Dog Care Topics Index

This page contains the links for information related to living with dogs, understanding them , and taking care of them in a responsible and loving manner in a spirit of guardianship.

Contents :

• Canine Nature : Dog evolution, behavior, etc
• Responsible Guardianship : responsibility for your dog's lifetime.
• ideas on Legal Reforms to promote Responsible Guardianship
• Management and Living Together : methods, tips, and tricks for taking care of your dog and living together.
• Health Issues : veterinary guides, specific health issues, end of life issues.

• Canine Nature Dog evolution, behavior, etc.

 

• DOGS, A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, & Evolution
• Dog Language by Roger Abrantes (book review : superbly illustrated book)
• The Other End of the Leash, by Patricia McConnell, PhD (review of superb book on how our natural human behaviors can cause us to mis-communicate with our dogs; how the 2 species are alike and how they are different). (added 6/09/03)

 
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• Responsible Guardianship

 

• DogSmart (book on issues you have to think through before taking a dog into your life)
• Responsible Dog Ownership by Kathy Diamond Davis (book review)
• Guilt-Free Dog Ownership, by Diana Delmar (about being responsible when no one is home 9 to 5)
• "A Dog is NOT" (list of what a dog is and is not; reminder on responsible ownership)
• Backyard Breeders' Excuse List (excuses for bad breeding practices compiled by Denna Pace)
• From an Old Dog (a dog asks his humans to slow down to share time and attention with him, by J D Ellis)
• If he Were a Child.... by Nancy Campbell (about providing veterinary care ; and indictment of owners who are unwilling to pay for nescessary and available care for their pets)

 
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• ideas on Legal Reforms to promote responsible guardianship

 

• Where are Shelter intakes coming from ? a call for a scheme of permanent identification for dogs and cats and DMV type registration of ownership and original source (breeder, pet shop), so that we can find out where the majority of shelter intakes and deaths are coming from. Without knowing the source of the problem , it is impossible to design a solution or legislate towards a remedy.
• Rational Approach to Licensing Pets, Pet Owners, and Breeders. This is a long analysis of some alternatives that might be more reasonable than those currently proposed . Current proposals over-emphasize spay/neuter and ignore owner education and need for dogs to be trained for good public and private behavior. I am proposeing to license owners and breeders based on educational attainments and track record of not causing trouble. I am proposing to license dogs based as much on their proof of basic training as on their spay/neuter status.
• On the Relationship of Domestic Pets and Humans as being a Symbiosis , ie that the relationship between dogs and people is normally mutually beneficial and likewise that between cats and humans and that any legislation that purports to promote dog and cat welfare must recognize this and promote and protect that relationship. Dogs and cats should not be exterminated nor turned loose to "go back to the wild."
• Fanatics : Owner's Rights, Animal Rights, a discussion of fanaticism at both ends of the spectrum : at one end, those who feel animals are property and no laws should limit the owner's actions ; at the other end, those who feel animals should not be owned at all.

 
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• Management and Living Together : methods, tips, and tricks to live together more pleasantly and safely and to fulfil your responsibilities.
  I've tried to group these into sub-categories, but sometimes it is hard to figure out where an item belongs.

 

• Adopter's Guidebook , written as advice for foster homes and adopters, but also a good short guide to many dog-keeping issues, revised 8/05.
• C.T., Phone Home (keeping identification on your dog)
• Practical Grooming of the Bouvier (family companion or working dog grooming)
• "Toy Story", photo and description of some of my dogs' favorite dog toys for chewing and throwing, with advice and cautions on their use.
• Motel Manners (rules of conduct when traveling with your dog)

 

• house and yard space management and escape issues
• Do Fence Me In ! (necessity of secure dog fencing)
• Escape Artist Dogs (teaching "Wait" at door, gate, etc and preventing escapes generally)
• How Much Room Does a Dog Need? about indoor and outdoor space requirements for large dogs
• Stacked Stretchgates (using two stretchgates to make double height barrier)

 

• more SAFETY issues
• Rural Dog's Survival Guide (humorously written , about the dangers of rural life, especially for dogs allowed too much freedom.
• Comfort and Safety of Aging Dog
• Dogs Getting into Garbage (dogs helping themselves to food)
• Hand-warmer Warning : guest article warning against the dangers of dogs eating contents of chemical hand-warmers.
• Rabbits, Chickens, and Cats    article about dogs chasing cats and livestock
• A Better Mousetrap, a mouse eliminator tool that is safer to use around dogs than is poison or ordinary mousetraps and that is more humane than glue traps.
• My First Bite (warning against risks of getting bitten accidentally when interfering in a fight between dogs)
• summer issues, heat issues
• "Summertime, and the Living Ain't Easy" (care of the Bouvier in summer heat)
• Heat Stroke : prevention, field treatment , and clinic treatment, by two vets.
• Death in a Hot Car : the deadly danger of leaving a dog in a car trusting the A/C to keep running.
• Car Window Guard (barrier for open car window)
• winter issues, cold weather issues
• Woodstove Barrier (preventing contact between dog and hot woodstove or similar hazzard)
• lifestyle and other family members
• Should You Let Other People "Handle" Your Dog ? (to what extent should your dog obey people other than his primary handler +/- family members ?)
• Keeping Your Roommate & Landlord Content with Your Dog avoiding letting your dog be a nuisance
• Pet Safety for Kids : guest article by Patty Letawsky giving rhymed rules for children on how to behave around dogs and cats.
• Four books about Dogs and Children (book reviews)
• Who are the Killer Dogs' Victims ? (untrained unsupervised children)
• Keeping Your Dogs Through Divorce (testimonial from someone who refused to give up dogs despite difficulties ; how rescue can help dog remain with divorcing owner)
• When I'm Eighty-Four (song about aging with dogs)

 
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• Health Issues

 

• veterinary overviews
• Pet First Aid, by Dr Bobbie Mammoto, DVM, MPH (book on first aid for dogs and cats.)
• When to go to the Vet (book review "Taking Care of Your Dog")
• Two Books on Veterinary Medications (a layperson's book and a veterinary reference book with details about medications commonly used in vet med)
• particular issues : prevention issues, specific disease categories
• information on Bloat (Gastric Dilation and Volvus) by an experienced Bouvier person whose dog bloated plus comments by an experienced Emergency vet.
• Pills as a Deadly Danger to Dogs (deadly dangers of leaving human or pet medications where a dog or cat might be able to reach them and eat them) by Sue Matthews and with added contributions from others.
• Living with Hip Dysplasia (personal story -- medically outdated but still relevant)
• Dogs Living with Cancer (book review)
• "Lumps and Bumps Map", a diagram you can use to record identifying features of your dog or to record lumps and swellings , etc, to bring to attention of your vet and record results of veterinary exams.
• How to Help a Dog Adjust to Loss of an Eye , guest article on helping a dog adjust to loss of an entire eye or loss of vision in one eye. Bouviers are at risk for loss of vision due to Glaucoma.
• How Long does a Bitch remain in Estrus ?, guest article in which an experienced breeder answers a question from a novice.
• Health Risks to Unspayed Bitches & Unneutered Males
• Why Your Bitch Should be Spayed
• Why Your Male Dog Should be Neutered
• How Breeders Can Ensure Spaying and Neutering of Puppies
• Fleas and Hot Spots, describing some of the older but still useful techniques for controlling fleas and treating hot spots.
• end of life issues : please think of these long beforeyou need to make decisions !!!
• Preparing for the Loss of Your Pet, by Dr Myrna Milani DVM (book helping you to think about the unthinkable long before the crisis occurs)
• My Life Was My Bitch, the story of the final mortal days of Chelsea Queen of Creation.
• Grieving , an article about some of the components of grieving for the death (or anticipated loss) of a beloved dog and about some of the ways you can help yourself to cope.
• A Prayer for My Dog (hymn to a terminally ill dog)
• Bouvier Requiem (a love song about euthanasia)
• The Heart asks Pleasure first, by Emily Dickenson , which speaks eloquently about end of life issues ; hihly rrelevant to euthanasia.
• Ceremony for Dying , by Ursula LeGuin , ceremonial verse for euthanasia.
• Princess's epitaph and prayer for the dying.
• "The House Dog's Grave" by Robinson Jeffers
• Boatswain's monument verse. This is a longer and less well known memorial verse by Byron to his Newfoundland "Boatswain."
• Necropsy : the Dead Teaching the Living
• www.petloss.com/ , a wonderful site for those mourning a pet. Some good advice articles , list of helpful books, heartfelt poetry , and opportunities to participate in a chat room and a regularly scheduled candle ceremony.

 
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