I'm in charge here!

Hello everyone! Penny here. Hope everyone's having a good month and had a good New Year's celebration.

I'm now 10 months old. According to some of the books my mom reads, I can be considered an adult dog. I'm here to tell you that I'm a Big Dog, regardless of what some may consider my diminutive size. At last weigh-in, I was 12.8 pounds of dachshund fury (ignore those people who maintain that I'm a bit....er... "fluffy"... I'm big boned. Yeah, that's it.).Don't I look fierce??

I'm telling you, I'm the one in charge here. My main job is that of watchdog, and it's a big responsibility. I have to keep an ear out for everything!

Did you know that once a week, my humans foolishly leave belongings outside for people to take?? Large trucks drive up and men get out and load the belongings into the truck then drive off! I have to bark fiercely in an attempt to drive them away. They leave, but unfortunately I haven't been able to persuade my people to let me outside to rescue the belongings before they're loaded in the truck. They keep muttering something about "garbage".

And they allow just anyone to walk in front of our house! With other dogs! Really. How careless. These invaders could be scheming to take the rest of our belongings, including all of the dog cookies I've carefully hidden all around the house. I have to bark fiercely to scare them away too.

And that person in the Big Brown Truck! He assaults our house on a regular basis. He sneaks up and rings the doorbell, hears me barking and runs. Coward. If only my people would open the door quicker, I'd show him a thing or two. He'd be wearing my teeth prints in his ankles!

We're even being assaulted from the air! Day after day I hear things overhead that my people say are "airplanes". I just know they're coming for us. Again, it's up to me to bark fiercely. So far, so good. They've all disappeared.

Sometimes, in the dead of night, I have to bark randomly just to scare away anything that might be thinking of approaching our den. My people don't understand this at all. They refer to it as a "mystery bark". It's not a mystery to me; it's a well-honed protection system at work. They just don't appreciate it in action.

I'm telling you, it's a big job taking care of these people. I think I deserve a cookie.

AAarrroooo to a New Year!

A fresh new year for all our DOT pals! Aren't you excited? Lots to see, do, and experience in the upcoming year! I know my hounds are looking forward to finding new trails to explore, new treats to taste, sniffs to experience, there's a new dog park that isn't too far away, well you get the drift...we are ready to get started!

Plans are already in the making for some of our favorite doggy events like Slobberfest, Paws N Play, Puppy Play Date...I think it's really something when my pups get more invites then I do!

I know there are a few new dog oriented charity drives going on as well. Our local Humane Society is trying to raise money for a new shelter that they wanted to break ground on last August. Unfortunately our area which does not have much industry was effected by the economy and this did not take place.

I believe each new year that we have is a brand new start with new opportunities for all of us to make a difference in the lives of those around us including our doggie buddies. So whether it is taking our pal for an extra walk, playing a new game, obedience training, dog therapy classes, or donating our time, funds, skills to an organization such as listed above, I believe we can take this year as a challenge to do just that; be more involved and live life to the fullest!

Upcoming Dog Events to watch for:

• AKC/Eukanuba National Championship will be simulcast on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010, at 8 p.m. (EST/PST)
• 134th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Coverage begins Monday, February 15 at 8/7C on USA before switching to CNBC at 9/8C. USA will broadcast the complete Closing Night competition at 8/7C on Tuesday, February 16.

And for those of you who do not do the superbowl:

• Kick-off of Puppy Bowl VI begins February 7, 2010 at 3PM e/p on Animal Planet. And don't forget the Kitty Half-time Show

So how about you? Want to leave a comment or two about new adventures or events you have planned or are involved in? We look forward to hearing all about them!

Happy DOT's from,
Tina, HoneyDew and Sampson too!

Safe Surgery for Pets

Sorry this is late. I've been wrapped up in repainting my bathroom. This month I'm going to list some things you need to be sure and ask about when your pet is having surgery. This is one of the areas that most pet owners fret the most over and making sure your vet us up on all best techniques and equipment helps to make sure your pet has a safe and comfortable experience.


Pre-anesthetic Medications: These relax your pet and provide pain relief before surgery even starts.

Gas Anesthesia: This is the same anesthetic used in human hospitals and allows your pet to wake up faster as well as allow the doctor to adjust the anesthesia quickly and easily.

Anesthetic Monitoring: High tech equipment monitors your pet’s heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, oxygenation status, and respiratory rate. This also allows changes or adjustments in the anesthesia as needed.

Supplemental Heat: Because anesthetized pets can lose body heat supplemental heat may be provided in a variety of ways including a heated table or heated blankets and air mattresses.

Pain Medications: Make sure your pet is as comfortable as possible and will often be given as an injection during surgery as well as medication to go home on.

Aseptic Technique: Sterile surgical scrubbing is performed on the surgery site and only sterile instruments are used in surgery. The doctor also performs a sterile hand scrub as well as wearing surgical gowns, gloves, masks, and caps.

Pre-operative Blood Testing: At some places this testing is mandatory but if is optional it should still be offered and strongly recommended to make sure there is no obvious internal organ disease.

DOT late!

Sorry about the lack of post yesterday. Work has been a bit crazy this week and I've been getting off work late every day and going home and pretty much just vegging. Last night, my husband and I took the dogs for a long walk in the cold weather and they both had a great time!! My pups are loving this cold weather in FL! Today is 50 and that's the warmest it's been all week! It's supposed to get down to the 30s this weekend...brrrrrr.

Yes, I know some of you are experiencing 10s or lower..but us Floridians aren't prepared for cold weather. :)

Well...we do have 2 new DOT pack members this week!

Please go over and say a big welcome to Sunny and Jen W.

Hope everyone had a Happy DOT!!

Natalie