What's going on?

It started with Tyro. He threw up part of his breakfast on our way back from the dog park on Tuesday. And then he vomited several more times later in the day. I wondered if it was from heat exhaustion from playing at the park - even though it wasn't exceedingly hot; or was it from drinking too much water at the park? Or was it from stress when he saw us packing up to return home? We dosed him up with Pepto Bismal and withheld his supper.

Finally to bed aftr packing but were awakened at about 1 am by the sounds of a dog heaving. I raced downstairs. Tyro was fine. Now it was Nova's turn to vomit. And, some of it had run onto the carpet in the rental house - the very day we're leaving! So it was clean up time. Back to bed. Then she threw up again but this time, just a small amount of bile.

After a terrible night's sleep, we awoke at around 7:30 AM. We'd hope to depart for our trip home by 9 am but that departure time was unlikely. No breakfast for Nova or Tyro; just more Pepto. Shortly after feeding Miska and Diva, it was then Miska's turn to throw up. What was going on? Of course, Miska did it on the carpet too! Thank goodness both I and the landlord had plenty of carpet cleaner on hand. Finally, Diva wasn't spared. She vomited her breakfast. Now I had 4 dogs all throwing up and we had to hit the road for our long trip back to Canada. Stopped at the vets and picked up some canned gasto food & the grocery store for a can opener. None of the dogs was so sick that they needed medical attention but it was a little worrying.

Despite the Pepto Bismal, Miska vomitted in the van and then again at the hotel in Texas. Thankfully, I bring sheets to throw over the hotel's bed to protect the bedding because that's where Miska threw up. I was glad that the hotel had a guest laundry so I was washing & drying dog beds and sheets late last night. Finally, all 4 dogs now seem to have recuperated over whatever made them sick and we can all relax. But I have no idea what could have given all of them upset stomachs. It's sure not fun being sick or having sick dogs when one is traveling. I hope that the rest of the trip home is smooth and without incident.

Close call for Tyro

I don't frequent the leash-free park on weekends, anticipating excessive crowding. However on Saturday, we spent most of the day driving up to Wickenberg, AZ to reach a 53 mile scenic drive west featuring Joshua Trees, mountains and canyons. By the time we returned home, there wasn't enough time to walk dogs. So I took Tyro, Nova & Diva to the dog park. Miska stayed home because she is in full estrus.

My expectations were right, it was more crowded than I had ever seen it. But no one was bothering Tyro and he was having fun until another Vizsla arrived - a neutered male - which started to show some aggression towards Tyro. (Tyro is intact.) I was able to stave this dog off but he worried me. Then a hefty male Boxer (again, neutered) arrived, ran up to Tyro and immediately jumped up & put his front legs and chest over Tyro's back in a strong display of dominance aggression. The Boxer didn't want to step down and was making increasingly louder growls and threats at Tyro. Tyro wasn't happy to be pinned by the Boxer. I quickly grabbed the hind legs of the Boxer & pulled him off Tyro. He didn't like that but he just wouldn't leave Tyro alone. Who or where was the Boxer's owner? I had no idea. The owner was doing nothing to intervene.

From there, it started to escalate. The Boxer was really upping his growls, circling Tyro and starting to flash teeth. Then the other male Vizsla ran over to join in. (Yes, there are Vizslas that have aggression problems.) Tyro is NOT an aggressive male and he was not the aggressor. It was the neutered Boxer that was preparing to fight. Other dogs ran over and were mobbing Tyro when they heard the increasingly loud growls. I knew it was going to turn into a dog fight if I didn't do something fast. I started screaming, "Call your dogs off!!!" while trying to protect Tyro and to prevent both of us from being bitten. Owners finally came running and an attack on Tyro was avoided. Poor Tyro was clinging to me, very shaken, as I was. We quickly left. I still don't know who owns the Boxer but if I see the owner, I shall give him/her a big piece of my mind, and the same for the Vizsla owner. The park rules state that aggressive dogs are not allowed. Will these dogs return? I suspect so. But we won't be back on a weekend, that's for sure.

Dog parks, a necessary evil

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am not a fan of dog parks, mainly because of diseases and germs that are spread from feces and between strange dogs. And sometimes there are acts of aggression and fights between dogs. So initially I was very nervous taking my dogs to a leash-free park here in Glendale, AZ because they aren't used to this type of situation. And, they are valuable show, competition and breeding dogs. At home in Ontario Canada, they run off leash in wooded areas where we generally don't run into other people and dogs. It's dangerous to do that here in Arizona (cactus, rattlesnakes, broken glass everywhere).

Glendale AZ's leash-free park rules say no treats and no squeaky toys (gets dogs too excited the sign says and this may result in fights) & your dog can be banned if it's aggressive or picks fights. I don't take squeaky toys with me but, no treats? How am I going to reward my dogs for exhibiting good behaviour? I did break that rule at first.

Glendale Foothills park actually has 3 runs. The larger area has a small enclosure for small dogs & a much larger area for big dogs. It is closed on Wednesdays for maintainance. The third area is a little larger than the small run for small dogs & it's used by all dogs on Wednesdays and can get very crowded.

The first time we visited the park was a Wednesday; only the third (small) area was open. Fortunately Michael came with me so we could supervise our 4 dogs carefully. I think another rule is only 2 dogs / owner-handler. Miska is alpha dog/bitch in our household and she's used to bossing our dogs around. Tyro is an intact male. I was most concerned about these two. Miska did try to assert some dominance with a couple of dogs who ventured too close to her but I had to reward her when she showed proper behaviour so sneaked her some treats when she started ignoring the dogs that came close. With Tyro, it was more the case of watching to see how the other dogs behaved with him, especially males, both intact and neutered. Tyro is not an aggressive male. It's neutered males who are usually more of a problem with intact males. Anyway, I was relieved there were no issues or incidents that day. The only 'incident' was the Diva got an upset tummy. This happened twice, both times after visiting the leash-free parks. Coincidence? Who knows.

The next time, the larger park was open again & I went without Michael. I was very nervous and didn't know what to expect. Initially I took two girls out first, supervised them - they always wait to poop at the dog park - in case I had to clean up. When I was comfortable with things, I went back and brought out the other 2 dogs. Fortunately, there weren't many dogs or people there at that time. I guess I break the regulation since I have 4 dogs (1 owner) but my guys are usually better behaved and more responsive than most of the other dogs at the park. Generally, they want to be with me rather than interacting with other dogs.

Diva, however, is a social butterfly - like Nova, her grandma - & wants to visit other people and dogs. Being a puppy, she also really wants to play with other dogs. I don't usually worry about her except she did get grazed by a fat Dachshund who didn't want to play with her. (It was a day when the other 2 parks were closed for maintainance so all dogs were forced into the smaller area. Many of the leash-free parks here have a separate area for small dogs and a much larger park for the big dogs.) Diva was doing her play bow but he didn't want to play & eventually told her so. Her skin wasn't broken but she acted like it was. Tyro also loves to run and chase and so far, there have been no issues with other males.

Unlike some owners, I am constantly watching my dogs & walking around with them so they get exercise because Nova and Miska don't tend to play. They aren't into playing fetch or chasing other dogs. Thus I never sit on the benches or rarely stop & chat with people. It's not that I'm unfriendly but I don't want my dogs getting injured or doing something stupid. Watching 4 dogs is a lot more work than with only 1.

I've noticed some 'regulars' at the park & feel OK with their dogs. A number of people have specifically commented on how beautiful my dogs are - they haven't said 'well behaved too' but I think if they didn't feel positive, they probably wouldn't say anything at all or it would be a negative comment.

So while I still am not crazy about dog parks, I am impressed with the ones they have here as they are well provided for and well maintained. I may visit them once per week, mainly to give my knees a rest from all the walking I do with them on leash. Or when Michael & I have been busy during and I don't have 2 hours to spare to walk them. Then it's off to the leash free park for some fun with other dogs.