Hi Readers!

Elizabeth here! I had the most AMAZING weekend because I got to spend it with my favorite pooch, Emperor Chopper! Having Chopper around is great not only because he is a ball of fun, but because he is teaching me about being a responsible dog owner.

Chopper, giving his best “look back” pose.

On Saturday, we had a bit of drama. We had to take Chopper to the Veterinarian’s office! Friday night, Chopper started to make funny noises; he would elongate his neck and snort. Being the overprotective nervous type, I rushed him the emergency room only to learn that Chopper was “reverse sneezing.” Reverse sneezing is something can be set off by a myriad of things including eating, excitement, even pollen! These spasms are most common in Pugs and Boxers because they have “flat faces”. Chopper’s spasms appeared to be from a slight cold he had developed. Just to be safe, we took it easy Saturday night and watched old movies.

Despite being a bit under the weather, Chopper was his chipper and handsome self. We had a marvelous weekend and I cannot WAIT until he stays over again!

I saw an article that www.DogChannel.com has teamed up with DigitalPost Interactive to launch a social networking site. I looked into it a little more because I’m familiar with dogchannel.com and have been pleased with the amount of information that you can find on their site.

I signed up for this social networking site because I wanted to see what was so special about it and why this article was posted on CNNMoney.com of all places. Signing up was easy and when I got into the site I was surprised to see what I had the option of doing, because I hadn’t seen this anywhere else.

They gave me the option to create an “avatar” of my dog and a model dog park… Then I can invite friends to my dog park to hang out. It was kind of neat getting to “build” a dog that looks like whatever you want it to (of course I tried to build mine like Chopper). The user interface was simple and low tech. It was pretty fun so I thought I would pass it along. If you’d like to give it a try, you’ll be right around the 25,000th dog lover to do so. Check out Club Dog at www.DogChannel.com.

Last week, we wrote about a common situation involving dog owners who allow their dog(s) to walk off leash and the proper etiquette to deal with those canines (and owners) who are a bit unruly. Only one day after, we received a thoughtful email commenting on the post. Here at snifbostondogs.com we love it when our readers voice their opinions! Please read the letter below from an insightful reader!

Hey there!
I just read the blog on snifbostondogs.com I absolutely agree that if your dog does not obey you when he/she is off leash you absolutely should not have them off leash unless you are on your own property. Also, I would never allow my dog to be off leash while walking down the sidewalk or around a crowd of people. However, I live in an area where there are many wooded areas and trails that I often let my dog off leash on. I believe that if your dog is well behaved and well trained there is such a thing as a “verbal leash” If I see another dog, or person up a head I command my dog to heal and I put his leash on him. I do not see this as being a problem. The main reason this story caught my attention was just the other day, I was walking with my dog down a trail I have walked down too many times to count. We saw two labs approaching and I stopped my dog and put his leash on. As we continued down the trail we passed by the two dogs and walker. The dog walker then blurted out to me “ever heard of a leash law”! I said yes, and my dog is on a “verbal leash”. I have been walking this wooded trail with my dog for years and have never had a problem. She said that she was the dog walker and her dogs would attack. I said nothing else to her and continued on my way. I was so mad! I felt like telling her that her employers should pay to TRAIN their dogs before they pay to have them walked. It is unfortunate that the dogs with bad behavior, due to the owner not training them properly, ruin it for all the GOOD DOGS out there!

If you’d like to share your thoughts on the issue, leave a comment below or write us at blog@sniflabs.com. Who knows, you may even be selected to be published on our blog!

Here at snifbostondogs.com, we are committed to bringing you the best of Boston. We are so happy to be a part of this community and any time we can help a neighbor we try our best. This morning, while checking our emails, we came across a letter from Kathy Finn who wrote about her dog Maddie who has been missing for about eight months. Please read her letter below!

I am writing with a heartfelt plead for your assistance in finding our dog Maddie. She is a 45 pound, 12 year old Australian Sheppard mix, white in color with tan spots. Maddie ran from a relative’s home in Needham, Massachusetts on August 13, 2007 after being spooked by someone in the house. She has lived with us in West Roxbury, Massachusetts for over 10 years. Maddie originally came from a shelter in Virginia, has a past history of abuse and is normally skittish with strangers. She is not micro chipped but did have a red collar with Boston tags and the name and phone number of our vet, Wolf’s Animal hospital. Initially, we had multiple sighting within a few miles from where she ran but over the past few months there have been none. At this time we are contacting all veterinarians within a 20 mile radius inquiring whether or not they have come in contact with any stray dogs meeting Maddie’s description. We believe she may had needed care for a hurt foot or hip. From other reports that we received she also may have been dehydrated, thin and exhausted. She has a positive Lyme titer which she has received partial treatment and the vaccine. She is updated on all her other vaccines. Maddie is terrified of vets and normally would need a tranquilizer in order to be examined and still would shake from head to toe. She is a very smart dog, and is fond of farms and has a natural instinct for herding children or people always keeping them to her right. Maddie is also registered with “Saber Alert”.
If you have any information that may help us we would be so grateful if you would contact us. If for some reason you are unable to give us the information would you please call our veterinarian, Dr. D’ Esopo, Wolf’s Animal Hospital in Dedham, at 781-326-9653. It would mean so much to us to just know that she is ok and happy living with a new family.

Sincerely,

Kathy and Frank Finn
45 Wren Street
West Roxbury, Ma., 02132
617-875-1357 or 617-429-8069
or e-mail at ktf@bu.edu

Here at snifbostondogs.com, we try our best not to pass judgment on others’ tastes and preferences. We love how every person has a unique style and taste; it allows us to appreciate the differences in each other. That resolved, we are completely against animal cruelty regardless of what others may think or feel. This morning, we received an email from a good friend of ours asking us to sign a petition. After reading the petition and researching further on the topic, we feel the need to spread the word on this horrible event to as many people as possible.

Guillermo Habacuc Vargas, a Costa Rican “artist”, paid young children to capture a street dog. Once the dog was captured, he was tied to a wall in a gallery in Costa Rica and left there to die. Vargas told all visitors not to feed the dog any food or water. Not long after, the dog died in the corner of the exhibition. To add insult to injury, Vargas has been selected to represent his country in Bienal Centroamericana Honduras 2008.

We may not be able to change the past, but we can change the future. Please sign the petition and help prevent cruelty against animals! If the link does not work, please try copying and pasting the following into your browser.

http://www.petitiononline.com/ea6gk/petition-sign.html

In an article posted on the Wall Street Journal website today, elderly dogs are getting a second chance at life. Animal Friends, a no-kill shelter in Pennsylvania, is changing the way people view elderly animals. Although older animals have more medical problems, there are positive qualities such as a calmer demeanor, lower energy levels and house training. Ann Cadman, the Health and Wellness Coordinator for the shelter even created an exclusive club for those adopters of elderly animals. It is called the Red Collar Society, a play on the “Red Hat Society” that celebrates women over 50. To read the full article, click here!

It is important that people realize the beauty in adopting an older dog. Although there are some risks, we believe that rewards of giving an animal a second chance far outweigh any of the “cons”. If you are considering adding a new member to the family, don’t rule out older pets right away…they might just surprise you!

Over the past weekend, one of Martha’s beloved pets, a Chow Chow, named Paw Paw, passed away. According to Martha’s blog, Paw Paw passed on Sunday April 12th when he was almost 13 years old! Paw Paw has been featured numerous times in Martha’s many publications and has been a faithful and loyal friend to her and her other two dogs, Sharkey and Francesca.

For more pictures and information please click here.