.

I have essentially become a stay at home dad, responsible for Pickle’s overall well-being. Kira (my beautiful girlfriend and Pickle’s momma) has taken the responsibility as being the bread-winner, leaving every morning for her salaried job to provide for us. In the meantime, the juggling act at home is between doing laundry, letting Pickle go potty, doing dishes, feeding Pickle, playing with Pickle, folding laundry, letting Pickle go potty … you get the picture. Notice nowhere did I mention the moments I get time to cook lunch or address my lack of personal hygiene the last two weeks. Our worlds have shrunk to the tightly woven carpet in the living room and our 25 sq/ft porch where Pickle pees.

Somehow, between all the 2AM wake up calls, the separation anxiety when we step to the other side of her baby gate, and her incessant need to nibble us with her needle like baby teeth, somehow we find the little moments of joy. When she is napping, or discovering new parts of her ever-growing world.

And with it all, we refuse to complain. We chose to take this journey together, and our lives have changed in so many great ways. A month ago, I was shoveling dirt and hauling compost for a landscape designer, doing the grunt work to help create his visions. When Georgia Peaches informed us that we would be adopting Pickle, my girlfriend and I decided I would become a stay at home dad. I love Kira for having the faith in me to raise the new member of our home, and to take the risk of supporting our family while I try not only maintain the well-being of Pickle, but also build two businesses. Only now devoting my time to create and develop these projects, between all the blogging and posting pictures to Instagram like a proud dad. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better partner to help me through my journey to being a business owner, or to raise a baby.

For us, Pickle is our baby. She cries, she has accidents, she’s curious and constantly learning about the world. And we are the ones in charge of bringing sense to her mind and teaching her that the world is a great place.

The leaves are changing, and the warmth of summer is clinging to the air in Seattle. The past two weeks have brought changes to our lives that surpass the beauty and wonder of the autumn foliage. And every morning, as Kira and I wake to the whimpers and barking of our sweet little Pickle, we will hold a smile on our face, because we know it’s a new day of surprises.

Uncategorized

Ok, she’s Fixed, Can we Have Our Puppy Now?

September 23, 2014 Michael Ezzo

I couldn’t blame her for being upset. If someone denied me breakfast I’d be pissed too. But her barking and howling seemed to have a feel of sadness, like she knew what was coming today. She was scheduled to get spayed, and the road to her procedure had finally reached its end.

The fiasco started a week ago, with a phone call to the vet clinic to confirm her surgery appointment. But instead of confirming, Pickle’s spay appointment was put on hold because the vet thought she was too small. This made sense to us, she was emaciated when she arrived from Georgia and was a small dog in general.

So we forgot about the appointment, planning on getting her checked again once she was bigger. The spaying was important, just on the back burner until it was approved. That is, until the text came yesterday from the rescue saying they wanted us to go ahead with the surgery.

Confusion ensued. Was Pickle too young, too small, was she ready for a hysterectomy? A series of panicked phone calls essentially led to me figuring out that the vet I thought was doing the procedure was not the vet doing the procedure. Long story short, there was an appointment at 8:30 the next morning at the Seattle Animal Shelter and Pickle was going under the knife.

And in the morning we were there, getting Pickle spayed and chipped. (Not sure if you’ve ever seen one of those chips, but holy crud!) After a big miscommunication with the rescue and having to scramble to even get the chip, here we were at the front desk checking in for Pickle’s procedure.

Now, I don’t know what it is with pets and the vet’s office, but the instant we walked through the door Pickle was shaking and whimpering. As I tried to hold her and fill out the preliminary questionnaire, her anxiety worsened and she almost squirmed out of my arms a couple times.

And then she was gone, behind the doors to the kennel area, only her barking and howling to escort me out to my car. Off I went to wait until the procedure was done and I got the call to take Pickle home.

When the call finally came, I struggled to hear the voice of the secretary over the barking of what I was sure to be Pickle. “I think she’s ready to come home,” was all I could make out. The SAS staff was very clear with helping to understand the procedure, assuring me that everything went normal, and steps necessary to help Pickle recover quickly and correctly, and Pickle weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds during her exam! She’s getting so big! Honestly, though, I was just happy to have my puppy back in my arms.

The car ride home was a bit heartbreaking. Every bump in the road, every time Pickle shifted in her crate, led to a slight whimper from the back seat. With each whimper, I don’t know which one of us was in more pain.

The major positive to come out of all of this is that now we can officially adopt our sweet little Pickle. Washington State law prohibits rescues from adopting out dogs that are unaltered, so we have been in limbo with the adoption process for the past week. As her foster parents she won’t see any change in our status as her mom and dad, but now we’ll officially be her parents!

As far as the spaying, the challenge now is figuring out how to keep a 10 week old puppy from getting too active. We were assured that puppies tolerate the pain well and are generally so distracted with the world around them that they don’t play with their incisions. Luckily Pickle is only highly active in short bursts, and like any baby, enjoys her naps. Now we are crossing or fingers the recovery process is smooth for her. After being flown in from Georgia, separated from her siblings, shuffled between houses and now going through a stressful surgery, it’s time for her to just be a puppy.

UPDATE: We had quite the scare last night. Pickle did not handle the food she ate after her surgery and at around 5:30 started to throw all of it up. Her little stomach couldn’t handle the effects of the anestesia, and was rejecting everything.

By the time my girlfriend, Kira, got home from work, Pickle was clearly uncomfortable. “She looks emaciated!” was Kira’s shocked response to the skinny, miserable puppy that welcomed her home. “Call the vet, now!”

An emergency clinic in the U-District assured me it was just a response to the drugs, and I reluctantly took their word and tried to reassure Kira. Pickle would have to go the night without food, but was drinking water, so that made me feel better. She stopped throwing up, and found a comfortable spot on her blanket and slept all through the night (she didn’t even wake us up to pee during the night).

When breakfast time came, Pickle was more of her tail wagging self. She wolfed down her food and hasn’t thrown up this morning. We did notice, though, that she is hesitant to pee outside right now, either because she can’t hold it due to some uncomfortable effects of the surgery, or if it’s because the weather is miserable. We don’t know, but Pickle will get some slack, for now.

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Potty Training … for Humans

September 19, 2014 Michael Ezzo

Surprise, puppies don’t come potty trained.

We were painfully reminded of this fact the first night our little Pickle came home. She was stressed out with an upset stomach and her poo was, well, loose. To add extra trauma to our already unpleasant evening, Pickle is too young to be out on public ground where lots of dogs are able to go to the bathroom. Her immune system is not yet strong enough to fight off lots of the illnesses older dogs carry, and is still 5 weeks from being completely vaccinated.

Oh, and there’s the little, minor, not-that-big-of-a-deal issue of us moving into a new place that does not have a grass yard.

But we were “prepared”.

In a small 1-1/2 X 2-1/2 ft tub, we gave her the only yard that we could. We filled it with dirt, and a small patch of sod that we hoped she would take and adopt as her short-term potty spot. Our efforts, though, were futile. She had come from a foster home with a full backyard to roam, and this little patch of sod wasn’t cutting it for her. For two days we suffered through accidents and using the sidewalk as her only potty spot. Any sign of squatting, and out we rushed to the porch, first to the sod, which she would usually tear up and try to destroy, then to the sidewalk where at least she had learned to do her business. It wasn’t ideal, but at least she was going to the bathroom.

So we plotted. We schemed. We drew blueprints. And finally the three of us got in the car and drove to Home Depot. One cart load of planter boxes, grass plants, a bag of dirt and two bags of river rock later, we were in business.

The result was turning our roughly 25sq/ft porch into a doggie play pen. (Note, we started with the grass tub in the upper right.) She was instantly drawn to the different textures and terrain. I was glad the summer I just spent working alongside a landscape designer paid off!

Soon, she was even using it to go to the bathroom!

I feel bad that we can’t expose our puppy to the world she sees off the porch, but better to be safe with her young, weak immune system. Luckily it has been a few days and the accidents inside have almost stopped, so she must have figured it out. I’m happy to say she only went “#2” inside the one time, and she whines and barks when she needs to go out when in her kennel. We are thankful to have a pretty smart pup 🙂

Some natural questions follow (at least in my head) about keeping the space clean. Well, we’re working on that. I made the joke this morning (much to the annoyance of my girlfriend) that date night now involved a bucket of soapy water, two scrub brushes, and soiled river rock. I think she’ll buy in soon.

At least Pickle has bought in and seems happy with the space. Soon as she’s old enough we’ll be able to branch out (and maybe even get our sitting area back) and we can dismantle the play pen. But for now, I’m just happy she’s not going inside.

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Georgia Peaches Puppy Rescue

September 19, 2014 Michael Ezzo Leave a comment

I would not feel right without sending a HUGE thank you to the wonderful people at Georgia Peaches Puppy Rescue for helping us to bring little Pickle (formerly Gracie) into our home! We are so happy to be able to contribute to such a great organization!

Georgia Peaches Puppy Rescue (GPPR) rescues puppies and dogs from high kill shelters in the southeast and places them in loving homes in the northwest. To find out how you can contribute (they have adoption, foster, volunteer and donation needs) please check them out at http://peachpuppies.org/.

I’d like to send a special shout out to Ranny Spengler and her family who fostered Pickle before we took her home. Ranney is an awesome 15 year old (yea, 15!) who arranged all of our meet ups and visits to meet Pickle. She is also a huge player in the GPPR scene and is bound to do some amazing things. I’d also like to single out Christine Noble for coordinating our visits and helping us through the foster and adoption process, and any of the staff that either myself or my girlfriend talked to. You guys are amazing!