Rattlesnake Vaccine

Photo courtesy of Smita Malhotra (www.smitaphotoblog.com)

Over the weekend, my friend mentioned that she had gone hiking with her dog at Eaton Canyon. It was tough hike to the falls (about an hour and fifteen minutes), which she did expect, but what she didn’t expect was a face to face run in with a real life California Rattlesnake. Her dog actually showed quite a bit of interest in the snake and that was a little worrisome, because he could have been bit. When she told me about her adventure, I immediately asked her if her dog was vaccinated, and she said no – she didn’t even know there was a vaccine for dogs against rattlesnake venom.

Your vet can prescribe the vaccination for your dog. Unfortunately, different vets charge different rates for the vaccine. There is no set rate, so you may want to do a little cross-shopping before you go to your vet, in case it is possible to negotiate price. Who should get the vaccine? Anyone that lives in an area where your pooch may come across rattlesnakes, or anyone that plans to do outdoorsy activities with their dog (e.g. camping, hiking) in areas where they may come into contact with rattlesnakes. The vaccine is not cheap, so I don’t recommend it unless you really think you and your furry friend will come across rattlesnakes, but if you do, it could save your best friend’s life.

Leela Made It!

Last weekend, Leela participated in a 10K with my family, in order to raise funds for our community temple. It was grueling at first. Leela was scared of the many runners and random bicyclists on the path, but she eventually hit her stride and made it through nearly 7 kilometers without a sip of water! She really enjoyed herself and spent the rest of the day napping in the sun.

New Friends in the Neighborhood

One of the best things about having a dog is all the new people you meet in such a short time period! Before we had Leela, we barely spoke to any of our neighbors (as such is California custom), but now that Leela accompanies us on walks, we've met so many neighbors. The ones with pets are particularly interested in making friends. And Leela loves meeting new doggie friends! Here is a picture of Leela with Goofy, the neighborhood shih tzu.

To Rescue or Not to Rescue ... Part 2

When should you decide NOT to rescue?

If you have your heart set on either of these things, then rescue is probably not for you.

Breed - You are only willing to take a particular breed or mix. Rescue may have what you are looking for, but there can be huge waiting lists for certain breeds (try golden retriever, or *sigh* Shetland sheepdogs).

Puppy - If having a puppy is important to you, it's going to be hard to find one under 1 year (and even harder to find one under 6 months) at Rescue. Most rescues have a policy to not send out dogs that are younger than 6 months. Many rescue dogs were previously owned, and therefore are also no longer puppies. In the state of California, you can bring a puppy home as early as 8 weeks.

A few more things to consider:

Time - If your rescue dog has special needs, you will need to dedicate extra time and attention to it. That means that having a full time job and a rescue dog may not be possible. Many rescue organizations will talk to you at length about your life style. If you can't provide a lot of time, and / or cannot provide more information regarding who will be spending a majority of time with the dog, it will make the interview and selection process difficult. Just to note, if you don't have a lot of time to spend with your new dog, rescue or not, you should seriously think about if this is the right time to adopt a dog.

Special Needs - Sometimes, a rescue can be difficult for a first time dog owner, particularly if the rescue dog has special needs. Socialization can be difficult if the dog was abused, and a lively family may be too much action for a dog looking to acclimate slowly.

In our case, we knew we definitely wanted a Shetland Sheepdog, and I was fairly certain I wanted a puppy. I looked into some local rescue groups, but there were so few of this particular dog breed available, and the waiting lists were huge. But we're so happy. We LOVE Leela. Although, if I do end up taking in a second dog, I'd be interested in looking into rescue.

To Rescue or Not to Rescue ... Part 1

That is the question. The first thing that comes across most people's minds when they decide they want to adopt a dog is whether they should get one through rescue. Having a rescue dog seems to certainly be the ethical and popular thing to do ... with so many dogs out there that are lost, abandoned, or just left to waste away in shelters... but is it right for everyone?

My husband and I went back and forth on this idea, and we made a some what controversial decision to get Leela from a breeder. But, it was the right decision for us.

Pros of going rescue

(1) You're sometimes saving the life of a dog that would otherwise die. You're definitely giving a dog a new opportunity to have a loving, caring family life... something it probably didn't have before.

(2) You'll be able to learn a lot about the dog's needs and behavior from the rescue foundation or its foster home.

(3) Rescue dogs CAN be easier to train. If, in it's previous life, the dog was not in a stressful situation and it had been previously trained, this training can be reinstated in the new home.

(4) Your vet bills MAY be lower. Often times rescue dogs have already been spayed or neutered and they have been seen by a veterinarian.

With all these pluses why would anyone decide not to rescue? ...
To be continued.

Why a Sheltie?

My husband and I had been contemplating adopting a dog for some time. At the time, we were living in a small apartment in Los Angeles. The complex was dog friendly, but there were restrictions in terms of size (nothing over 50 lbs) and a few breeds (no Dobermans, Rottweilers, or German Sheppards). We decided on a small to medium sized dog.

Other things that were important to us were temperament (good natured), reasonable grooming requirements, and average exercising requirements. Both of us work and we were planning on crate training our new puppy. While we had time to be with the puppy after work and on weekends, it would be hard if he or she required more than a two mile walk a day.

We started considering adopting a mixed breed or a shelter dog, but for many reasons we settled on adopting pure bred. I had always been interested in a rough coated collie, but the exercise requirements and the size were a little bit daunting considering our residence in a one bedroom Los Angeles apartment. I had heard about Shetland Sheepdogs, but didn't really know what they were like or even what they looked like. It turns out they look like stocky, miniature rough coated collies.

Shelties are very sweet natured, playful dogs. They become extremely attached to their owners, and are usually protective of their families. They are agile, and enjoy exercise, but don't need copious amounts of exercise. Most Shelties don't grow taller than 16 inches tall, or weigh more than 20 or 25 lbs, so they are great dogs for apartment life in terms of size. Shelties are wary of strangers, and need to be socialized from a young age or they can be extremely skittish around people they don't know. Historically, Shelties have performed well in the show ring, and are known to be great first pets or first show dogs for junior handlers.

Overall, we're so happy with our choice and we love Leela to bits. With a face like this, how could we not?

Leela in the Morning

Leela is such a cutie pie! She started out by jumping on the bed and waking me up at 7am. I chased her downstairs and after about 10 minutes of playing she curled up on the couch for her early morning nap.

Leela and the Horse

Leela is by far the cutest and having her as a first pet has been so amazing! My husband and I are constantly cooing over her, and so is my family.

Shelties, by nature, are a little bit skittish -- and Leela is no exception! However, she seems to have become quite friendly with a neighborhood horse. And what's even more interesting is that this horse has become friendly with her! Whenever we walk by the corral, if he's not eating, he comes gallopping over and they kiss.