Hip Hounds

Good morning everyone!  It is Friday once again and we have been having a fun week at Hip Hounds!  This is the time of year when a lot of dogs visit us for the first time.  A lot of families are planning summer vacations and realize that their pup needs a place to stay while they are gone.  The majority of pups that walk into our playgroups are well-adjusted social dogs who understand canine language.  There is a small percentage of dogs who have no idea how to communicate with other dogs and are not able to stay with us because of their lack of communication skills. It takes time to properly socialize a dog.  It is best to start at a young age but sometimes that is not an option.  Every dog is different and responds to everything differently, so this must be taken into consideration.   They must be exposed to all kinds of environments, animals, and people in order to develop the skills to cope with anxiety, excitement, or joy over the course of their lifetime.  Your dog does not have to love everyone and everything it encounters but he or she should be able to handle situations without distracting everyone else around them. I cannot stress enough the importance of the socialization of your dog.  Not only does it increase their self confidence but it increases yours as well.   It also strengthens the bond between you and your dog by allowing you to partake in many activities with your dog rather than having to leave them at home. Woof.

Happy Friday everyone!  I am sure that all of you are preparing for Memorial Day weekend.  Hip Hounds has started the weekend early!  There are lots of pups staying with us over the next few days and it is one big dog party here!

Have a great weekend and a safe holiday!

woof!

Wrong Turn release      Good morning everyone!  Today is Friday and we are all ready for the weekend!  It will be busy here at Hip Hounds, as we have a lot of pups staying with us over the next few days! 

     Yesterday evening I was rushing to get home as quickly as possible so I could watch the entire season finale of Bones but I was held up because of my dirty puppy!  I thought he had a scab and was worried that he might have a small puncture from playing too rough but upon further examination I discovered it was just poop.  Somehow he rolled in poop.  I was relieved and grossed out at the same time.  Needless to say we got home a little later than expected last night because someone had to have a bath before getting into mom’s car!

     Speaking of poop…

     If your dog is experiencing some diarrhea, you can add some canned pumpkin (not pie filling) to their meal or just give it to them by itself if you are having to withhold food.  This will bulk up their poo a little and can help with the diarrhea.  It also helps with constipation!  Check out this link The Time Machine video if you need more information on how to handle bouts of diarrhea.  I hope everyone has a great weekend!  Check back next week!

The Ballad of Jack and Rose on dvd

woof!

     I hope everyone is having a good week and staying out of the nasty heat!  We are beating the heat at hip hounds by staying inside with the air conditioners and having an occasional romp in our bone-shaped pools! 

     I know that a lot of doggy parents log on to view our web cams.   I am sure that you guys see some funny stuff on there.  Maybe you have spotted your dog playing, me dancing, or another dog being humped.  I want to address humping because it is something that dogs do from time to time and it is sometimes misunderstood.

     Dogs hump (or mount) each other for different reasons.  It all depends on the situation and the individual dog.  Some dogs hump in play, as a sort of game.  If you watch them long enough and you notice the dogs trading roles, these dogs are having a good time being goofy with each other.  Other times there might be a dog in the play group who may feel that another dog is being too rowdy or unruly.  The first dog may hump the unruly dog to attempt to calm them down and say, "hey buddy, you are being too crazy.  I am in control!"  This behavior may look mean but it is totally natural pack behavior.  All of the dogs at Hip Hounds over the age of 9 months are spayed or neutered, so there is no sexual behavior in any of this.

     While monitoring the play groups, we try to stop all humping just because it can escalate into a fight if both dogs are extremely excited.  Some dogs are very sneaky about humping others and do it while our backs are turned!  We know who the sneaky ones are and we try to keep a good eye on them. 

    I hope everyone has a great weekend.  I also want to say Happy Mother’s Day to all of the doggy mommies out there this Sunday!  Check back with us for next week’s blog, video of the week, and dog of the week!

woof!

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen trailer

Welcome to the third post of the Hip Hounds Blog!  Today is Friday and we are all excited for the weekend!  A few of us Hip Hounders will be attending the Woofstock at Waterloo event this Saturday.  We hope to see some of you there!  It should be a really fun event for everyone.

Fox is 17 weeks old this week and today is "the" day;  he is getting neutered!  Like all of us dog parents I am a little nervous about leaving my little boy at the vet clinic all day.  He will be put under anesthesia and cut open!  He may cry when he wakes up!  I must be rational and assure myself that everyone at the vet clinic is competent and can handle any situation that may arise while my boy is on the table.

I have participated in hundreds, possibly thousands of spays and neuters over my career with animals.  I have given pre-anesthetic drugs, gassed them down, placed IV catheters, monitored them during surgery, and supervised recoveries.  I know exactly what goes on and how it is done.  I know he will be fine and the procedure will go well but it is still hard to ignore the motherly side of myself.

Spaying and neutering is routine to me and is required for animals in my household.  Spaying and neutering dramatically decreases an animal’s risk for certain cancers and other reproductive related health problems.  It benefits the animal and our society.  Countless litters of puppies and kittens are born every day.  There are not enough homes for all of them and not enough resources to care for them all.  I have spent time in animal rescue and have seen the results of people not taking responsibility for their animals.  Education is key.  Some people just don’t know what could happen to their beloved pet if they are left intact.  Some people have no idea what goes on in animal shelters across the country; if they knew it might change their mind on spending that extra money to get their puppy or kitten spayed or neutered.

Well enough of my ranting on spaying and neutering!  Have a great weekend and I will post again next week!

Ed Wood Woof!

-Megan

     Hello there and welcome to the second post of the Hip Hounds Blog!  I am sure you all have noticed a few new additions to our website recently.  We added a sassy new ‘About Us’ section that includes photos and short bios on the staff.  Check it out and learn a little bit about the people who take care of your babies all day!

     Speaking of new additions, I recently added a new family member to my herd.  We had been looking to add a new dog for a few weeks and after much searching we found little Fox and fell in love.  He came from San Marcos and was part of an accidental litter.  Thankfully the owners of his mommy took responsibility and got the puppies great medical care, shots, and found good homes for all of the pups.  My friend and coworker, Ellen was looking for a puppy at the same time and actually took home one of his sisters.  They play together several days a week.

    One thing that I noticed during our search for a new pup is the massive amount of random people out there who are breeding dogs.  I am not talking about responsible, confirmed, or champion working breeders.  I found a lot of people who just have two dogs of the same breed and mate them to sell the puppies at the highest price possible.  If you are looking for a new pup to add to your family, please consider all other options before buying from these ‘back yard breeders’.  I can understand if someone wants a specific breed but there are responsible and passionate breeders out there who:  only breed their females once or twice in a lifetime, can provide decent lineage, and certify hips (if applicable).  Even if you are looking for a specific breed I still recommend checking local shelters and rescue groups or contacting a breed-specific rescue organization.  The AKC has a list of them here. You may fall in love with and save a pup’s life.

Here I am with Fox and my co-worker, Ellen with Fox’s sister, Chili.

The Italian Job film Sam’s Lake hd  

Hello everyone and welcome to the Dog Blog! This blog is going to help Hip Hounds let everyone know whats going on here and give us the chance to share dog-related information with our clients and friends.
I have almost ten years of professional experience with animals which includes: veterinary, shelter/rescue, and cruelty investigations. I have been here since December of 2006 and I must say that working at Hip Hounds is the best job I have ever had. I get to work with dogs all day and meet some pretty great people at the same time.
We would really like to thank our clients for an awesome 2008 and we appreciate all of the referrals! We are looking foward to a busy 2009! This blog will be updated weekly, so bookmark this site and check back with us next week!

-MeganThe Ballad of Jack and Rose ipodEd Wood release Shark Tale film The Italian Job movie