Special Birthday

On Tuesday July 31st this special girl turned 13 years old!

When certain breeds reach those double digits they are considered very senior dogs. And as the owner I consider myself very fortunate to see my dogs reach those ages.

So to celebrate this very Special Birthday I did a photo shoot with my niece and Riva.

We had a lot of fun doing this and Riva really enjoyed all the treats!

Then later that evening she had her special cake and more photos.

The life and times of Riva…

Cheyenne and Riva

This girl is so loved by her family! Happy Birthday my Riva Diva!!!

 

Tina & the Brown Dogs

Having some FUN with Antlers

The weekend of June 2-3 was our annual Chesapeake Fun Weekend. On Saturday we had a lot of activities for the dogs but one in particular was not only interesting but fun to try.

We had a Shed Hunt presentation and demonstration. Our presenter, Alberta Hoikke, was knowledgeable, and she and her dog, Sniper, have been doing very well in this sport.  She explained things thoroughly, and answered all our questions.

Alberta says…

Shed hunting is a fun sport for you and your dog. It adds another season for the hunting dog you already own and is a great way to keep your dog tuned up and in shape. You can easily train your dog for competition (UKC Elite Shed Dog or North American Shed Hunting Dog Association) and/or every day shed hunting. The competitions are family friendly and the training helps make your retriever a multipurpose dog and very versatile working dog companion. No special equipment is needed, just some old antlers you probably have lying around.

After the presentation she and Sniper gave us a live demonstration. The sheds are placed throughout the field (the dog does not know where) and the dog has to find them and return each one to their handler. .

After the live demonstration we were able to give it a try. Titan enjoyed himself and caught on quickly to what he was supposed to do.

So if you’re looking for something fun to try with your pooch, check this out!

Tina & the Brown Dogs

Ear Injuries are the Worse!

On Saturday April 28 I had let the pups out as usual to do their business and play for a bit. They started barking so I opened the door to let them in, first in was Thalia. I gave her some treats and lifted her into her crate, that’s when I noticed blood on her face. WHAAAT!! I start looking around to see where its coming from, I found a cut about an inch long on the inside of her ear flap. So thinking I have it solved and injury not too bad, I then notice I have blood all over me, she in fact has much more on her than I originally found, in fact it is dripping from her ear. On further investigation she not only has a cut on the inside flap but has split the tip of her ear flap open about a half inch. I swear by time I was done going over her, looking at myself, her shaking her head slinging blood everywhere, it looked like a murder scene!

If you have ever dealt with this type of ear injury, you know it is one of the most difficult to heal. The ear is very vascular so every time they shake their head it reopens the wound and you start all over.

Of course it’s the weekend and my vet office is closed so, off to the emergency vet we go. I knew she probably needed antibiotics and maybe some pain meds. If the whole area had been split open I would have had to have her stitched but I have found with this type of injury it is usually best to let it heal on its own. A lot of times sutures make it worse because if they shake their head to much it rips them out and then you are dealing with more damage.

So, when we arrived home from the vets this is what my poor little girl looked like. Grandma Riva had to give her the once over, I think she was reassuring her as Riva has had her fair share of ear problems.

The cone lasted for about 24 hours and then I gave up on it. Seemed like it was causing more problems than helping. She couldn’t wear it in the crate because it was just too big and when outside it acted like a big scoop. I was afraid too much dirt and debris would get on her ear so I finally just left it off and diligently kept her from shaking her head. Over the next two weeks I walked her outside on a leash to take care of business, kept her crate confined more than normal just to make sure we had her ear well on the mend. This is five days after the injury…

You can see it is starting to heal pretty nicely, the half inch from the edge is where the ear is completely split.

It was at this point I noticed the outer flap was not getting enough air. With the ear wrapped to her head it can cause it to become too moist. I changed the bandage regularly and inspected the injury but we still ended up with her ear getting to moist on the outer flap which caused a bit of a problem with scabby areas and hair loss. It looks wet here because I had cleaned it off and put some triple antibiotic  ointment on it. But you can see the loss of hair where I cleaned off the scabby areas.

So, I tried using less vet wrap and using a knee high stocking with the foot cut off and one hole for the good ear to keep the ear up. After a day or so I could see that was not working either so I finally just used the stocking.

Healing progressed nicely over the next couple of weeks and I could see improvement each day as I inspected it. This is May 12 post injury, you can see in the first photo there is a small notch which I figured would be the best it would get, but I could live with that compared to what is looked like originally. The last photo shows how much hair she lost on the outer flap. At this point I had been leaving all wraps off for about a week so the ear could get lots of air.

Over the next week it continued to heal nicely, this is May 17, still a very small notch but all scabbing is gone.

And this is this past Sunday…sorry a bit fuzzy, she was not having anymore of the injury photos. But you can see even the small notch is almost gone and the hair is coming back in nicely on her outer flap.

I am so thankful it has healed so nice, especially since we have our National Show Specialty coming up in about 6 weeks.

Now for how this happened, I can only speculate. Once we came home from the er vet I inspected the backyard and discovered they had pushed the part of the fence next to the garage away enough that I think she stuck her head through and caught it on a nail. There was blood spatter all over the side of the garage and the trash can that sits there. My brother and I fixed this right away and reinforced it so they couldn’t push it away again. I still haven’t let her and Zelena out to play together in the yard, I want to make sure it is healed really well because if it were to reopen now I’m sure it would be a big mess and not heal so well a second time.

So that’s been our drama the past month! We hope y’all have a great holiday weekend!!

Tina & the Brown Dogs

Gun Dog Supply ~ Day Glow Center Ring Collar

Today we are reviewing a company called Gun Dog Supply. I have been ordering from this company for several years now and I really can’t say enough about what a great company they are.

The Company

As the name indicates they carry most anything you will need for your dog. They say, “We train our dogs with the products we sell.”

Their website is easy to navigate, and they have tutorial videos to go along with many of their products. I find these helpful in deciding if the product is right for my needs. Their prices are reasonable. They typically ship the same day you order because they stock what they sell.

So, let’s get down to the product we are reviewing today, the 1 in. Day Glow Center Ring Collar.

Product Description

They are plastic coated nylon, will not pick up odors and will last a long time. Collars are a day glow color which means they are easily visible during the day but are not a reflective material you can see at night. They have a flat buckle which for most of what I do with my dogs is required. The collar is riveted verses sewn for better durability. Big bonus they are made in the USA!

Every collar they sell comes with a free brass ID plate that will fit up to 4 lines of information,

• 20 characters on top line.
• 18 characters on the middle two lines (because of rivet placement).
• 20 characters on bottom line.

And if you need to add more information additional ID plates are only $1.99.

These are the 19” Collars that fit 16-20” neck size.

The rivets are heavy duty but lay flat.

Fits very nicely, it is on the second to last hole so we still have three more holes to allow for growth.

My model, Zelena.

The buckles are quite sturdy.

Center ring is heavy duty, ID plate is printed very clearly.

Our Thoughts

So, I chose the purple for Thalia and my niece chose blue for Zelena. On the ID plate I have my name, state, and two different phone numbers.  I added an additional ID plate that included “I am Microchipped, AKC Reunite, the chip number, and the phone number”. I just wanted to make sure to have as much information available, so I would have every possible chance of getting them back if for some reason we were separated. One was placed on each side of the center ring.

The website has very detailed instructions on how to measure your dog’s neck so, you get the best fit. There is also a video going over the collars key benefits and explains what the center ring is for.

Once I had decided on the collars, colors and information I wanted on the ID plates I gave them a call to place my order as I had a gift certificate. The gentleman that helped me was extremely pleasant and helpful. He made sure to repeat information back to me to make sure he had it correct. I received my order in four days, I love the quick turnaround time. The shipping is very reasonable, $5.95, but if you order $125 or more it’s free. Total for these collars including the additional nameplates and shipping was just under $25 for both. Where can you get quality collars for two dogs at that price!

The colors are very vivid and exactly as represented on the website. They fit the girls beautifully and there is room for them to grow without having to buy more collars. The material although plastic coated is not stiff.

So if you would like to check them out you can shop here and they have a Facebook presence here.

Review Disclaimer: Misty Shores Blog purchased these collars and have reviewed them without any communication or compensation from the company.

Tina & the Brown Dogs

Surprise Surprise!

We received a very nice surprise in the mail the other day.

A few weeks ago I had finally got around to sending in Titan’s paperwork to get his Trick Dog title, you know you have to make it all official, you can read about Titan’s Trick Dog here. Well when it arrived in the mail a second envelope also came. Much to my surprise Titan also received the Achiever Dog Certificate.

The Achiever Dog program is a way to recognize and encourage dog owners to participate in several venues with their dog. To be eligible for this program your dog must be AKC registered, or listed with AKC Partners program or, AKC Purebred Alternative Listing or, recorded as Foundation Stock Service

Your dog does not have to be a purebred to register with AKC, you can register them through the AKC Partners program. This program is for mixed breeds and other dogs that aren’t eligible for AKC registration.

If you have a purebred dog but they aren’t registered with AKC because perhaps the litter was not registered or the parents were not registered, or maybe your dog is a rescue and you don’t have registration papers;  you can enroll your unregistered registrable breed in the AKC Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) program. This allows you to compete with your dog in many Performance or Companion Events.

If you have a rare breed you can enroll in the Foundation Stock Service (FSS) program. This is for purebred dogs that are not currently eligible to be registered with AKC.

So if you like to do things with your dog and would like to expand into performance events, earn titles and recognition you can see which events are eligible for the Achiever Dog program here.

Tina & the Brown Dogs