Dog Blog

Saturday, April 26, 2008

And the next question for this newest pet protection law is, will it be enforced?  Will police actually pull dog and driver over and issue a citation or a DUD (Driving under the Dog)?  I have serious doubts.  We already have passed a California law that prohibits leaving an animal unattended in a car on a hot day. Today, as I was leaving the grocery store, I saw a man get out of his SUV and leave his dog in the car while he went into the store.  Although there was a strong wind, the Mercury hit the 80s today.  These sudden warming trends spell trouble for dogs.  

It was too warm to leave a dog inside a car, even for a little while with the rear windows ajar, in this case about 6 inches.  I have found confronting these thoughtless idiots unproductive in the past, but it so happens that the man walked right past a policeman in his car who is always on duty outside the supermarket during the day (you're on your own after dark).  I walked up to the cop, who had his door braced wide open with his foot because it was too warm for him inside his patrol car, and reported the dog that was left in the car.  He asked me which car, so I pointed it out to him.  He didn't get out of his car to go investigate the situation or check on the dog's welfare but thanked me for reporting it.  I'm sure he just marked me off as some nosy woman and went about whatever he was doing before I walked up.  The dog could probably stick his head out the window and perhaps get  a little relief for a time from the heat rising inside the car, but regardless of the weather and number of inches the window was left ajar, the fact remains that the man leaving his dog unattended in the car on a warm day could have put it in jeopardy, and this is an offense punishable by $500 or a year in jail.  These together would not be sufficient punishment for endangering a dog's life, in my opinion.  I had to leave, although I wanted to observe what happened after I reported the offense, so I don't know whether the dog owner was cited or even warned, but I somehow doubt it.  I sincerely hope he didn't stay in the store longer than "just a few minutes."  

As the weather heats up in the valley in the coming months, dogs will continue to suffer and die while law enforcement continues to look the other way, as has been my experience in these situations in the past.  They clearly have bigger fish to fry and more bullets to fire at bachelor parties.

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Thursday, April 24, 2008

I'm glad to hear that California is about to pass a law that prohibits dogs from driving cars; that is, it keeps an owner from driving while letting the dog sit in his lap.  I lose count of the number of drivers I see with their dogs (usually toy breeds but not always) perched in their laps, or hanging their heads out the open window.  I wonder if the driver thinks about what would happen to his precious pet in the event of a collision?  Trouble is, most people don't think much at all about the consequences of doing stupid things that distract them from the deadly serious business of driving a WMD.  In an accident, the dog would certainly be killed or injured when the airbag deployed or could be ejected out the open window.  Small dogs can get under your feet and interfere with your ability to depress the brake and gas pedals.  The safest way to travel with your pet is to keep him enclosed in a carrier, restrained in the back seat, or placed behind a pet barrier.  Your fur child does not belong on your lap or beside you in the front passenger seat, where there is also an air bag. With drivers talking and texting on cell phones, using GPS, laptops, and even watching videos, who needs the added distraction of a pooch running loose in the car?     

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Saturday, April 19, 2008


Peaches inherited Daisy's old bed, which has a broken zipper.  Even though it should have been tossed out long ago, I had a hard time parting with it after Daisy died.  Daisy spent so many cozy nights lying on that old bed in front of the fire on winter nights, and it also provided comfort in her final months of life.  

We bought Peaches a new bed after we adopted her, but she has also adopted Daisy's old bed.  She uses it a bit differently than Daisy did, though.  She climbs inside the bed between the cushion and top like it's a mummy bag.  She likes hiding inside it because it's dark and serves as her den, I suppose.  She probably feels secure in her hidey hole.  When you've been through two shelters and who knows what before that, security is a precious commodity.  

Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night and can't find her in her own bed, I become alarmed until I remember that she's wrapped up in her Basset Burrito, as we have begun calling it.  She tucks so far into it that you don't know she's there...until you hear the burrito snoring.

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Wednesday, April 09, 2008

This is my beloved father, Bill, sitting in his favorite chair in the garage with his favorite dog, Laddie.  It's also where Dad played his guitar and harmonica.  

Laddie, an adoptee from a local pound, helped Dad heal almost completely from his stroke over a decade ago.  When Dad developed Alzheimer's, Laddie was his link to the present. 

Sadly, Dad passed away on March 30 at the age of 86, leaving a grieving family and his faithful Scottish terrier behind.  I miss you, Dad! 

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