Houndog News

Our Dog Heroes of WW1

Lest We Forget…

Some 20,000 dogs were trained for duties in World War One. About one third we recruited from being family pets while the remainder were gathered from dog homes or the police departments.

Some pooches worked as sentinels standing quietly atop a rise, watching and alerting with a growl. Others pulled guns and heavy equipment or sniffed out explosives or enemy soldiers. Then there were the messengers. When the terrain was muddy or challenging dogs came into their own, being able to cover distance and difficult ground quickly. They were less of an easy target than a running man. Messages were often transported contained within a tin tied to the neck of the dog.

Scent-hounds and Terriers sought through the battlefields for wounded. Let’s also not the forget the pigeons and horses; they too had extremely important roles.

In addition to their incredible talents and resilience, the dogs of war provided companionship and had a positive effect on those who worked with them. When men and women serving were so far from home and missing their families, a dog could be a constant and even help keep them warm at night.

Just imagine so many families farewelling their beloved pets so they could serve on the front line. May we never forget the heartache, the irreplaceable loss of our loved ones to war… the old, the young and the furry who went dutifully and sacrificed for a cause they did not create.

The Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation (AWAMO) is a volunteer organisation dedicated to recognising the massive efforts of animals in the name of combat and providing comfort to human-kind. Beyond service our dogs are still helping and used to help alleviate the debilitating effects of PTSD.

Leah & Angela OMeara
Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Could this Yorkie be the Biggest Little War Hero?

Yorkie Doodle Dandy…

Who would have imagined the life of this little Yorkshire Terrier unfolding as a World War II dog hero when an American Army Corporal first found her in New Guinea? Originally found by another soldier in a foxhole, Bill Wynne bought her for 2 pounds and said that her life would’ve been very different had she been sold to anyone else. With Smoky along on every mission, Bill grew very close to her. Later when Bill was wounded and recovering in hospital Smoky was brought to his side where she raised not only his spirits but the spirits of others convalescing there. She followed a nurse around on her rounds. With so many patients, there was a lot of visiting to do each day. Some have referred to her as the first therapy dog on record.

After 150 air raids and 12 combat missions in the Philippine Islands she was still by Bill’s side. With her skill and size, Smoky was used to lay out telegraph wires in a 70ft pipe under an airstrip because the work was too dangerous for soldiers. She was so small she went undetected. They attached the wire to string attached to her and Bill called her from the other end of the tunnel. She trusted him and made her way in the dark to his voice on the other side. Even after Bill’s army duties were over Smoky continued to be a medical therapy dog for the remaining years of her life. There was a TV shows made about her where she did tricks such as riding a scooter and all manner of entertainment.

Now she can be remembered with a sculpture by Susan Bahary in the Cleveland Metroparks. This is displayed on a monument dedicated to dogs of all wars. Smoky is also the recipient of the Australia’s RSPCA Purple Cross. How wonderful that William (Bill) Wynne was able to accept the award. You can find Smoky the Yorkie memorials in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Hawaii and here in Australia. That’s right; a sculpture of her can be found at the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital. Not a bad effort for a little 4 lb. dog that could fit inside an army helmet. Is it possible she could be the smallest war hero ever?
To learn more click on the following link…

Leah & Angela OMeara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

What’s so special about Whiskers?

Not just humble hairs…

Whiskers can be found on almost all mammals and whilst cats have their whiskers mentioned more than dogs, a canine’s whiskers are absolutely vital. Depending on the colour of your dog’s coat, his or her whiskers may not have even captured your attention. These fine yet robust tools are the way the animal feels it’s way around the world. In addition to the sprouting on the snout they can be found above the eyes, on cheeks and under the chin. They are used to detect vibration like a kind of antennae as well as judging space and distance.

These incredible ‘vibrissae’ send important information down to the point where they meet the skin before the brain processes the information. They meet a large concentration of nerve endings so that even the slightest vibrations and air currents are picked up. If your dog is aging or experiencing reduced vision, their whiskers will play an even larger role as other senses diminish. Whiskers may be flared and forward if a dog feels threatened. They also play a role in triggering your dog to close his eyes as he brushes through long grasses. Their width helps your dog ‘not to get stuck’ when navigating through narrow spaces.

Whiskers can shed or fall out but please do not trim or pluck them. Trimming them can negatively affect your dog’s safety and orientation. Whiskers grow deeper than regular coat hair, and are strong and thicker at the base. Plucking them can cause infection.

If you are dropping off your pooch at the groomers or day spa, request that you don’t want his whiskers touched. Most wouldn’t dream of trimming them but it’s better to be assured they won’t be cut in the name of looking neat and tidy. Whiskers are wonderful tools and are sensitive like our fingertips. Your dog depends on them.

Leah & Angela OMearaHound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Proven ways Dog Ownership improves your health

10 Reasons your dog is incredible…

We know that as a dog owner it’s easy to spruik your dog’s accolades but research has the evidence on what’s so incredible about your dog/human relationship. Whilst we’ve covered in previous blogs the fact dogs trigger the release of oxytocin (the love hormone) in our brains, but what we know now is that if you are either a single person or a senior and are a dog parent, there is 36% percent lower risk of heart disease and 33% lower risk of premature death. At any age, walking your dog five or more times per week contributes to lowering obesity.

Folks who walk their dogs find higher social levels with the statistics saying you are five times more likely to meet other people in the neighbourhood than if you owned a different type of pet. Older individuals who own dogs generally walk an extra 20 minutes a day and also have fewer ‘continuous’ periods of sitting down than non dog owners. Of course our pooch’s funny antics add comedy to our day that is great medicine.

Dog ownership comes with benefits for the kids too. They will learn vital life lessons as they play, live with and care for the family dog. Bonding and training takes time and teaches patience. Caring for animals requires and builds compassion as it requires kindness and looking after the needs of another. Responsibility is developed as those needs are met, whether it be feeding, exercise, grooming and even ‘clean-ups’. It is important to teach kids about which foods are safe or unsafe for your dog to eat and the best ways to reduce anxiety for your dog. Kids with dogs can also help soothe their own anxiety by having a furry pal to pet or have as company. It’s a welcome boost for self esteem to have a dog that loves you unconditionally.

Dogs in the home help reduce the risk of allergic disease in children and early exposure to a dog’s diverse microbes and bacteria may assist in building the immune function.

As well as boosting heart health just being in the presence of our dogs helps reduce blood pressure. Overall, life with dogs is marvelous and we can’t imagine a world without them.

Leah & Angela OMearaHound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Does your Pooch Love having you Home?

Amusing your Canine during Covid…

There’s never been more people spending time with their dogs and the benefit works both ways. We just thought we’d throw a few ideas out there.

Exercising in public is permitted right now and a walk benefits you just as much as your dog but there are also loads of things you can do at home. The kids will enjoy creating an obstacle course if you have a few cardboard boxes around. Teaching Fido a new trick is also great for kids and laying a treat trail or scavenger hunt is a winner.

Anyone found they’ve done more than their average amount of home cooking lately? While you’re at it, how about creating a few dog-friendly treats. If you go for a barking bake off with doggy biscuits, a bone shaped cookie cutter or unique shape will help the spouse from accidentally serving them up with a cuppa.

A little gentle massage therapy goes a long way. Start this routine up with your pooch and you’ll find them prepped and waiting on the floor for you!

If you have gained a puppy it is essential to teach coping skills for times when you are absent. Avoid carrying your puppy everywhere or letting it follow you endlessly.

Crate training and puppy play-pen training are excellent ways for your puppy to build up to being able to spend time alone. You’ll need to build in the value by providing a way for your pup to occupy himself but the best time to ever begin this training is ‘absolutely’ whilst you are home.

Contact your local animal shelter or check out their website to see if there are any items you might be able to donate such as towels or blankets.

If you know of someone experiencing hardship they may appreciate some extra pet food or even just a phone call. For your own dog, try and keep a week’s worth of food and medication available to avoid having to obtain it quickly.

Finally, never underestimate the power of ‘hide and seek’, the best ‘no cost’ entertainment. Dogs totally get into this game you and we’re yet to meet a dog unwilling…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnYoHHBoKpo

Leah & Angela OMeara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane

4 Paws for Ability, Leading the Way

Service dogs doing remarkable things…

4 Paws for Ability are training and providing service dogs for Children with disabilities and Veterans worldwide.

Karen Shirk founded ‘4 Paws for Ability’ in 1998. Karen was suffering from a debilitating autoimmune neuromuscular disorder called Myasthenia Gravis. She wanted a service dog and went about seeking one via the traditional channels. But Karen was not accepted as a candidate and was even rejected because she relied a ventilator. Determined to keep going, Karen got her own dog and went about training it for her needs with the guidance of a local dog training school. It was not long before Karen realized that there were many others like her in need of a service dog and demand was so much greater than supply. Children and adults were on waiting lists. Some Veterans needed a service dog for lost use of limbs or hearing affected due to time they served for their country.

4 Paws for Ability are placing approximately 100 dogs per year but there are plans for expansion. They’ve certainly come a long way from a plan that began in a one-bedroom apartment. The service dogs are highly trained before being matched up with their new owners. They are generally 16 mths old, highly socialized and their ‘task-training’ has been customized according to the recipient’s needs. Autism, diabetes and epilepsy are just a few examples of reasons folks might join the program. A dog trained to help a person with epilepsy for example, would be trained to alert to the onset of a seizure.

In many programs service dogs are older when placed but 4 Paws for Ability matches earlier to extend the length of the match and also to help bonding. Once the dog goes home it is considered the recipient’s dog and not e.g. a family dog. Other family members can love it up as much as they want but all special activities, feeding, treats and play are reserved for the relationship between dog and recipient.

Children and adults helped by ‘4 for Paws for Ability’ are quick to express how they adore their much needed fur-pals and in some cases even declare the dogs have been life-saving.

4 Paws for Ability are also proud to be focused on educating the public about service dogs in public.

Please watch the following brief video as Director of Training, Jeremy Dulebohn demonstrates how these incredible dogs are started in this life-transforming journey…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xweLILww_k

Or check out their website at https://4pawsforability.org

Leah & Angela OMeara
Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding,
Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane

How does Chocolate Affect your Dog?

And what to do if eaten…

It’s that delicious time of year again when there’s more chocolate around the house than usual. It may take a day to devour your chocolate or it might be over several weeks. Dogs probably save up their most pleading puppy-dog-eyes for these times of year when we’re eating specials treats they can’t have.

This is a great time to remind all family members that chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats. Though most folks are aware, there is always a possibility of a youngster unknowingly offering their chocolate to poochy. The foil which encloses chocolate also poses a risk and if it forms a foreign body can block an intestine requiring surgery for removal. Poochy may also be capable of finding your hidden stash so please store carefully. Caffeine and theobromine found in chocolate are of a drug class called Methylxanines. These nervous stimulants can kill if consumed in a high enough dose. The reason is that they cannot be metabolized quickly enough. Humans can process these in around 6-10 hours but in dogs it takes more than 16 hours thus becoming toxic. Symptoms of chocolate toxicity in dogs may include excessive panting, vomiting, restlessness, diarrhea, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination or seizures.

Please be sure to safely dispose of any unwanted chocolate (wait, is there such a thing?) and those wrappers too.

If you want to let your dog join in at celebratory times pet supplies to offer some doggy chocolate alternatives. Best to save the food side of Easter for humans although some dogs will happily chomp on a carrot.

Should your dog accidentally consume chocolate, the link below is an excellent reference to help determine your next move.
Click on the link below and scroll down to the dark blue panel where you can enter they type of chocolate, quantity as well as your dog’s weight. As you will quickly see, the type of chocolate is very important to the equation…

https://www.vets-now.com/dog-chocolate-toxicity-calculator/

Leah & Angela OMeara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane

Why choose a paint safe for dogs?

It’s not just colour to consider when decorating.

We may think carefully about what we are feeding our pets or which objects are OK in their environment however did you know that some domestic decorating products can be harmful to dogs and cats?

Repainting might seem like a harmless project but some traditional paints can contain chemicals that emit toxic gasses causing an adverse affect in pets. Heavy metals, solvents and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) have known to be responsible for irritation to airways, eyes, and skin. It’s not just the paint either. Solvents, varnishes and stripping products can also be irritants, in extreme cases causing hair loss.

Not all paints will be labelled ‘pet safe’ but look for the absence of VOC’s, polyurethane, toluene, creosote formaldehyde and heavy metals. Choose paints with as little odour as possible. Water based paints are generally the least irritating and wash up easier. Milk paints also offer a safe alternative. Milk paints are made up of milk protein, casein, pigments and lime. They don’t give off the fumes found with using a polyurethane paint.

You might imagine that ventilation while painting such as leaving doors and windows open will be enough to counteract the harm of fumes but they can still be released long after the paint is dry. We all know how long a room can smell freshly painted and don’t forget that a dog’s sense of smell is far superior to ours. If painting smaller furniture items, move them outside so additional fumes do not linger in the room.

Having younger dogs or a pup in the house can increase the likelihood of painted surfaces being licked or (in the case of furniture and door jams) chewed. An eggshell or satin finish can help keep walls a little cleaner if you have dogs as they wipe clean more easily than a matt finish.

Toxic paints do tend to have a longer shelf life however they can also be harmful to humans with a sensitive constitution as well as pets.

Speak to your local paint supplies about alternatives to the traditional ‘fume emitting’ ingredients. Discuss shelf life and the life of the paint once it is mixed. If painting furniture check whether the paint will require sealing with a oil or wax. Paint manufacturers should be able to provide answers to any questions you have so maybe you would prefer to contact them directly.

Leah & Angela OMeara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Why do Labradors have a seemingly endless appetite?

It’s not greed…

Satiation is the word to describe that moment when you are no longer hungry after eating.

Many Labrador’s owners will attest their dog’s hoovering capacity. They’ll say things like ‘No matter what or how much food is on the menu, it’s like there’s no ‘off’ switch for the appetite’.

Enter the POMC gene, which although present in all dog breeds it is not being properly expressed in Labradors. POMC is pro-opiomelanocortin and a similar POMC gene mutation can also be attributed to obesity and obesity related diseases in humans. Currently the gene mutation in Labrador Retrievers is around ¼ of those dogs tested however it appeared in nearly 80% of Labrador service dogs. It is thought that dogs with a stronger motivation for food may be the reason they were ideal candidates for training.

The absence of satiety may contribute to weight difficulties or obesity and the science it still in progress. It’s not all bad news. OK we admit there’s not much of an ‘up’ side to this for the Labradors, but for us humans we can capture this drive to strengthen trained activities and reinforcement zones. A strong desire for food makes for strong motivation to complete a task for food reward whilst dog’s are first learning desired behaviours. Thankfully food rewards can quickly be phased out of training. Unfortunately being highly treat motivated can impact health in later life and obesity can affect a service dog’s ability to perform his or her work.

So whether your Lab is on a controlled diet or relishing large meals you might still expect to be getting those ‘I’m hungry’ eyes.’ If you suspect your dog may have POMC gene mutation a veterinarian can help you develop a nutrition and exercise plan customized to your dog.

Meanwhile, Bon Appetit.

Leah & Angela OMeara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

How can your Dog avoid a Leaky Gut?

Leaky gut is a common term for the condition ‘Dysbiosis syndrome’. The syndrome is experienced by humans as well as dogs and other animals. Our small intestines have a delicate mucosa which allows nutrition to take place as teeny little digested nutrients pass through into our blood stream. The same lining also plays a role in playing a barrier to keep out undigested food particles, pathogens and toxins. Imagine our nutrition making its way into the body through a fine strainer such as a cheesecloth.

Although the jury is still out on all the causes of leaky gut, inflammation or damage to the lining and mucosa is often the result of a poor diet or the types of medications that destroy good bacteria. When bad bacteria take over, the ‘spaces’ in the filter become stretched or damaged to the point where they can no longer perform their original role. Toxins and larger food particles can now escape to the blood stream and lymphatic system. In this case the liver has to work extra hard and if too many pathogens accumulate there is a risk of developing an autoimmune disease.

Remember that it takes a professional veterinarian to deliver an accurate diagnosis. Urine and stool samples may be necessary in diagnosis and abdominal x-rays, MRI or CT may be taken in order to determine blockages or to rule out any other underlying disease.

So be kind to your microvilli by looking after your diet and if you’d like to look after your dog’s microvilli too, check out the following link for more information on leaky gut prevention and healing…

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/leaky-gut-syndrome-in-dogs/

Please note that we do not provide medical advice but do promote feeding dogs with a high-quality balanced raw diet specifically designed for canine health. When we say ‘high-quality’, we also mean free from preservatives and colours and dog food which is not simply a mash of all the factory scraps deemed unfit for human consumption.

Leah & Angela OMeara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)