The Dog Van

All the dogs like my van. Or, to be more specific, all of my dogs and my friends' dogs like my van.

My van is a custom Ford E-150, about eight years old now, and she was built to be comfortable for road trips. And we've taken a number of road trips in her. (Ships are refered to as female so I figured my van deserves the same respect.)

On one camping trip to Big Sur in north/central California, the van carried four people and I think six dogs along with all our camping gear and food for nine days. The dogs didn't care that the van was crowded; they just loved going camping in the big woods.On a trip to Arizona, we started at the Grand Canyon and made a big circle through the moutains of Arizona, staying in Williams, Flagstaff, Seona, Payson, and more. Dogs and people had a wonderful time.

I think the dogs like the van because she's comfortable traveling, even for them, and it only takes one road trip for a dog to learn that riding in the van equals excitement. "Ah ha! We get to go somewhere!"

When the back door of my van is open at the Kindred Spirits' dog training yard, I'm never surprised to find a dog in the back who doesn't belong to me. Kind of like, "Well, the van is here? Where are we going?" Petra's seven year old Aussie, Kona, is completely blind but he's been on roadtrips in the van and more than once he's found his way to the van and inside - all by himself. And once there, he just lies down to wait. Kona is very patient.

I have to admit, though, I like the van, too. She is eight years old now although she still looks great. There's something about an older vehicle that's comfortable and soothing - kind of like an old dog. Old dogs have been through life with you and know you, your habits, your strengths and your flaws. The van knows me, too, but in different ways. The leather cover on the steering wheel is worn and smooth in the places where my hands normally rest. The seat is molded well to me. I know where all the gadgets and buttons and switches are and can reach them without even looking. I know the sound of the engine and can instantly tell when something is wrong, or even just off a little.I keep the van well tuned, put the best tires on her that I can, and in return, I think she shows me loyalty, too. She's never let me down and at times, I've worked her hard.

My friends who travel with me laugh but when she's heavily loaded and we're going up a mountain, I don't hesitate to pat the van on her dashboard and tell her what a good van she is. After all, we all - people, dogs, and old vans - work better with praise, right?By the way, her name is Fancy Van.

A Recall and a Rumor

After the pet food recalls of 2007, I'm sure most of us are much more aware of the dangers that foods, treats, and products can pose to our pets (as well to to us!). The unpleasant truth is that even after so many of us - especially professional writers - created a huge fuss over the lack of official response to these problems and recalls, problems still exist. Not only are many recalls slow to happen, but ingredients that are potentially a problem are still in foods. I can't believe that melamine, which was one of the problems in the 2007 pet food recalls, was the source of baby food poisonings and recalls in China in 2008! The last time I checked, more than 65,000 babies had been hospitalized with no official count of how many died and how many will have permanent kiver and or kidney problems.

One of the latest food problems is in regards to peanuts and peanut butter. In mid-January, it was announced that people were getting sick and dying due to peanuts and peanut butter infected with salmonella. Many people with pets will recognise salmonella as the bacteria that aquatic turtles may carry. In fact, that is why it is now illegal to buy those tiny quarter sized red eared sliders that used to be for sale everywhere. When cared for incorrectly (left dirty) these turtles to transmit salmonella to the people who handled them; especially children who might put their hands in their mouths.

It turns out the Peanut Corporation of America was the source of the salmonella. Although many human foods were infected and recalled, as of this writing only PetSmart's Grreat Choice dog biscuits have been recalled. If I hear of any other products, I will post that news here.

Unfortunately, news of dangers travels fast and that includes false news or rumors. One of the ones I heard recently concerns the Swiffer floor cleaning system. According to Snopes.com (as excellent source of true or false rumors) the Swiffer floor care systems are safe for pets, even if pets walk on the floor and lick their paws afterwards. If you have any concerns, go to http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp

As always,

Liz

Podcast Number One!

I just heard that the twice a month podcast that I record with my good friends and dog training partners, Petra Burke and Kate Abbott, is the number one most downloaded podcast on Pet Life Radio www.petliferadio.com. Woo hoo!!!

Our show, "It's a Doggy Dog World" is all about dogs. We talk about dog issues, dog health, care, behavioral issues, training, living with dogs, and much much more.

One of our listeners emailed and said, "You guys are a hoot!" We're a hoot! smile....

To find our show, go to www.petliferadio.com and click on "It's a Doggy Dog World". We're also available on iTunes.

Enjoy!

Liz

Dogs, Cats, Lizards, Oh My!

There's a dog on the sofa, a cat on my pillow, and a lizard in my shoe! Noah had his ark; this is our household. When my husband, Paul, and I were married, we each had a dog and that was natural as we had both grown up with dogs. But shortly thereafter, a rabbit joined our household. He was a huge Dutch rabbit who had been rescued from a classroom where, well, let's say less than nice things had been done to him. A couple more rabbits followed, then a cat, a couple of voles, a snake, and well, that kind of set the scene for the future.

Living with pets requires some compromises. We always have lint rollers at hand, in the house, and in the car. We are experts on vacuum cleaners - in fact, a future blog will discuss our vacuum cleaner findings! We each have a home office and there's a screen door on each room so that pets can be kept out if we want to exclude them. (A kitten makes short work of neatly stacked papers!)

But a life with pets can have some unexpected results. I have been writing professionally about pets since 1985 when I was first published in DOG FANCY magazine. As of today, I've had 60 books published on dogs, cats, reptiles, and birds, and have had more than 1000 magazine articles published in a variety of pet and general interest magazines. For more on my work go to www.lizpalika.com.

I also became a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant. I've been teaching dogs and their owners for more than 25 years. Kindred Spirits Dog Training is in NW Vista, California in northern San Diego county.

Another unexpected result of pets can affect family. Years ago, my mother in law said she would never spend the night with us again when she heard something moving in the guest bedroom closet all night. When Paul investigated, he found our kingsnake that had escaped from its cage a month or so previously! I won't say whether that result was good or bad!

Living with pets has benefits that definately out weigh the disadvantages, though. Our pets make us laugh and provide us with unlimited affection. There's always a warm body to snuggle with when you're feeling blue. We get more exercise, too, because the dogs need it and want it. And we have met the nicest people who also share their lives with pets.

So book mark this page and check back regularly. We'll be talking about a variety of things; all centered around living with pets.

Liz