Dear Fisher,
I’m a two-year-old mixture of Maltese and poodle, and live with 2 other little dogs much like me, and a cat. We are lucky because we’re very social and get to go out a lot with the humans. I’m very social and rarely bark when in the company of lots of people and other dogs. If they don’t take me with them, I cry when they leave, but that’s not the real problem.
I am sure you have heard of the “cat’s meow” – but have you ever heard of the “dog’s howl?” If my humans don’t take me with them, I howl and howl when they come home. It’s a real howl, very loud, and I can’t seem to stop. The humans can get very annoyed at this. Do you have a solution?
Poshy
Dear Poshy,
No, I have not heard of the “dog’s howl.” I did some checking, though, and it seems dogs who would not normally howl may tend to when they are left alone. Of course, this does not address why you howl when they come home. Consider yourself quite unique – if you have not already done so.
There are several reasons a dog howls. Some will howl when they hear sirens, or certain kinds of music. The tones trigger some unknown reflex and they feel compelled to do it. I have heard of dogs who will howl along when their humans sing, or perhaps play the oboe. This may be a wake-up call to the human to try a little harder to perform on key.
A dog left alone and feeling very lonely may howl. Or, the howling may come about due to some ancestral genes. Wild dogs such as coyotes and wolves traditionally howled to gather their clan. It was their only way to call a meeting when all were spread out far and wide.
In her article, “Howling – why do dogs do it?”, Glynne Anderson provides some explanation and then asks the thought provoking question, “…are our dogs serenading, crooning or lamenting?” I might add…cajoling?
But, you are not alone with 2 other dogs and a cat in the house, and surely they cannot be spread too far and wide. Poshy, consider why you are howling when your humans come home. Some possibilities include:
1. you are more than a little miffed that your humans went off without you
2. you want ALL the neighbors to know your humans stayed out very LATE
3. your timing is a little off – the clan is gathered but you want to take credit for it
Getting to the cause will go a long way in your deciding to stop your howling behavior. On the other hand, your humans may choose to return home at a decent hour?
Your friend,
Fisher
New email from a friend who loves dogs…
How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb?
1. Golden Retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, we’ve got our whole lives ahead of us, and you’re inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb?
2. Border Collie: Just one. And then I’ll replace any wiring that’s not up to code.
3. Dachshund: You know I can’t reach that stupid lamp!
4. Rottweiler: Make me.
5. Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.
6. Lab: Oh, me, me!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I? Pleeeeeeeeeze, please, please, please!
7. German Shepherd: I’ll change it as soon as I’ve led these people from the dark, check to make sure I haven’t missed any, and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.
8. Jack Russell Terrier: I’ll just pop it in while I’m bouncing off the walls and furniture.
9.. Old English Sheep Dog: Light bulb? I’m sorry, but I don’t see a light bulb!
10. Poodle: I’ll just blow in the Border Collie’s ear and he’ll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.
How many cats does it take to change a light bulb???
Cats do not change light bulbs. People change light bulbs. tee hee
In the interest of fair play, you are invited to send your favorite cat joke. Poking a little fun is OK when done with love.
Your friend,
Fisher
Dear Fisher,
Well, it’s here again. The holiday festivities and much excitement around the house, people showing up from nowhere – or so it seems – and tons of food and goodies. Mind you, none of the food and goodies are for me! I call it the Annual Salivation Season. Some years it seems to last forever. Do people not know dogs have a keen sense of smell and some – that would be me – can smell a chocolate chip cookie from several yards away? I don’t want to be a downer, Fisher, but I’m looking at more than a month of feeling like I’m starving. All those yummy smells and the food never makes it to my bowl. How should I handle this? I think I can open the refrigerator door if I try real hard, but….
Marko
Dear Marko,
Oh, my dog! Do not under any circumstances open the refrigerator door. What do you suppose would happen if that one chocolate chip cookie you so crave was in the very back of the fridge? You crawl in with the best of plans, and wham. Door closes and you are stuck. Humans usually do not look in a refrigerator for many hours after looking everywhere else for a lost pet. Most will, eventually, after sheer desperation sets in, but by that time, well, just think about it.
It is most important that you understand you are not given many human food choices because they can raise havoc with your digestive system, make you very sick, and in some cases, kill you. Now that is a strong reason to let your humans control your intake. Here are a few substance you must avoid:
- Absolutely no alcoholic beverages. Drunkenness is not a funny animal trick. The hops (included with beer) are very dangerous and could cause seizures.
- Onions can cause anemia and even if they do not make you sick, you will likely find yourself very alone on the couch.
- Chicken bones, as we all know, are dangerous because they splinter and can cause lacerations to your internal organs. No fish bones, either!
- Stay away from cat food. Your digestive system is very different from the cat’s, and it probably will not kill you, but you might get quite sick. Or scratched abundantly.
- And the chocolate – good news here – you do not need it! There is a substitute for chocolate called Carob and it smells and tastes like chocolate with no harm to you.
Your humans can find all sorts of very neat, healthy and tasty treats on the internet. Try to urge them to bake special treats for you while baking their own holiday cookies. A great site for this (and never mind the title) is The Poop Pantry. Look for some very easy and yummy recipes there. Cooking is often a family affair, and I vote for the family dog participating in the venture.
Your friend,
Fisher
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The dog is not allowed in the house.
Okay, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.
The dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture
The dog can get on the old furniture only.
Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.
Okay, the dog is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.
The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.
The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only.
The dog can sleep under the covers every night.
Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the dog.
From “My Dog is the World’s Best Dog” by Suzy Becker.
Well trained dogs are as agile as they are entertaining.
Hope you enjoyed the show!
Your friend,
Fisher
This week’s email had a few surprises. First came the fun video from my friends at The Outside Joke. Then, on a more serious side, came an amazing story of a group of men in New York out to make a difference!
You can visit The Outside Joke more of their fun stuff.
On a more serious side, check out
“If you don’t like us from the way we look, we can’t help that. But if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem, so stay out of the way.”
— Joe Panz, Leader, Rescue Ink
Dear Fisher,
My pet-mate and I have a human who is not being fair. Cosmo, an allegedly “soft coated” Wheaten Terrier, is allowed on the couch, while I, a rat terrier, am not allowed on the couch. When my human is not home, you bet the first thing I do is jump right on that bad boy.
To be fair, my human has provided me with exclusive use of my own rocker recliner. Cosmo is not allowed to even sniff it, let alone sit on. Still, it seems unfair that just because I generously share my fur with everyone and everything, that this keeps me from being allowed on the couch. How can my human be so, um, inhumane?
Cookie – the davenport deprived dog
Dear Cookie,
Perhaps you are approaching this issue from the “glass is half empty” school of thought. It is probably not that your human likes Cosmo better than you, but more likely Cosmo’s occupancy of the sofa and your homesteading of the rocker recliner is simply because your human likes the sofa better than the recliner. Your “alleged” soft coated Wheaten Terrier pet-mate likely does very little shedding, unlike you, of the rat terrier breed. Rat terriers have a tendency toward profuse shedding. Your human seems to have come up with a no mess, no fuss solution and should be applauded.
Your first order of business is to accept you rocker recliner with dignity. Shedding is nothing to be ashamed of and if you are deemed healthy and fit, it is just a natural occurrence for your breed. However, I can disclose some helpful grooming tools others have used:
- recommended brushes such as a bristle brush and soft horse hair brush
- a glove with little nubs on it is helpful for removing hair and is soothing for you
- a nice bath with a natural ingredient shampoo and conditioner
- a vacuum cleaner (OK, do not panic! Must be done with care.)
You can read about other dog lovers and their solutions at
http:Wonder Puppy. Search for Helpful Hints for Shedding Problems. They even tell you how to introduce a dog to the vacuum cleaning method of hair removal. I am not necessarily recommending this, it is just an idea.
On another note, you might want to consider putting all that discarded fur to good use. Your human could gather it all up and create a pillow – or in your case, a doggy bed. Better yet, VIP Fibers can spin it into yarn. Perhaps your human would like to knit up some warm socks for friends and family living in the northern parts of the country. Maybe a doggy sweater for you made from your own fur would convince you that you really are quite special.
In the meantime, think of your rocker recliner as a throne. You might try to use that lever on the side and learn to pull it up, thus giving you more room to stretch out. Enjoy!
Your friend,
Fisher
