My English Springer Spaniel

Just like allergies are not limited to a certain type of race of humans, allergies are not limited to Springers either!  But they are devastating to deal with!  While people sneeze, cough and have a runny nose, your dog will have different signs of allergies.  Dogs may lick their paws until they are red and sore, or their bellies and or tails as well.  Allergies keep you in constant contact with your veterinarian.  Your vet may suggest an antihistamine that can be purchased over the counter at any pharmacy.  But a word to the wise, do NOT medicate without a veterinarian’s consent on which medication and dosage.

If your dog has outdoor allergies, one thing that you can do is wipe the allergens off of your dog’s paws when he/she comes in for outdoors.  Baby wipes are great for this and also keeps your house cleaner.  Once a dog starts licking and the area becomes red, seek veterinary care.  Once the area becomes red, it is usually a sign of infection and antibiotics are needed to clear up the problem. Your veterinarian may also prescribe a dose of prednisone, which eliminates the itching.  If your dog has indoor allergies, cleaning constantly is your best defense.  Washing your dog’s bedding often and vacuuming frequently will help keep the allergy issue to a minimum.

I have friends that had their dog tested for allergies so they knew what allergens were causing the problem.  Now their dog gets regular shots for his allergies.  By the way, this dog is not a purebred dog.

An all natural nutritional supplement, Dinovite can be added to your dog’s diet that has had quite a bit of success for allergy conditions.  To find out more information go to www.dinovite.com and be sure to read the testimonials.  I have supplemented Eliot’s diet with Dinovite and was successful at keeping his allergies under control.

Remember, you are not the only dog owner that has this problem!  Best wishes for finding a good solution for you and your dog!

I am sure that I am not the only dog owner who buys gifts for their precious pet at Christmas time.  When we would gather at the tree on Christmas morning, all my dogs knew there was going to be something special for them too.  New toys and biscuits all wrapped in Christmas paper just like all the other gifts.  Oh boy what fun!

Now when my daughter was little, I used to hide the Christmas gifts in the attic and while she was at school, I would go to the attic and wrap gifts.  I would sit on the top step on a carpet remnant, and wrap the gifts on the floor and then push them to the side out of view.  One cold day, I went to wrap gifts and Spencer, my second Springer, went with me.  He sat down on the carpet beside me and I proceed to wrap gifts.  I had quite a few wrapped, when I looked over at him and he was carefully unwrapping each gift to see if they were his new toy or biscuit!   While I was not too happy with his help it did make me laugh!  It is a Christmas memories that I will always treasure!

Since then, I’ve hidden the dog’s wrapped presents in a place where he can’t find or sniff them.  Treats work best, because the scent is enticing to open.  However, once the thrill of Christmas and opening gifts is there, dogs enjoy chewing on the paper and opening anything.  Just make sure that the toy is safe to be immediately played with or consumed by the dog.

The 134^th annual Westminster Dog Show in Madison Square Garden, New York, NY is already scheduled for two days of dog loving fun!  A lot will be going on both days with the judging of each breed, and then each evening the best of each breed will be judged in their respective group.  On Monday evening, February 15, 2010, the judging will begin with the Hound group, followed by the Toy group, the Non Sporting group and ending the evening with the Herding group.  All this can be seen live on USA Network from 8pm to 9pm and then immediately finishing the evening on CNBS from 9pm to 11pm.   Then on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 the judging will start with the Sporting group, then the Working group, the Terrier group and ending with the Best In Show!  Tuesday’s group judging will also be televised live on USA Network from 8 pm to 11 pm.

The invitations that were sent out this year to the top champion winning English Springer Spaniels went to Ch Cerise Jesse James (call name Jesse, son of Ch Felicity’s Diamond Jim “James“, Westminster Best In Show 2007), Ch Cerise Signature of Telltale CD RN (call name Dustin), Ch Tara’s Master of D “Game”, Ch Tiffany’s Esspecial Imagery, and Ch Wynmoor Brightwater Timeless.  Some of these gorgeous dogs can be viewed at  www.essonlinemagazine.com , volume 5, issue 1.  I will be watching and cheering on the English Springer Spaniel that takes best in breed and hoping for an ESS for Best In Show!!!!

Are you tired of putting your doogy doo in plastic baggies?  Hate picking it up in plastic bags?  Try making your own or buying a doggy pot or doggy composter.  For a few bucks and a trash can, you can build yourself one.   There are several ways to build them online, but the pattern I like best is listed on the City Gardener’s website.

A couple of adjustments that he doesn’t mention.  First, don’t just put in poop.  Feel free to add tree brush,  grass, and other yard clippings.   Two, your poo bucket should be proportionate to your dog.  If you’re going to bury a small trash can in the yard, remember that the average dog creates like 250+ pounds of waste a year.   Think of all those 40lb bags of dog food and where they end up going.  Also, consider how often you’re going to use the soil on your yard.

Friends of ours had to put to sleep their beloved Yorkshire terrier, Gus, in the early spring. They were telling everyone “no more dogs” and gave away all of the dogs items they possessed. Then this summer, new friends came into their lives that had a Yorkshire terrier, Tinker. Tinker on occasion would need a puppy sitter and Tina who is 93 years young, volunteered to be that person. Tina lives with her son Dave, and the two of them fell in love with Tinker and realized that they really missed having a companion of their own. So the search for a new “Yorkie” began. A “Yorkie” was found and the puppy that was coming to live with Tina and Dave was a girl dog, and she was going to need all kinds of things!

Now all of us girls got to thinking about this situation and decided to throw Tina a puppy shower! We sent out invitations and ordered balloons that claimed “It’s a Girl” and had a dog centerpiece and a cake decorated with tiny dog biscuit shaped candy. Tina was so surprised and claimed that this was the first shower she ever had! She received all kinds of puppy things, from small dog girl clothes to small toys and treats. The day after the puppy shower “Truffles” arrived in a small basket lined with a pink blanket. The last I talked to Tina, she still was floating on cloud nine over the shower and the new puppy!

As a do lover, I never thought about the cost of a dog. But with the economy we are facing, everyone is taking a good look at their expenses. If you decide to buy a purebred today the price can range from $800 to $2,000 depending upon the quality of the blood line as well as the size of the breed. An English Springer Spaniel rescue can cost considerably less, somewhere between $150 to $300 depending upon the age of the dog.

If you never owned a dog before the basic supplies of bowls, leashes, collars, toys, brush, nail clippers, and training crate can add up to $200 or more. Crates can be as much as $200 alone if you need one of the larger sizes.

A dog license is an estimated $10 to $20 per year. Identification tags for your precious pet are about $20 each. Micro-chipping your dog is approximately $65.00.

Dog training school adds another $50 to $150 to the cost, depending upon the area you live.

Grooming is approximately $40 for a medium sized dog every six to eight weeks. Some breeds do not need groomed that often, but I find that my Springer, Eliot needs groomed every six to eight weeks.

Dog sitters or dog walkers can be $25 to $50 per day, depending upon the area you live. Boarding can also be dependant upon the area you live, ranging from $10 to $60 per day.

Food costs approximately $30 to $50 per month and don’t forget treats!

Veterinary care can be quite costly, even if your dog is healthy. A minimum yearly cost including exams, vaccinations, heartworm medications, teeth cleaning is estimated at $500 to $1000. Then add flea treatment for about $10 to $15 per month. Emergency care can be upward of $1000 depending upon the circumstances. Old age will also require more veterinary visits and medications adding to the expense.

Fencing your yard for your dog’s safety is also another cost factor.

Overall, the cost of a dog for one year is estimated at $1500 to $3000 per year. But the love and joy that they bring to your house is PRICELESS!

The English Springer Spaniel is a intelligent great dog, and it is not a surprise that some of them are famous!

Mildred Kerr Bush, aka Millie, an English Springer Spaniel was a famous “First Dog” that lived in the White House along with President George Bush and his wife, Barbara, from 1988 to 1992. Millie also co-wrote a bestseller, “Millie’s Book” about her life in the White House. The book was on the bestseller list for 29 weeks. Then on March 17, 1989, Millie gave birth to a litter of English Springer Spaniel puppies in the White House! It created quite a frenzy to get pictures of the darling puppies!

One of those puppies, Spot Fetcher Bush, aka “Spotty”, made US history by moving back into the White House with her new owners, President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura. Spotty, also a “First Dog” became the first –second generation presidential pet.

Buster, an English Springer Spaniel, is a member of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps arms and explosives search dogs and is serving with the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment in Iraq. Buster found an extremist group’s hidden arsenal of weapons and explosives and received the Dickin Medal for his service!

Jake, an English Springer Spaniel was deployed with the London Metropolitan Police explosive search dogs following the July 7, 2005 London bombings. Jake received a PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) Gold Medal, an animal bravery award for his call of duty!

There are also many other famous Champion Show Springers and Champion Field Springers! Cheers to the famous!!

Rabies has plagued animals wild and domesticated for centuries and is still active in the United States. The only state never to report a case of human or animal rabies is Hawaii. In the early 1900’s the number of deaths in human from rabies were 100 or more cases per year. The big decline started in the 1940’s when vaccine and animal control programs were put into place and human rabies cases were about 40 cases each year. In the 1950”s the number of human rabies cases were 99 for the entire decade. Then in the 1960’s the number dropped again to 15 cases. The vaccine campaigns started in the 1940’s all but eliminated the circulation of canine strains by the 1960’s. But late 1970’s and early 1980’s brought a surge of a variant strain that was well adapted to dogs. In the last 40 years in the US, most reports have been confirmed in wild animals rather than domestic animals. Raccoons are the most frequent species to carry rabies followed by skunks, bats and foxes. There are seven rabies virus strains, six which effect man. Genotype 2 has never been isolated in a human case. While there are countries that are rabies free (Germany, Japan, Iceland, Finland, France, Sweden, Norway, just to name a few), we still cannot let our guard down. We must remember to vaccinate our pets and beware of wild animals that seem tame. If your vaccinated pet gets bitten or scratched by another animal suspected of being rabid, your dog needs to be revaccinated immediately and closely observed for 45 days. If your dog has not been vaccinated for rabies and gets bitten or scratched by a suspected rabid animal, it is recommended that your dog be euthanized immediately. The rabies virus is spread through a bite or scratch from an infected animal. The virus is in the salvia, and spreads through the nervous system and brain in 2 to 6 weeks. In the first stage an infected dog shows signs of nervousness, anxiety, aggression in sweet dogs and friendly behavior in dogs that are normally shy. A dog will lick the site of the wound and run a high fever. The next stage is where the dog is very irritable, disoriented, has seizures, and become vicious. Death can occur at this stage. The last stage the dog has difficulty breathing and facial muscles become paralyzed. The dog may also salivate or foam at the mouth. This is a terrible death for a beloved pet! Don’t take your chances with your best friend and maybe family members as well, see your vet for regular rabies vaccine!

Starting July 14th, Pet Airways will begin service as the US’s first and only pet-s only airline. No humans allowed. Starting $149 each way, your furry friend can fly in a pressurized plane cabins, and even have their own attendants to check on them every fifteen minutes. The only thing we don’t know is if peanuts and sodas will be replaced with water and doggie treats. For someone who is moving, or wants to fly their pets with them on an extended trip or vacation, it could be an interesting service. http://petairways.com/

I once saw a picture of a child with cancer hugging Felicity’s Diamond Jim aka James. James, the English Springer Spaniel that won the Best in Show at Westminster Kennel Club on February 13, 2007, retired from the show ring and pursued his other career as a therapy dog.

Therapy dogs are needed everywhere, nursing homes, children’s hospitals, rehabilitation homes, etc. in every community. If your Springer is obedient and possess a good temperament, therapy work can be very rewarding for you and your dog.

The history of therapy dogs began in World War II, when an American soldier found a young female adult Yorkshire Terrier in New Guinea on the battlefield during combat with the Japanese. A Corporal Wayne Wynne bought the dog and named her Smoky. Smoky’s small size soon helped her become a hero by running a communication wire in a 70 foot long pipe that was only eight inches around during the construction of a crucial airbase at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. Smoky’s small feat prevented the need to move 40 aircraft to dig up the taxiway and putting them in jeopardy of enemy bombardment.

Smoky’s therapy work began when Corporal Wynne was hospitalized, and Smoky came to visit him and other soldiers. Smoky instantly began cheering up the soldiers and Dr. Charles Mayo (the Mayo Clinic) saw what a difference Smoky made with the injured soldiers and allowed her to visit and even spend several nights sleeping with Corporal Wynne. Smoky continued to do therapy work for 12 years during the after World War II.

The establishment of therapy dogs is contributed to Elaine Smith, an American who worked in England as a registered nurse. She noticed that patients responded well to a certain chaplain and his Golden Retriever. Upon returning to the US in 1976, Smith started a training program for dogs to do therapy work. Therapy dogs do relieve stress, lowering blood pressure, raise spirits, and help children overcome speech and emotional disorders.

If you think that your best friend can be a source of therapy for others, find a therapy dog organization in your community. They will inform you of the qualifications required and you and your dog will be well on your way to making many new friends!