By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com
Dock Diving made a splash this weekend returning to Long Island for a 2nd time in the past few months with the most recent event that just took place in Westhampton Beach, N.Y. Friday and Saturday, July 29 & 30, 2016. DockDogs, a Canine Aquatics Competitive company, was hosted by the Greater Westhampton Kiwanis & Hurricane Educational Foundation held at the Westhampton Beach High School.
My dog Cody tried out and competed, but he is still a novice at it and didn’t do great – but we only are in it for fun – he loves, loves, loves to swim, but jumping off the dock can be a bit intimidating for newbie dogs. While he jumped in 5 times total in two days, he really only got to go up and try/compete a total of 8 runs.
Awesome photo by Cathy Pratt Williams of Precious and Few Photography!
Cody!
The first time he tried it was at the dog shows at the Oyster Bay Planting Fields in May – and he was able to try as many times as he wanted with the NADD AKC Diving Dogs. He jumped a few times then, so it was great to be able to try again with him this weekend. Many of the dogs at today’s event were pros and just so much fun to watch them fly through the air, like this dog, Tango the Pit Bull – what a sweetie! And he competes a lot.
Tango the Pitbull
Pet vendors and people from all over brought their dogs to try it or compete. There were dogs there from Arizona and Connecticut, Queens and of course LI.
This pup was from Arizona
If you missed it and you are thinking of trying out with your dog, first remember it is for fun – and if your dog actually is good at it then competing may be for you. Your dog needs to have a strong toy drive, be able to swim well – and loving to swim really helps. You have to give your dog time, some dogs take right to it where others, like my own dog, don’t always jump, no matter how much they love their toys or the water. And that’s ok, he had fun is what counts. One of the local DockDogs instructors is hoping to start Long Island Dock Jumpers, email LIDockJumpers@gmail.com for more information.
Thanks to Terrie Bauer and everyone who helped put this event together – we know how much work it takes to put on any event! For MORE pictures of the event, click here! I also really enjoyed the music and MC for the event – he did a great job the entire time. If you missed this event and want to be sure to never miss another pet event happening here on our isle and beyone, click here to sign for the free weekly Pet Events Newsletter!
by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com
Living on a Island we are crazy fortunate to be able to enjoy many beautiful areas of beaches with our four-legged friends. It used to be, just bringing your dog to the beach was just that bringing your pup with you. Now-a-days we are much more conscious about dogs and their needs while enjoying a day at the beach.
You may want to take your dog with you earlier in the day or later in the afternoon, one it’s not as hot or at those times and some beaches have specific beach hours when dogs are allowed.
Here’s my list of what I think you need while your pup is with you at the beach:
1. Fresh cool water – This is pretty obvious, but you would be surprised how many people don’t think to bring fresh water for their dog while out at the beach. I have water with me, and a couple extra bottles in a mini cooler in my car so when we get back there I can give my dog a drink. Dogs get extremely thirsty while having fun in the sun, swimming and romping around, and get dehydrated if you don’t give them fresh water. Bring a Portable drinking bowl – there are many collapsible dog bowls in many different sizes, as well as bottles that sport their own drinking tray. Bring something with you that your pet will be encouraged to drink from vs. salt water in the ocean. Be sure to keep your dog hydrated, if they ingest too much salt water it can give your dog the runs or worse.
2. Long leash – Not a retractable leash, but a cotton long lead or leash where you can get at most pet supply stores. They come in different lengths up to 50 feet. Your dog may swim perfectly, but anything can happen at the beach – he could decide to swim out farther, perhaps not hear you call, get caught in a rip current, etc. In my experience is is not worth it for your dog to be loose in the water. A long lead is a life line literally to your dog.
3.Lifejacket – some dogs need a boost swimming, take for instance my dog Cody, great swimmer but is also not built for swimming in that he is very muscular – and muscle sinks. So if he were going to be in deeper water – he would 100% have a life jacket on to help him be more buoyant and for him to be safe while enjoying his swimtime. (He has even wore a lifejacket while swimming in a pool.) Make sure you get your dog fitted properly when buying a life jacket.
5. Limit the swim time – For my dog Cody I limit his swimming time to no more than 20 minutes. Due to his breed, his mouth is wider than say a lab or golden and if he is carrying a stick or floating toy while he is swimming more water will go down that wide mouth than with other breeds. My old dog Max would ingest a lot of water while swimming – so no more than 20 minutes and he was fine.
>> Another good reason to limit the swim time, is that dogs can get tired quickly in the water – and may not show it. That’s where we as pet parents need to step in and make them come out of the water to take a break and rest.
6. Pet Friendly Sunscreen – you can find this in many pet stores, health food stores and even online. Apply to the top of your dogs nose, on their snout, not the actual nose, and ears – dogs can get sunburn as well. If your dog is white or light haired in color and has short hair I would apply it on his back as well.
7. Pet Friendly bug spray – again, you can find many brands of natural pet friendly bug spray that do work and are free from harsh chemicals. The only time I use stronger bug spray is during a heavy mosquito season or when there are a lot of green flies.
8. Blanket – this may seem like what? My dog is going to get sand all over it – the sand may be hot after a while and you will want to have somewhere to have your pet rest – a great option is the Territory travel blanket which is a bag and blanket in one. You can carry some of your pets items in it, and then unroll it at the beach.
9. Umbrella – this is really only necessary if you are spending the entire day at the beach – it’s important for your dog to have shade to lay under and not be in direct sun all day. Same goes for you!
10. Extra waterproof collar – with ID! – My dog likes to go in the water so he wears a waterproof collar while in the water so not to ruin his regular collar. And an Extra regular leash – sand can easily get into the clasp of your leash and jam it making it not effective, you can knock the sand out but if your leash is exposed to the elements often, rust, salt water and sand do NOT make for a secure leash. Bring an extra leash with you for an added safety measure.
Also you should Monitor your dog always while in the water – I prefer to keep my dog on a long line so he can’t get too far into the water and I can pull him back to me if I see him trying to eat something in the water or on the sand. Yes, he knows leave it and drop it, but you know how quickly a dog can eat something he is not supposed to.
And Watch for wildlife – in many areas there may be wildlife your dog is not used to seeing, like deer, turtles, sea birds, crabs and so forth and if your dog is not leashed, it will not be a good thing if he takes off after a deer or tries to pick up a live crab! So keep your eyes out, and in the water too. If there are lot of crabs or jelly fish – don’t let your dog in the water, getting pinched by a crab or stung by a jelly fish is no more fun for our pups than it is for us!
You will also want to watch your dog and not let him eat anything on the beach. Haha, I know good luck -but there are many scrumptious dead things on the beach often, shells, seaweed, broken glass and sadly on LI, garbage – so train your dog the ‘leave it’ and ‘drop it’ commands! These commands will come in very handy as your puppy is running with a dead crab in his mouth. Yuck!
Lastly, it is good to rinse your dog off from the salt water when you get back home and thoroughly check your dog for ticks, and check again! Also look for any scraps or minor cuts, especially on the paw pads, that need attention.
Paw prints in the sand and great days on the beach with our dogs are a big part of island living – get out there and enjoy it with your dog!
by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com
The month of June is National Microchipping Month and a common misconception among pet owners is that having your pet is microchipped, that once the dog or cat is chipped, then your pet is protected. If your pet ever gets lost, the microchip will help bring your beloved pet back to you.
Yes, the microchip has brought countless pets back to their owners – we have all read the amazing stories of pets being reunited after long journeys all because of the microchip. Did you know how many pets are microchipped – but their pet parents fail to register them?
I know you might be sitting there reading this, saying, “What? I thought the rescue I adopted Buddy from registered him?” Or, “I thought when I got him from the animal shelter they registered him with my info before I left with him.”
Yes the shelter or rescue group may have registered your dog, but it’s under their name. Or they may have microchipped your pet but did not register it, it is up to you to register the microchip with your information in case your pet ever gets lost.
When I adopted Cody, he was microchipped, but I had to then change the microchip information to my name, number and address. And you have to pay a fee yearly to keep him registered.
Many pets go missing especially during the in the summer as gates are left open by landscapers, pool cleaners, etc., loud fireworks can scare your pet away and newly adopted pets are not used to your home yet.
While the pet may be microchipped, more often than not, if they are found by a good samaritan and brought to an animal shelter or veterinarian office to be scanned for a microchip – and the chip is not registered. So the shelter then has no idea who the pet belongs to and most shelters after a 7-day hold on the pet, the pet is then put up for adoption.
You are usually given paper work from a rescue group, animal shelter or pet store with what company the pet’s microchip is registered with, new pet owners need to call that company and have the microchip put under their name. Many shelters chip pets and put the information in the adoption packet and on the number of the chip on the medical records to so that when the pet owner brings their newly adopted pet to the vet, the vet also has the microchip info.
So what to do? You need to register your pet with a microchip company. Putting in your information, means putting in your most up to date info. Most people keep the same cell phone number, so having that in there would be my first choice. And also your home number and alternate number just in case they can reach you at the first number.
Shelters often get pets in as strays that have a microchip, that are not registered. Defeats the point of even having your pet chipped.
Here are some companies you can look into on microchipping your pet.
www.avidid.com – microchipping company
www.24petwatch.com – 24PetWatch’s Lost Pet Recovery is there to not only identify your pet, but to reunite you as soon as they’re found. Thanks to 24PetWatch’s microchip, you can be reunited safely and quickly.
Cats too should be microchipped and registered, even if your cat is an indoor cat, accidents happen and indoor cats do get outside.
If your pet is not microchipped, most animal shelters can microchip your pet, as well as rescue groups and even your vet’s office may provide the service. A lot of private rescue groups also offer low cost microchipping on a regular basis.
If you’re pet is lost, and he does not have a collar with ID tags or a microchip, the first thing you should do is contact your local town municipal shelter and let them know, and if you can bring them a picture with all your appropriate contact info. I would also contact the privately owned animal shelters too – to let them know your pet is missing, send them a picture, age if the pet is on meds, etc.
Social media has exploded over recent years with ‘Lost and Found pages on Facebook’. Look in your local area, town, city, state to see if there is one set up for you. Post the picture of your pet, where and when he was lost, if the pet is in need of meds, friendly, nervous around strangers, etc. This will be very helpful in finding your pet.
On Long Island – https://www.facebook.com/Lostandfound.petslongisland
In Queens – https://www.facebook.com/QueensLostandFoundPets
In Staten Island https://www.facebook.com/lostand.statenisland?fref=ts
Another website that is very helpful is Pet Amber Alert, they offer many services to help you recover your pet if gone missing, even putting out a phone call to thousands in your surrounding neighborhood letting your community know a pet is missing.
You can also easily search Facebook for pages near where you live for similar pages. Craigslist is another popular site to post your missing pet in the pet’s section where you live. And the good old fashioned way of posting fliers around your neighborhood with photo, and contact number for someone to call you if they have your pet.
Bottom line? If your pet is microchipped, stop what you are doing and make sure your pet is registered with your info!
by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com
You’re a good dog, we often say that to our dogs. But is your dog a Good Dog? This past Tuesday, I headed to New York City for The Good Dog Foundation Gala event held at Guastavino’s. It was a lovely event, extremely well coordinated, and what most non-profit organizations should strive for when hosting a gala. Many dogs were in attendance trotting around among Broadway stars, pet professionals, pet media like Pet Age Magazine, volunteers and just many amazing supportors of this wonderful organization.
The Good Dog Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and nationally recognized leader in animal-assisted therapy whose mission it is to ease human suffering and promote healing among those experiencing trauma from disease, disability, disaster, aging and other stressful conditions. Good Dog trains and certifies hundreds of volunteer teams (dog and handler) annually. The organization works in collaboration with esteemed institutions such as Yale University and Mount Sinai Beth Israel to further scientific research on the benefits of animal-assisted therapy.
Unleashed by Petco was the signature gala host at the event that honored Planet Dog for its charitable giving of more than $1 million to nonprofits – including Good Dog – that foster human-canine wellbeing and healing. They provided this adorable Dog Bar with lots of dog cookies to choose from, to bring a doggy bag home with you.
Rachel McPherson, founder, Good Dog Foundation with Colleen McCracken, CEO/Partner, Planet Dog and Alex Fisher, Founder/Chief Creative Officer, Planet Dog.
Of course we jumped in the fun photo booth to have our pictures taken before dinner.
(l to r) Nancy Hassel of American Pet Professionals, Stacy McCosky and her dog Sadie and Caroline Loevner
Award-winning actor Robert Sella, most recently a star in the Broadway comedy, SYLVIA, about a dog that helps heal the lives of its human companions, served as the evening’s emcee. The event drew dozens of canine guests along with nearly 300 humans.
If you are interested in learning more how your dog can become a Good Dog with The Good Dog Foundation, please visit their website www.thegooddogfoundation.org.
by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com
Why is that pet emergencies always seem to happen on the weekend and at night? Right? You always hear about some awful story or you have gone through it yourself when you pet is presenting with an emergency and it’s never on a Tuesday at 10am. A couple weeks ago, my dog Cody was not himself – lethargic and then started throwing up in the late afternoon (5:30pm on a Saturday) and continued to do so for another hour. I am not one to rush to an emergency ER vet hospital over a dog throwing up. But Cody was throwing up a lot and seemed to be in some pain – if you touched his abdomen, which was normal in size, he would tense up and started shaking. He was not Bloating – just to be clear. (If you don’t know the symptoms of bloat you should – it could save your dog’s life!)
His gums were pink – and he was slightly dehydrated from what I could tell. But it was the pain that was worrying me. So at 6:45pm on that Saturday night – we were off to the ER Veterinary Hospital. Of course when we got there he was wagging his tail very excited to see people – but even through that I could tell he was not feeling well.
In the exam room the vet tech asked me a ton of questions about his symptoms – and I explained that a few days earlier he had grabbed a mouthful of oak tree acorns, (the oblong shaped ones), but that he had passed most of them. She took all the info and while waiting to get the doctor – Cody threw up again – so much, I didn’t know where all that fluid was coming from. Already worried, this was not helping my worrysome state.
The doctor came in and asked me pretty much the same questions the vet tech did and she suggested x-rays to make sure there was not a blockage. Which is the reason I was there with him. I have only had Cody for 5 months at this time and never had a dog that ate acorns – so I wanted them to do an x-ray. A little while later – they took him to do x-rays and blood work.
After another 1/2 hour or so – the doctor came back with his x-rays:
The doctor said, “this is not good.” I said, “what is that?” I felt my face get hot – this did not look good! She explained that his intestines were expanded 2 or 3 times their normal size. I said, “oh that is all gas in there – that is would explain he was farting so much today.” She nodded. She explained that the next step would be to have a radiologist look at them to see if he could see any obvious blockage but that they highly suggested surgery in a case like this. Now of course I want the best for my dog – but I didn’t want him go through surgery. As she kept explaining it to me and telling me the cost could be anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000 grand for the surgery (remember we were at an Emergency ER). My head was starting to swirl. Then as she was talking I literally said out loud “WAIT – Wait wait wait.” I am going to call my regular vet, I have his cell phone and text him the X-rays – do you mind. The vet said, not at all – please do send it to him.
So panicked I called my vet, at 9:30pm on his cell phone, – rambling to him the situation and he said, ok text me the X-rays. I did. He called me back 2 minutes later and said, “do NOT do surgery.” I said, “I knew you were going to say that!” He then gave the vet there his suggestion of what to do, keep him overnight, IV, meds, etc. Which they did. He said, have them do the x-rays again in the morning and if they do not change then have them do surgery. In the meantime the radiologist had said they we should do surgery – but the ER vet also sent the x-rays to their surgeon who said she couldn’t see anything specific and she was comfortable with my vets suggestions.
Now mind you this would have been exploratory surgery. They could not see for sure if any acorns were logged in his intestional track. Which, I was told exploratory surgery is common. Advocating for my dog so he wouldn’t have to go through a possible unnecessary surgery. You have to be informed and adovcate for your pet – knowing full well I am not a veterinarian – which is why I called my vet for him to look at the x-rays.
So when I left Cody there – the vet said, we will moniter him and if anything changes throughout the night we will call you – I said absolutely. And they would do a new set of x-rays in the morning. I left, went home and tried to get some sleep. My phone did NOT ring. When I woke up I knew in my gut, not Cody’s gassy one, that he would be ok.
The ER hospital called me around 7:45am to tell me Cody did well during the night and that they did a 2nd set of x-rays and they only looked slightly better. My panic started to set back in. I said please email the X-rays so I can look and send them to my vet. About 1/2 hour later I got the email, expecting the worst:
I literally said, ‘Wow’ outloud when I opened them, only slight better. Looks a lot better to me and I am not a vet. So I texted the photo’s to my vet asked him what he thought – and in the meantime, was waiting to hear back from the ER vet again – on what the radiologist and their surgeon said. They also now quoted me $6,000 to $8,000 grand for the exploratory surgery – I said, “how does that go up $2,000 overnight?” That was just and estimate. Then I said, “well if he does need surgery I will not have it done there.” $8,000 for surgery they are not sure if anything is even there – seemed, well crazy to me. The vet was very nice and said, she completely understood if I wanted to bring him elsewhere – but would I be able to find a vet to do it. Yes, I am fortunate I am in the pet industry and know a lot of veterinarians. So with my wheels spinning I started to make a few phone calls and found a vet who was willing to come in and do the surgery at their hospital AND my own vet got back to me and said he would come in (on his day off) if he needed surgery and do it. How amazing is that?
The hospital was still saying he could need surgery. I said, “what about the ultrasound that I was told the next step would be (if his xrays were still inconclusive).” “We don’t want you to incur the cost of an ultrasound if he needs surgery.” What? So I said, “I would rather pay for an ultrasound then Cody have to go through massive invasive surgery if they are still not sure about any blockage.”
Then the radiologist got back and said, he would not suggest surgery. “But our surgeon said he would do surgery if it was his dog” – I said, “Well it’s not his dog, so please get the specialist in to do the ultrasound.” The vet agreed and I went up to the hospital to sign for the ultrasound and waited THREE hours for the specialist to come in (which is not any fault of the ER vet – this guy was on call), but I was pretty pissed off. I said, last night you guys were pushing for surgery and this guy is taking his sweet time to get here. (Also saying to the front office staff – I completely understand it’s not their fault – but still why isn’t anyone on staff that can do an ultrasound?)
Finally the ultrasound was done – they called me into the exam room – and guess what it was deteremined that NO surgery was needed there was NO blockage. WOHOOO!!!
Cody had to stay one more night on the IV and meds and I picked him up the next day. He was diagnosed with: Gastroenteritis which eating those acorns can cause.
It took him about a week and a half to be fully back to normal (digestion wise) but he was basically 90% better the next day.
A few things, one I think the ER vet took very good care of Cody. I understand the crazy high costs (they have a big overhead to cover) and their suggestions were based on Cody’s xrays and their experience-AND they were willing to work with me on everything I asked them to do, and were fine with me talking to my vet and others. They were also all very polite, nice while dealing with me and loved Cody. So with that said, I am grateful that we are forunate to have many ER vets on Long Island to take our pets to – on a Saturday night. If they were not open or nearby – I am not sure what I would have done – Cody would for sure have been sicker and in a lot of pain waiting through the night to go to his own vet on a Sunday.
- But what I will say – whether your a new pet owner or seasoned pet owner, in the pet industry or not – is ASK a lot of questions, Get 2nd or 3rd opinions if you can.
- Are there other options available for your pet?
- Have your own vet’s cell phone # handy (develop a good relationship with your vet so you can call him/her in the case of an emergency)
- Be your pets advocate. Always.
- Even though our emotions can take over in these cases – stop yourself from being completely overwhelmed and THINK! (If I let my emotions handle the situation…it probably would have not turned out this way)
- Become more informed about your pets health, take a pet 1st aid and CPR class – you never know how that knowledge will help you.
And of course every situation is different – and I knew Cody was not bloating – in that kind of emergency – life saving surgery is an absolute – there is no other option if your dog is bloating.
Oh yea, and don’t let your dog eat acorns and other odd stuff. I am hoping Cody’s acron (doggie crack) obession is just puppyhood problems. We’ll see – he has learned leave and DROP it much better now – but he is not giving any opportunity to eat any acorns. Sheesh, silly adorable boy!
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