Zelda

I like getting emails about the dogs that we have bred. This one is from Linda Davis about Zelda. Zelda developed quite an affection for Cosmo, one of the Davis's guinea pigs.


"I just wanted to give you an update on our baby girl Zelda. At her latest vet visit, they indicated that she was in perfect health. As soon as we entered the lady at the desk said that you could tell that she was a Surry dog.

I know I’m a proud mommy but Zelda is absolutely breath-taking. She is perfect in every way. She is extremely friendly with everyone and loves to be around other four-legged friends. She has always been so well behaved in the house. She never gets into anything! She still expects her twice daily walks. With this heat she has been going around six in the morning and ten at night. In between time, she really enjoys the couch and spending time laying by the front window. She is still best friends with the piggies especially Cosmo. She is in the middle of taking more training and is doing well in the class.

I think one key to her being so well adjusted besides her exceptional breeding and her being so smart is the fact that in the last 16 months since she came home, she has not spent more than four hours by herself which has not too many times. Someone is usually home with her so she never really has a opportunity to get into trouble or feel lonely. My younger son and I are leaving on July 3 to go to France for July to visit family. My mom is French and all my family lives in France. This will be our first time away from Zelda. I am really not looking forward to leaving her. My husband only works Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. He has already put in for half-day vacation the entire time we will be gone so Zelda is not left too long by herself plus my older son will be around to watch her too. I am excited for my son but I am also looking forward to our return. I know she will be fine. You truly don’t know how much she has blessed our lives. She is really special. We are grateful for her every day. She is definitely not “a dog” but a true member of our family. I think we are all in-love with her! "

Sweet old dogs

I received this email from Alison Harshbarger:

"We got Chandler from you at Surry Labradors a long long time ago. He's now 12 years old. I included a picture I took of him about a month or two ago. He's been a great dog. We should have know though, when we visited and he was crawling all over the other puppies that we would have our hands full. But he's now old and has arthritis. He still manages to follow my mother from room to room, since my brother and I left for college. I've since then graduated and gone in the working world. I just wanted to drop you a note and let you know how much we love Chandler."

I have a special place in my heart for the old ones. And it is especially poignant to hear from someone who got a puppy from us so many years ago. It's hard to believe that 12 years have passed since Chandler was born at Surry.

I have a couple of oldies at Surry now. Tilly is 14 and doing well. She enjoys lying around in air conditioning. Timmi, who was imported from Sweden, is still a happy boy and shows little sign of aging much. I remember when these and so many others that we had were young. I guess that old age catches up with all of us eventually.

Meeting Sky Rose

A friend of mine just adopted a greyhound off the track. Her racing name was Scythe but Bee has renamed her Sky Rose. She raced about nine times and won four races. After winning those early races in her career, she always lagged or was last. That ended her career and thankfully she was put up for adoption.

Sky Rose is a fawn brindle. She has tiger stripes on a soft fawn coat. She is a bit anxious yet. Bee said that when she picked up her walking stick, Sky Rose ran to her blanket and cowered. That suggests that she was whipped or mistreated. But I told Bee that after a few months of love, her anxiety will diminish. She will know that she is loved and that no one will ever mistreat her again.

I liked Sky Rose from the moment I met her. She has the kindest eyes and the softest coat. As soon as she gets acclimated, I'll take Hoffa and one of the Labradors over to meet her. It was Hoffa's eyes that clinched the decision by Bee to get a greyhound. She said that she took one look in those soft eyes and decided that she had to adopt one.

Don't worry Sky Rose--you've found a good home and lots of people who care about you.

Deacon is home

Surry's Deacon Blue is now home for a few months. He has been out with Rusty and Jenn Howard since Feb. But he's now out of coat.

He seemed glad to be back, knew right where his kennel was and has been enjoying playing with his buddies. It's amazing how the dogs don't forget the routine or their old playmates.

Whenever Stella comes back to visit, she runs right to the doggy room door and wags her tail to be let in. She enjoys coming back to visit with her dam, Tilly and her new friend, Hoffa, the greyhound.

I don't know why I would think that they would ever forget. They have a better sense of smell and other sensory receptors that are a lot better than outs. And we don't forget places where we lived before either.

Welcome back Deacon! We missed you.

Retirement

My husband's last day of work was May 31. It has been hard for me to adjust to his not being at work since we've always worked in close proximity to each other. We are both marine scientists and were lucky enough to get positions at a marine laboratory in Charleston, SC. His office has been 3 doors down from mine and now it's empty of all his books. I can't just walk down the hall and ask him a question on some scientific matter.

Charles has had a great career and done some excellent work. I think that neither of us thought about retiring but the last few years, it has come to seem more appealing. For one thing, we enjoy our hobbies. He enjoys fishing, gardening, wood working and cooking. He wants to spend more time doing those things. After you've worked at something for 30 years, it is also nice to know that every day is a Saturday!

This morning Charles told me that he feels busier now than ever. He has been working on moving books and files from his work office to the new library at Surry. He is planning to spend some time writing papers on his research. It appears that there is more than enough to keep him busy. And also more time to play with the dogs and give them cookies!

Beach time

It's getting to be that time of year when the dogs are out en masse at the beach. Of course, there are the leash laws but early mornings seem to be the time when people and their dogs are out walking.

Caroline sent me the great photo of Mia walking along the beach near her home in Florida. There are only a handful of places that I know of where dogs can go on the beach at any time. One of those is Morris Island which is only reached by boat. If you go there, be prepared for a free for all atmosphere of dogs and people. Saturday's are the wildest with about 30 boats at anchor and a sea of humans drinking beer and playing frisbee. On Sunday, the crowd is more family oriented. On either day, there are dogs running and playing in the water.

If you go to the beach, observe and obey the leash laws. Pick up after your dog and try not to take your dog near any bird rookeries. Also be on the look out for areas that have turtle nests.
Being on the beach is great but in order to keep being able to go there, pet owners have to be responsible.

Dogs and thunderstorms

Thunderstorms are prevalent in the south during the summer. I know that some dogs simply don't like thunderstorms because of the noise and the lowering of barometric pressure. I've heard of dogs that run into closets or under beds. We've been fortunate in that our dogs have adjusted to thunderstorms. They seem to take the noise in stride.

However, Stella and Mia seem to be two that don't like storms at all. Both begin to show distress by panting heavily. Stella wants to be with her human and stick right at his side. There are a couple of suggestions for how to possibly alleviate fear of storms.

One of the things is to provide a crate as a haven for a dog during the storm. Cover the crate with a blanket and let the dog relax in the crate. Talk to the dog in a reassuring manner while the dog is in the crate. Behaviorists claim that purchasing a CD of storm noises and playing it during the day, gradually increasing the volume can help to modify behavior. Personally, I think that Labradors would recognize a recording from the real thing. It is suggested that if you get a recording, reward the dog with a special treat for not panting and showing signs of fear. If you increase the volume, watch to see how the dog reacts. If the dog becomes anxious, then lower the volume and after the dog calms down, then try raising it again and leaving it raised for a few minutes. Then lower the volume again. I've read that this works but have never tried it.

As a last resort, there is also medication that can be given. However, given that thunderstorms arise quickly down here, I don't think that would be much help either.

Probably the most important thing is to calm the dog as much as possible. Let him go into a darkened crate if he wants, but if he wants to be near you, then let him. Hopefully, the dog will get used to the fact that thunderstorms roll through fairly quickly.

Osteosarcoma

I just learned that a friend's dog has osteosarcoma. This is a type of bone cancer that is generally found in the leg bones of large breed dogs. Many years ago I had a Rottweiler that developed osteosarcoma. The cancer generally occurs in middle aged or older dogs. It is an aggressive cancer and can become more painful as it grows outward and destroys the bone from the inside out.

In my Rottweiler, I first noticed that she was limping. The limping became worse and a large lump appeared on the leg. This large lump was the tumor that was growing inside the leg bone. I had to stop all obedience work with her because tumorous bone is not as strong as normal bone and can break easily. Such a fracture won't heal readily.

I took Zoe in to the vet and a radiograph revealed the presence of osteosarcoma. There are several characteristics that can be observed on the radiograph:

• The “lytic lesion” – looks like an area of bone has been eaten away.

• The “sunburst” pattern – shows as a corona effect as the tumor grows outward and pushes the more normal outer bone up and away.

• A pathologic fracture may be seen through the abnormal bone.

Osteosarcoma does not cross the joint space to affect other bones comprising the joint.There are few options with osteosarcoma. Some vets indicate that amputation of the leg may buy some time. Others suggest amputation and chemotherapy. The problem is that the dog is then very uncomfortable and by the time the disease is diagnosed in the leg, it has likely spread to the organs of the chest such as the lungs.

I hope that Cayenne will continue to enjoy life as much as possible. She has been given around 4 months. She doesn't go to the beach anymore but seems happy enough limping around the house. It's sad to see such a once active dog no longer able to do the things that she so enjoyed. Osteosarcoma is a bad disease and one that I had hoped to not see among my doggy friends again.

Brain tumors

I was sorry to hear about Ted Kennedy and the diagnosis that he has a glioma brain tumor. My cousin was diagnosed a couple of years ago with glioblastoma multiforme, Stage Four. I've seen him go from being a healthy active person to someone who can no longer walk, has difficulty speaking, and who is living marginally.

I say marginally because he can no longer read, has great anxiety, is bedridden, and communicates minimally. His glioma was in the left parietal lobe, the same location for Sen. Kennedy's tumor.

My cousin did have surgery, followed by chemo and radiation. He has been on a number of drugs used to counter the effects of swelling on the brain and to help wipe out the tumor. His last MRI showed no further growth of the tumor. But the effects of the surgery and radiation have taken their toll. Further, it seems likely that the tumor has "branched" out and is still active at a level that is undetectable by MRI.

His wife has remained devoted in her care of him but she has suffered a terrible toll also. She has given up any kind of life for herself to be his sole caregiver. I wonder what will happen to her when he dies.

I heard on the news that Sen. Kennedy is finding out as much as he can about the tumor. If he has read about it, then he knows that it is devastating. I wish him the best. It's a tough diagnosis with a bad disease.

Island tornado

A tornado tore up part of Wadmalaw Island last evening. There were severe thunderstorm warnings which isn't unusual for this time of year.

But what happened was the evening sea breeze and the thunderstorm convection interacted to form an F2 tornado. It tore up trees and caused damage to houses. The winds were estimated at 120 mph.

What's scary is that there was no warning about this. If such a tornado had touched down at Surry, there would likely have been major damage to the dog kennels and injury to the dogs. Severe thunderstorms occur in the south frequently but now I view these as being much more dangerous than I ever considered before.

I don't think that it's feasible to bring all the dogs inside at every threat of a thunderstorm but I certainly will give more thought to bringing them in when a severe storm is forecast and tornado warnings are a possibility.

Labradors as therapy dogs

I received this from Dr. Stacy Nelson. Her Tweedle is shown here with her Tester/Observer at her 3rd Pet Therapy Visit in Miami. She is now eligible for Registration as a Pet Therapy Dog.

Labradors make great therapy dogs because of their gentle temperament. Therapy dogs visit nursing home residents and emotionally disturbed children. It has been shown that therapy dogs have a positive benefit in the healing process. They often help people cope with their illness and are stress relievers. They also offer physical contact to someone who is lonely and needing such contact.

Therapy dogs must be obedience trained and have proven to be gentle and outgoing. Labradors love people and to be around them so they are especially good at being therapy dogs. It's often best to wait until a Labrador is out of the young adult stage though because a therapy dog must be calm.

Therapy dogs must be observed and be determined to be:

Social and interactive with people they are visiting. They must enjoy being petted and hugged. The dog should be accustomed to people on crutches, canes and wheelchairs.

A therapy dog must be protected with vaccine against rabies and have all its annual shots up to date. It will be necessary to provide proof of immunization in order to qualify as a therapy dog.

Therapy dogs must be at least one year of age and have a Canine Good Citizen Certificate. A therapy dog must be used to strange noises and it would be helpful if the dog knows a few simple tricks, such as shake hands, in order to entertain the patients.

It's a great feeling to bring your dog into a home and put a smile on someone's face. I hope that you will look into having your dog certified as a therapy dog.

Every girl is in season

It's the dormitory effect here at Surry in which one girl after another has come in season. The boys are sniffing everywhere and howling at night.

I've decided not to do any breeding for a while. This has been something that I've been thinking about for a while. I simply think that right now is not the time to do a breeding and have a litter. For one thing, I have 3 Labradors that I'd like to finish. The time that it takes to whelp and raise babies is significant. I also am enjoying having some free time (for once). It's nice to be able to come home and just enjoy the dogs that I have rather than worrying about little ones.

I think that after having bred for a number of years, I feel really good about taking a break. The stress of whelping has always been high for me. I've never really gotten used to losing babies and the loss of a bitch during whelping is something that was a nightmare.

So in the meantime, hormones are raging at Surry. The good news is that the heat cycle will only last another week or so. Then things should be quiet for the summer.

Greetings from Finland

I received these photos from a breeder friend in Finland. The photo with the tennis balls is of her Mellows Ruby Tuesday. She notes that record for her is 5 balls at the same time in her mouth! So what will we learn from this photo? besides a BIG heart the Labrador has also got quite a BIG mouth......
She also attached a photo of her import Marshy Hope's American Dream who is a son of Ch. Surry's Brick in the Wall.

Behavior at dog park

I took a couple of dogs to the dog park today. It is always an interesting experience. Sometimes I wonder whether it is more interesting to watch the dog or human behavior.

My dogs seem to take things in stride. They are friendly and enjoy watching as "newcomers" come through the gates of the park. I've observed all kinds of canine behavior at the park. There is the rough and tumble style with lots of growling, grabbing, wrestling and tackling. Some dogs are daintier with bowing and chasing but not much physical contact. A few dogs are ball obsessive and only want to fetch or play frisbee. Some dogs like to herd other dogs, and may bark and nip at them. I've seen a few skirmishes but no outright dog fights. In fact, everyone seems to get along fairly well.

One of the things that I watch is how my dogs are interacting and how the other dog is responding. Mine are friendly but often prefer to hang around me. Hoffa, the greyhound, likes to be the greeter and loves to run beside others when a ball is thrown. She doesn't try to take the ball so she isn't perceived as a threat.

The Labradors enjoy retrieving but when they get hot, they would rather go lie in the cool sand near the water fountain. If I go to the dog park with the lake, then they like to wade through the water or lie down in it.

The people at the park generally share information about their dog. Most seem totally devoted to their dog and enjoy watching the antics of everyone. I've never seen anyone be abusive which is a good thing! Today, I overheard a few people talking to a fellow about whether he was going to breed his young male boxer. I generally have to bite my tongue when these conversations come up, especially when an owner says that a dog has a genetic problem but is too "pretty" not to breed.

Here is an especially good article about dog park etiquette. The point of not bringing small children to the park is a good one. I've seen little puppies and little people get bowled over. I don't think it's a good idea to bring either to the park. I would worry about puppies being around large dogs that might step on them and perhaps picking up an illness from another dog. And it's obvious why small children and infants are better off not going to a dog park.

Hopefully, your experience at the dog park will be as much fun as mine has been.

I was walking a friend's dog the other day. He did his usual sniffing about and then defecated. Being a dog person, I took a look to see if the stool looked "healthy". It looked normal, except for a small white writhing ribbon like object that I recognized as a tapeworm proglottid.

Tapeworms are common this time of year in dogs. The worm is segmented and the segments, called proglottids, are what show up in dog feces. Proglottids are the reproductive segments and are what is commonly seen moving in feces. Each proglottid is actually a reproducing unit and are mobile which is why they often irritate the anal area causing a dog to scoot along the floor. The proglottids contain eggs that are eaten by fleas. Fleas get on the dog and the dog chews or licks its skin as a flea bites; the flea is then swallowed. As the flea is digested, the tapeworm hatches and anchors itself to the intestinal lining. So you can see it's fairly easy for dogs to be infected with tapeworms.

The tapeworm will attach to the wall of the small intestine and begin growing more proglottids. The lifecycle will repeat as the proglottids break free and are passed with the feces. I've included a photo that shows the life cycle.

The tapeworm doesn't have disastrous consequences for your dog. However, most people don't like the idea of having worms in their pets. So it's important to check your dog for fleas and take a look at fresh fecal matter to see if there are any proglottids in it.

Treatment is simple and effective. We use Droncit which is in tablet form. These tablets are reasonable in price and can be gotten from your vet. The drug kills tapeworms causing them to dissolve within the intestines. Since the worm is usually digested before it passes, it is not visible in your dog's stool.

The real issue here is fleas and getting them under control. Flea control involves treatment of your dog, the indoor environment and the outdoor environment if your dog is in a kennel. We use Frontline as a topical treatment. We have also used Interceptor as larval preventor. Frequent vacuuming is necessary for rugs. And aerosol "bomb" insecticides are useful indoors. I don't bathe the Labradors much but when I do, I use a pyrethrin-based flea shampoo. All of these in combination will help keep fleas off your dog and will prevent infestation with tapeworms.

Dog Legislation SC

I'm not sure whether this bill has passed or not but thought that I'd show it here. It is for the purpose of prohibiting long term tethering or chaining of dogs. It does not mention crates specifically as a previous version did.

A BILL S833

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 47‑1‑45 SO AS TO PROHIBIT THE TETHERING, FASTENING, CHAINING, TYING, OR RESTRAINING A DOG TO A STATIONARY OBJECT FOR MORE THAN THREE HOURS A DAY OR FOR MORE THAN SIX HOURS A DAY ON A TROLLEY SYSTEM; TO PROVIDE CLASS I MISDEMEANOR CRIMINAL PENALTIES; AND TO AUTHORIZE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BY ORDINANCE TO VARY THESE REGULATIONS.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Chapter 1, Title 47 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

“Section 47‑1‑45. (A) It is unlawful to knowingly or intentionally confine or restrain an animal in a cruel manner or knowingly or intentionally cause such cruel confinement or restraining of an animal.

(B) For purposes of this section:

(1) ‘Confine an animal in a cruel manner’ or ‘cruel confinement of an animal’ means confining an animal by means of a pen or similar confinement under circumstances in which the person intends to endanger the animal’s health or safety, or the person reasonably should have known would endanger the animal’s health or safety. ‘Confine an animal in a cruel manner’ or ‘cruel confinement of an animal’ includes, but is not limited to, a confinement that:

(a) confines an animal for such an unreasonable period of time that the animal’s health or safety is endangered;

(b) does not permit an animal to stand, turn around, sit, and lie down in a normal position;

(c) causes bodily injury to an animal;

(d) does not permit an animal access to sustenance;

(e) does not permit proper ventilation for an animal; or

(f) is not kept in a sanitary condition.

(2) ‘Restrain an animal in a cruel manner’ or ‘cruel restraining of an animal’ means tethering, fastening, chaining, tying, attaching, or otherwise restraining an animal to a tree, fence, post, or other stationary object or a running line, pulley, cable trolley system, or similar system by means of a chain, rope, tether, leash, cable, or similar restraint under circumstances in which the person intends to endanger the animal’s health or safety, or the person reasonably should have known would endanger the animal’s health or safety. ‘Restrain an animal in a cruel manner’ or ‘cruel restraining of an animal’ includes, but is not limited to, a restraint that:

(a) restricts an animal’s movement for such an unreasonable period of time that the animal’s health or safety is endangered;

(b) is of a weight that excessively burdens an animal;

(c) causes an animal to choke or causes bodily injury to an animal;

(d) is too short for an animal to move around or for an animal to urinate or defecate in a separate area from the area where the animal must eat, drink, or lie down;

(e) is situated such that an animal will likely become entangled;

(f) does not permit an animal access to sustenance and shelter;

(g) does not permit an animal to escape reasonably foreseeable harm;

(h) is attached to an animal by means of a collar, harness, or similar device that is not properly fitted for the age and size of the animal such that the collar, harness, or similar device causes trauma or injury to the animal; or

(i) is attached to an unsupervised animal by means of a choke‑type or pronged collar.

(C) A person who knowingly or intentionally violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be punished by imprisonment not exceeding sixty days or by a fine not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, or both, for a first offense; by imprisonment not exceeding ninety days or by a fine not exceeding eight hundred dollars, or both, for a second offense; or by imprisonment not exceeding two years or by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars, or both, for a third or subsequent offense. A person may be issued a correction warning in lieu of an infraction requiring the person to correct the cruel confinement or restraining of an animal within seventy‑two hours unless the violation endangers the health or safety of the animal, the animal has been wounded as a result of the violation, or a correction warning has previously been issued to the person.

(D) This section does not apply to fowl, accepted animal husbandry practices of farm operations and the training of animals, animal exhibitions or shows, pet shops, the practice of veterinary medicine, agricultural practices, forestry and silvacultural practices, wildlife management practices, and to activities, exhibitions, transportation, and other events related to activities authorized by Title 50.

(E) Nothing in this section prohibits local governments from adopting more stringent local ordinances governing the confinement or restraining of an animal; however, a local government may assess only civil penalties for such ordinances.”

SECTION 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 2008.

Those silly Labradors

I received this from Justin Holofchak who owns Bess. Bess evidently thinks that she is a large bird. Justin wrote that Bess usually puts her paws up to play in the bird bath but this time she decided to take a leap of faith. She stayed in the bird bath for about 2 or 3 minutes. It must be one of the funniest Labrador photos of all time. What won't they do?

Neilley's travel home

I heard from Ann and Paul Key that they have a new travel home. Neilley, aka The Pinkster, seems right at home in the photo above. They recently went on a trip with their new vehicle to Huntington Beach State Park. Neilley, of course, had a great time.

Neilley also found that the bed in the motor home was just as nice as the one at home!

I must be in the minority because I've never had dogs in bed--it's enough to have two cats jumping up and down on my back at night. Having a panting Labrador that snores and sheds is just too much for me. I'll provide the best doggy beds anywhere but the human bed remains to be used for humans.

Fleas are about

It's flea time again. I haven't seen any scratching here but have heard from an owner that his bitch has been scratching some. He takes her for long walks through trails and to the various dog parks. Either place could provide a haven for fleas.

The important thing about flea control is that there has to be premise control in addition to getting fleas off the dog. For Labradors, frequent bathing isn't good. But a flea dip might help. Also applying topical monthly treatments such as Frontline are advised.

But the real thing here is to control fleas in your house or yard. Using boric acid crystals on carpet is one treatment. But it is probably necessary to also use insecticide "bombs" that will treat an area of your house. These should be released when no one is home. And the house must remain shut up for several hours. Frequent vacuuming is also necessary in flea control.

So it's that time of year. And it's a good time to incorporate flea eradication into your spring cleaning routine.

Pouncing cats and pacing hounds

Esther, the Siamese kitten, has become the adolescent terror. She will sleep until about 4 AM and then will decide that it's time for play. She will pounce on my back, lick my face and then bite my nose.

Often Rachael and Esther will get into a tussling contest in which lots of "fake" biting, growls, and chases occur. This gets Hoffa, the greyhound, excited and a bit intimidated. Hoffa doesn't have a strong prey drive. She would rather look at squirrels than chase them. And she would rather that the cats not pounce on her or swat at her tail.

So even though the alarm is set for 5:15 AM, the day has been starting much earlier for me. After several minutes of Esther's pouncing and licking, I generally decide to take her upstairs for her kitty kibble and shut her in the upstairs bedroom. Then I try to get back to sleep.

It's been a while since I've had a Siamese kitten. Now I know why. She's adorable and very playful. I'm longing for the mature laid-back stage to start!