Django's First Snow Days

Django playing in the snow

For those of us who are thankfully home and not traveling today, many are excited. As if the anticipation of Christmas morning hasn’t made us old folk feel child-like enough this week, there is nothing like a good old-fashioned snowstorm to bring out the kids in all of us.

My kids are giddy, and so is our new puppy Django, who will see her first snowstorm. It hasn’t snowed here since last winter so now’s the time to bring out the snowpants and boots to get those snowmen built and snow angels sketched out.

This storm is going to be a big one. It’s officially projected to be close to two feet and all major airports have canceled flights out of and into the northeast. Tonight, they expect a white-out and the wind is starting to pick up. The blizzard warning stays in effect until 6am on Monday.

Not cold at all!

Already we’ve shoveled four times and as soon as we get to the front curb and turn around, it is covered again. But it’s our backyard that is getting more attention ironically. Since this is Django’s first snow and she has potty trained so well so far, I’m a little concerned that she keep up her good habits in the snow. If we didn’t have Django, we would probably just attend to a small path in the back yard.

She’s a black lab mix and her coat is water resistant and dries off quickly. I expected her to love the snow and she does. She sits in it, jumps in it, and sticks her entire face into a freshly shoveled mound. Then she’ll come in and take a nap. Raising a puppy is very much like raising a child: eat, play, potty break, nap, and then do it all over again many times per day. I don’t mind the extra work it takes to raise this playful pup.

All tired out.....

Django has grown incredibly fast in the month we’ve had her. She’s now 21 lbs, up from 16. She can sit, give paw, and lay down. At just three months, I think that’s a darn good start.

But what Django does best is bring us joy. I received many wonderful gifts yesterday but the best gift I got this year was in November when we brought Django home from North Shore.

For my northeast friends, enjoy the snow, stay warm and be safe!

10 Strangest Items Swallowed By Dogs

My mother’s Schnauzer mix, Sha Sha, eats just about anything. I didn’t quite believe just how often she would quickly snap up everything in her sight until a few weeks ago when she swallowed a quarter and a nickel in the blink of an eye. The vet advised my mother to watch her for the next few days as the coins would likely pass. It’s a very common issue among dog owners and it doesn’t only happen with puppies. The majority of dogs do grow out of the need to eat inedible objects. It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what a puppy would eat so it’s best to be vigilant about where you dog is allowed to freely roam. Many dogs and puppies have been known to swallow seemingly unsuitable items, which you might not find in any way enticing or preferable, but they do. Check out this list of the strangest things swallowed by dogs as witnessed by the ASPCA :

Keep Your Dog Safe With These Holiday Safety Tips!

‘Tis the season for putting up decorations and eating delicious holiday treats, but that also means pets could be getting into serious trouble! Trupanion , a leading provider of medical insurance for cats and dogs, sees a 10% increase in foreign body ingestion claims and a 24% increase in toxicity claims during the holiday months each year. But you can keep your pets safe this holiday season with the below tips from Dr. Sarah Nold:

10 Most Common Medical Conditions That Send Dogs to the Vet

No one likes going to the vet, especially our dogs. Like many others, my dogs can sense when they are going way before we get there. They get nervous and hyper. Some dogs whimper endlessly at the vet’s office while countless others have fear-induced accidents right in the office. While regular check-ups and vaccinations are a necessary evil, we can try our best to keep our pups in optimal health thus avoiding another dreaded trip. Veterinary Pet Insurance compiled a list of the 10 most common medical conditions that send dogs to the vet. Some are unavoidable while others may be caught early on. Dr. Carol McConnell, DVM points out that many of the conditions that most regularly require vet visits “can be stopped early or successfully managed in partnership with a veterinarian. To prevent some of the discomfort that so many pets experience from common diseases, the place to start would be by checking them regularly for developing problems.” Check out the full list here at Babb

Some Puppy To Love

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