HI Carol,

Carol Shenkenberger wrote in a message to Richard Webb:

 > Had a neighbor out in the country much the same situation.  HE adopted a lit
 > lab mix puppy, he already had a retriever mix female and a Chihuahua mix. La
 > mix was quite unhealthy, and they weren't treating for fleas or anything els
 > and his dogs ran loose. i got some broad spectrum stuff from the co-op to
 > eradicate them and did a good spray around both our yards.

 S> We did a spray of the yard too.  I suspect a monthly one might be
CS> needed for my area. I read the directions then had Don do the back
CS> yard, let *dry* (using front yard for dog walks) then front yard
CS> (using back as normal). 

About every month or so was what I was doing. Iirc. you're in VIrginia
beach area. My wife and I visited there back in '06 to shoot  some public
service ads for your state health department thanks to our radio work in
Katrina. Anyway, topical again, sure you don't get a hard freeze there, so
the broad spectrum spray around the yard every month or so should help keep
them down.

CS> We need to pooperscoup the back again but its not bad.  He mostly
CS> likes the fence area and the 'dirt pile' so we can just turn some of
CS> that under for a natural fertilizer effect.  (Unless there is some
CS> medical reason we shouldnt do that?)


I can't see one myself.  ASk your vet to be sure though.

CS> There are a lot of dogs along all the streets here.  Leash laws in
CS> effect and with so many, we quietly dont worry if a little gift is
CS> donated to the grass as long as its not in the middle of the yard. 
CS> Azaleas love doggie doo . 


IN NEW ORleans I used to choose vacant lots for ROxy's relief.  Many dog
people in inner city NEw ORleans seem to walk their dogs along the
streetcar tracks which run down the center of streets.  Lots of fertilizer
in the grass between streetcar tracks  YOu'll know if he's picking up more than he should by feel.  WHen Kathy was 

CS> Grin, you have to know what that feel is like though to identify it
CS> well.  Although I am not totally ignorant of dogs, I have never had
CS> a chance to have one for more than a few months as a kid.  Don has,
CS> but never other than german shepards and labs.  Very different body
CS> build thing going on this time but we arent too far off.  As long as
CS> his belly is slightly undertucked after a good 'morning trip the
CS> yard and before eating' and you can count his ribs by eyeball from
CS> 12 feet away when standing at least 3 up' he's a bit too thin still
CS> but not radically.  Seems a workable hypothesis for us. 

SEem right, you'll be able to feel some ribs when you run your hand down
his side too in that case. Ours is still too heavy, but if these rains
would quit she and I'd start with better exercise program again.  Between
Kathy's hospitalization in January and our move and all the work needing to
be done by yours truly dog's exercise program still isn't up to par as it
should be yet.

 > cups) and that lasts her all day. I demand feed dogs.  Many don't, but I
 > believe in leaving food down for them to have whenever they wish to eat a
 > little and train them that they don't need to gorge.  THey still eat on a
 > schedule it seems but makes life a little easier with my erratic schedule.

CS> I would prefer that method, but Cash will eat til he throws up then
CS> go back for more.  He seems to have no 'off' food button.  One vet
CS> was quite worried it seemed until the other told him we feed on a
CS> schedule and do not free-feed.  This is I might mention, a common
CS> thing for beagles and many scent hound types.  Without a careful
CS> schedule, they will get hugely fat. 


I know this to be true for many of those breeds that are scenters such as
beagles. I had the hardest time with a doberman shepherd dane  basically
HEinz 57 that I had back in the '80's. I'd put food down and he'd do the
pig out until it was gone.  You'd fill the bowl again and he'd continue
gorging.

Finally I broke him.  New year's eve I played a job with a jazz trio.  CAme
home from the gig ravenously hungry, and saw that pizza delivery place up
the street a block was still open. Didn't feel like cooking anything so I
called them.  GUy wouldn't sell me what I wanted, but he had two large meat
lovers' pizzas that he'd sell me for something like $5 if I'd come down and
get them. THink they were otherwise throwaways .

I'd eat a couple pieces, throw buddy a piece.  REpeat.
I stuffed that dog so full he could hardly move.
NExt morning I put food down, he was still stuffed.  I was able to demand
feed every since then. Lucky too, as a few years later I was traveling
doing sound reinforcement work. He'd stay kennelized in my backyard with
young neighbor man taking care of him.  i got one of those feeders similar
to those you see used for livestock and mounted it to the rear of his
doghouse. This guy would hold about a week's supply of food for him.  were
he still a gorge eater that would have never worked.

CS> I saw one like that at the vets.  I was gauche (and unknowing)
CS> enough to tell her her pomeranian was cute but I didnt know they got
CS> that big.  It wasnt a pom.  It was a slightly mixed beagle with
CS> longer hair and weighed more than Cash .  About 13 inches at
CS> shoulder and 42lbs!  I'm sorry to say but his sweet disposition and
CS> all was not hampered by the weight but he obviously didnt look
CS> healthy to me.  Meantime, she was eyeing Cash on the scale and
CS> perhaps, it sunk in as i was chatting about (and asking) if I was
CS> feeding him right.

YOu can bet he also got more than his share of table scraps.  I'm trying to
convince Kathy right now to cut back on the table scraps. That's going to
be part of the key to getting some of the excess weight off which she
acquired while she was being cared  for not so well by stepdaughter and her
boyfriend.

CS> I dont know her circumstances and such.  She may have a multipet
CS> house and have a free-feed she cant keep her 'beagle' out of?

this might be, but I'd bet on the table scraps.

 > CS> blind.  I was the technical coordinator for ADAnet and backup to
 > CS> Bill Freeman for a long time.

 > THink I recall that name from back in the '90's.

CS> Yes, pretty big Fidonet alternet stuff.  I lost track of him so no
CS> idea what he's up to now.

DOn't either, I lost track of FIdonet from about '98 through about a year
ago when I put a system back on. WAs just going to do another maximus board
with internet connectivity as well as Pots when Katrina changed my plans.


 > CS> Hehehe.  oops.  You know Radio shack, if you stil have the base
 > CS> model going, has ones you can just plug into an outlet and pickup
 > CS> your line from that.
 > 
 > Yah could, but I"m a little leery, as I run phone patches on ham
radio for t
 > troops when they call for it, sat phones and the internet have taken a lot o
 > that business from us though.  sTill I handle a lot of phone patches on ham

CS> Ah thats right!  Forgot that was you!  Heard of it.

It's quite  rewarding.  Back end of Vietnam era I handled lots of messages
for the troops.  IN fact every new marine recruit who arrived at MCRD SAn
Diego got a message sent  to family that he'd arrived there safely.

CS> Snipped the rest there as it's over my head but interesting! 

The radio is why we didn't evacuate NEw ORleans.  sPent the week handling
communications for University and Charity hospitals, stationed at the
University campus. we mourned our previous  Rott that week, as we left her
chained to front porch in case water came up.  AT least she could get on
the roof and stay alive. she survived that, and we learned after we got to
SAn Antonio she was still alive but our house had sustained quite a bit of
damage. I was arranging to get paperwork together, and purchasing some
vhf/uhf radio gear so that I could get proper paperwork so authorities
would let me back into my home. My long range shortwave gear was at the
hospital and I didn't have reliable short range comms gear, and before I
could be certified with right paperwork needed that or they wouldn't let me
back in. I'd purchased the radio gear from local ham equipment dealer, and
next Sunday got a phone call at the motel telling me that when the power
grid
was reactivated my house burned to the ground.  FOr the second time, we
mourned the passing of our old girl. An hour later I got a phone call
telling me she was alive, and at a local animal hospital being boarded. 
Another radio friend found out about the fire, and heard that humane
society folks were making sweeps and killing animals they found unattended
in the area.  He and another radio friend went over to my place, got her
into the back of his truck with some water and some meat and took her to
animal hospital.  HE gave them $100 cash and his credit card numbers.
Bummer was they were supposed to fax me the paperwork to show authorities
next morning.

i was able to call animal hospital next morning, arrange for her shots
which were due the Monday of Katrina, and scheduled at another vet's.  A
week later when we got to NEw ORleans and retrieved our van from hospital
parking garage we went by animal hospital to get her. Lady at animal
hospital took pictures of reunion with dog.  She said she'd seen too few of
those scenes the last  few weeks.

CS> When we moved in 1995 from San Diego to Norfolk, we shipped the 2
CS> cats by air to my SIL who had them in a pet hotel until we arrived.

My sister did same with sedated cat when she took hers from my parents' in
southern Iowa to el Toro, now FOothill Ca.

CS> A mini rant if you do not mind?  I hate the idea of flying animals
CS> unattended but stuffing them in a car in a carrier for 6 days is
CS> worse.  The absolute worst though is putting then in a car sans
CS> carrier if they are small enough (or too big to hold) to jump on the
CS> driver or get under their feet at the gas and brake area.  A cat
CS> *will* naturally hide right there.  Never ever take even a short
CS> trip with a cat without a carrier.  A dog in the backseat with arms
CS> around may be ok for a 1 mile trip but a carrier is a safer solution
CS> even then for all concerned.

WE find the crate is safer for Schatze as well for same reasons.  WHen she
was quite small she could get in the way of Kathy's operation of  the
pedals. Now she can degrade sight of the road.  Hence, the crate's safer
for her.

Also our main vehicle is a long wheelbase GMC van, initially designed to
haul 9 or 10 folks, but with seats removed making it more of a cargo van. 
there are loose tools and other things which when flying around during an
accident could be haazardous to her as I often carry Kathy's wheelchair,
her walker as well.  A two-wheeled hand truck, jack, spare tire, all sorts
of items in the back. sHe's still puppy enough she has to check everything
out as well, so the crate keeps her from getting into anything she
shouldn't.  Example:  CHewing on the plastic jug of motor oil or
antifreeze.

 > We've taught our Schatze that crate is her safe zone.  SHe's the first one I
 > ever crate/cage trained. Had to though as we were away on business during he
 > early puppy days, and she was just too chaotic in motel rooms otherwise.

CS> Cash was crate trained when we got him.  We didnt like the sound of
CS> the idea at first but now that we know a bit more, it's working
CS> well.  Like Daisy has her 'safe room', Cash has his little den where
CS> he cant be bothered without waking first.

CS> We gather the key point (for us at least) is never use it as a
CS> punishment area.  The 'you've been bad, into your crate' is where
CS> that whole thing breaks down.

YOu're right there.  IT's never a punishment.  IT's a safe haven.  THat's
the best way to do it.


Regards,
           Richard
... A good captain is hoisting his first drink in a bar when the storm hits.
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+