Dogs and the Holidays

In their latest newsletter, the Tibetan Terrier Club of America provided some tips on keeping your dog safe and happy during the holidays. Although a lot of it is just common sense, I wanted to pass this important advice along to you.

Dogs and Holidays

Because your dog is special to you, you want him to share all the special times in your life, including holidays. But to your dog, everyday spent with you is a holiday (oh yeah, right, i'll take Cabo anyday), and he may not be able to appreciate or understand the strange people (like my parent's relatives), noises (like MeeMaw's farting), things and goings-on associated with holiday celebrations. Here are some ways to keep your dog safe and happy during those festive times.
General Tips
• Stick as closely as possible to your normal
routine. Try not to vary your dog’s feeding,
walking, and playtime schedule.
• Don't give your dog scraps from the picnic
table or holiday buffet. Cookies and pies,
macaroni salads and stuffing, potato chips
and fancy hors d'oeuvres, are inappropriate
foods for dogs and may make them sick.
• If you host a party, remember that some
guests may be uncomfortable around dogs.
Your dog may, in turn, be uncomfortable
or frightened around a large group of unfamiliar
people. You may want to confine him
in a crate or a room that will not be used by
guests. Otherwise, keep him by your side,
or with another family member, to keep
him from getting into trouble or underfoot.











Christmas
• Turkey bones can pose a choking hazard for
dogs. Do not give turkey bones to your dog.
• Keep an eye on the holiday table and secure
leftovers and garbage to prevent your
dog from foraging among the holiday foods.
• Holly, mistletoe and poinsettia plants are
poisonous to dogs. Make sure they are kept
in places your dog cannot reach.
• Do not put lights on the lower branches of
your tree. They may get very hot and burn
your dog.
• Watch out for electrical cords. Pets often try
to chew them and get badly shocked or
electrocuted. Place them out of reach.
• Avoid glass ornaments, which break easily
and may cut a dog’s feet or mouth.
• Do not use edible ornaments, or cranberry
or popcorn strings. Your dog may knock
the tree over in an attempt to reach them.
• Keep other ornaments off the lower branches;
if your dog chews or eats an ornament, he
can be made sick by the materials or paint.
• Both live and artificial tree needles are sharp
and indigestible. Keep your tree blocked off
(with a playpen or other “fence”) or in a
room that is not accessible to your dog.
• Tinsel can be dangerous for dogs. It may
obstruct circulation and, if swallowed,
block the intestines.
• Keep burning candles on high tables or
mantels, out of the way of your dog’s
wagging tail.
• Review canine holiday gifts for safety.
Small plastic toys or bones may pose
choking hazards.
• Your dog may want to investigate wrapped
packages; keep them out of reach.

America's Next Top Model?

Here are my pups at 9 weeks. This is just a small selection of the hundreds of pics that we took on Saturday. Aren't they precious?

Smile For the Camera

So we did it. We went on our first outing with the pups. We set out early because we had an appointment at 10 AM and we had almost a 2 hour journey ahead of us. Dad placed all the pups in a crate. I sat with Angus and Roxie in the far back of the car behind the doggie divider. The pups were really good. A few of them cried for the first five or ten minutes of the trip, but soon enough they settled right down and were great travelers. We were going to visit the studio of a photographer friend of ours. You know what they say. A picture is worth a thousands words. I am at a loss for words to describe how I feel about my pups going off to their new homes. In fact, I'm not really sure I know how I feel about it. But I do know that I want some great photos of this sweet moment in our lives. Also I thought the new owners might want to order a photo or two of their pup or a shot of their pup with all of his or her brothers and sisters from the photographer.

This photo shoot was a lot of work. It was also a lot of fun. The time flew by really quickly, but at the same time the session lasted for what seemed to be a very long time. Does that make any sense? Well that's how it felt to me. By the end of it the pups were pretty sleepy. They fell asleep in their crate even before we left the studio and they slept all the way home.

I'll be sure to share some of the photos when I get them. Since you couldn't be there with us, here is a short video that I think captures the feel of our studio visit.

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String

I know I have gone on ad nauseum about my Animals Matter bed. It is one of my favorite things. I'm gonna mention it again because all 7 of my pups are curled up in it right now. They LOVE it! It is SO COMFY!

So if you are looking for the best possible present for your favorite pup this should be it. It's official name is the Katie Puff and it comes in a variety of sizes and colors. I have a large so that Roxie and Angus can curl up with me. I think a medium is the perfect size for a TT, but a large is even better. Better than perfect! Kids and even parents have been known to curl up in mine. Check out Animals Matters website for more info.

That's it. That's all I have to say today. Tomorrow the pups and I are going on an adventure. I'll tell you about it soon

A Lot Like Christmas

It snowed quite a bit last night. We LOVE it!


Toby's dads are arriving tonight to spend the night on their way to visit the relatives in New Hampshire. And I look just like a BIG HOT WET MESS (or, maybe, more correctly, a BIG COLD WET MESS). What with my pregnancy, the shedding associated with my pregnancy, and this WET snow. It's not a pretty combination. That's me in the pic all wet and messy (right after shooting my latest video) in my favorite Animals Matter bed. Don't fret. I am getting back in fighting shape. As you can see in the video, I can whip around the yard pretty well and dad is playing frisbee with me every day. I stills gots it! Somewhere.

Toby's 'rents are going to visit relatives in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and then will stop by again on their way back to the airport before Christmas. I think I told you one of my little girls is going to live with them in San Diego.

Toby sent me a note about the whole shebang. I guess it is a Christmas surprise. Don't worry. He's not tech savvy like me so there is NO CHANCE of him reading this.

Hi Suddie,
It's been a long time since I have communicated with you and I am sorry for that. My Dads had gone away and left me with my friend, my handler, Now they came back and I thought we were all going to be together for a long time, but yesterday I heard them discussing another trip. AND they mentioned "Suddie's Whiskey Sours" So I think you must be involved in this next excursion, which I thought might include me. But, earlier today they left me again with my friend. Hope they come back sooner then the last time they left me. They told me they were going to bring me a surprise. I hope that maybe they are going to see you and I hope they will bring me back one of our pups. That would be a great Christmas present. I have been following the progress of the pups and watching the videos. They sure are a handsome lot and very active investigating their new world. You have done a great job of keeping us all informed of the progress.
Take care, and I send a lot of Love,
TOBY

Is Ebony a TT?

I have been getting mail from all over the place lately with all sorts of questions about Tibetan Terriers. And I just received my Tibetan Terrier Club of America 2008 Journal and Yearbook in the mail. It provides breed statistics and other interesting stuff. I bet you didn't know there were only 626 Tibetan Terrier pups registered in 2008. That's pretty typical for TTs. Not many of us out there! The journal also features a beautiful picture of my son Angus. He was the youngest TT to become a champion that year. Roxie is also featured as one to the Top 50 Tibetans in the USA. And she wasn't even a year old yet at the end of 2008. You know, a mom has to brag about her kids.

Moving on.

Last week I received an email with the subject "Is Ebony a TT?":

Dear Deep Acres,
My name is Steve. Five or six years ago we purchased a wonderful dog at a shelter in southern Minnesota. She was there with her two brothers who were slightly larger than she. She is very cute and unique in appearence. We heard that she was a mix between a Shitzu and a Golden Retriever! This seemed unlikely, but it seemed to match her personality. I recently saw a picture of a Tibetan Terrier and immediately recognized Ebony. She is the right height and weight. She is black with some highlights of dark brown particularlty on the face. She has a few white hairs mixed in on her back which you don't see unless you look closely. She has a very little patch of white on her chest.
She is very playfull and loves her toys. She is quite affectionate and demands attention. She enjoys chasing and being chased. She has different kinds of barks. One of them sounds like "roo roo roo". She points her nose to the sky when she does this. She also snorts when she gets excited.
I think I may have a Tibetan Terrrier or a mix of some kind. I am attaching photos. Please respond and let me know what you think.
Steve

My reply:

Steve,
She definitely looks and sounds like a TT. Lucky you!
Suddie

Believe it or not but sometimes I like to keep it short and sweet.

Hard Candy Christmas

Well it did snow here last night and that got me thinking about Christmas and how my pups will be going off to their new homes to celebrate the holidays with their new families. The thought of this makes me really happy but a little melancholy at the same time. I think it may be a bit of a hard Christmas for me this year.

Hey. Guess What?

I received an email from Carole, the woman that recently adopted a six-year old TT, this morning. Do you think she read my blog post from yesterday?

Hi Suddie,
We're having a small problem with Lexie and wondered if you could help. After two great weeks she's started going to the bathroom in the house, mostly at night, which I've been told is not unusual for adopted dogs. My question is, what's the best way to handle this with TTs? We crated her last night, and she was not a happy girl (and we weren't too happy either!).
Thanks,
Carole

And I responded:

Hi Carole.
Did you speak to Joy and ask if this was a problem previously? I would start with that. Did Joy also give you the name of the vet Lexie had been going to? They would probably also know if this has been a problem in the past.

I would start by taking Lexie out every two hours and crate her when you cannot watch her directly. Take her outside immediately when you remove her from her crate. If she crys while in the crate, you will just have to ignore her. I would ask Joy if she did this with her as well. Did Joy crate her when she left her at home alone or was she allowed to roam the house? This information might be useful. Does she cry even if she is crated in the same room as you?

I would also take up her water no later than 7 PM so she is not drinking in the hours before she goes to bed.

She probably just needs to get used to you and her new situation. It is a big change for her after 6 years. Be patient. I know it can be frustrating. It should get better in the next few weeks.
Suddie