The Dangers of Dog Collars (and Cat Collars too)

Mom wasn't supposed to be home today, but, lucky for our Sasha, our black Great Dane, she had a last minute change of plans, so, she stayed home and started measuring our couch, hoping to find the right size cover to save it from us. She kept looking fondly out the glass doors at all of seven of us. We've come a long way as a pack. We all get along, and we all enjoy one another's company. The two litter mate Danes were horsing around (literally) with the new pack addition, Rocket, who was also playing with Pedrito, the tiny Rat-cha. I was observing them and our mom. At the blink of my tiny eyes it happened! Sasha and Ziggy, her even larger Great Dane bro, where both under Sasha's collar. Huh? Ziggy cannot ever wear a collar because of his Wobbler Syndrome. I started to bark my little head off and sure enough mom heard the urgency in my voice and ran outside. Sasha and Ziggy were SUFFOCATING each other, but Ziggy appeared to be "winning". Sasha's eyes were fading fast. She went down with a thud as mom got to her. Mom grabbed both dogs' heads and fell down to the ground, squeezing their heads together to allow for a bit of air to get through their throats. She was screaming for scissors, but nobody was coming. Finally, she was able to feel for the plastic buckle, but the tension was too great for her.  As it sometimes happens at times like this, extraordinary amounts of strength come out of nowhere. Mom's fingers squeezed hard enough and Ziggy and Sasha fell apart onto the ground. Mom was shaking. The rest of the pack, watched quietly for a change. Sasha's eyes looked bloodshot and Ziggy had gotten a few cuts in the process, but they were both alive!

The potential dangers of dog collars are a serious matter

Dear dog lovers, and cat lovers too: Dog collar strangulations are common. The dangers of dog collars are numerous. Even in the case of a single dog, the collar may get caught on something, for example as they jump, and then your beloved furiend will be... think about it. Our own Linguini, about 10 years ago, was tied up in our front yard while mom was getting our things loaded for a hike. In those short moments, Linguini, jumped over our fence into our neighbors', about 8 feet below. Mom found her on her on her tippy toes doing the strangest dog dance, as she hung by her throat; another close call. We missed that one. NO more. My home is pro-active. We're changing things around here.

There are a couple of solutions out there that I know of, but feel free to add to my research. First, get us all microchipped. Secondly, if you must have a collar on us, here are a couple of suggestions. A breakaway collar, or a stretch safety collar for dogs that stretches when it's not clipped with a leash, allowing us to slip free in potentially life-threatening situations.

Peace and quiet are by now restored at Casa De Twinkie, but we will not forget again, and you better share with your friends and furiends. No uncalled-for trips to the Rainbow Bridge!

Now, go give your dog a hug and keep him/her safe!

Respectfully,

Twinkie

Wordless Wednesday/Hide and Seek Kitteh

See. For once I kept completely quiet on Wordless Wednesday. Oops!

Twink!

To Pee or Not to Pee on Other Dogs

Does YOUR dog pee on other dogs? Huh? Does he?

Actually it's a quite common behavior that our Pedrito, El Diablo, the little yellow "Great Dane", is fond of. Overall, the act itself can have diametrically opposite interpretations: submission OR domination.

Let's analyze this!

Your average dog pee pose

A safer distance pee

Notice the indifference in both beasts' faces

You can almost hear them singing indifferently

These two gentle giants, are secure in their relationship. They go potty only when and because they get the urge. 

There's another reason for dogs to go potty however. We will have our little DOGMINATRIX demonstrate the rest:

Eggs-ibit A

Eggs-ibit B

Eggs-ibit C

Lil' Pete, is a dog full of surprises. If you remember him from past posts, he is also a talented Po(o)p Artist... 

Let's focus for a minute. Peeing on other doggies, is an excellent way to spread one's scent; however, one possibility is that the Pee-er is submitting, therefore showing deference to other dogs. Hmmm. In that situation, the Pee-er means no harm to the Pe-ee. Let's look at the body language in the 3 photos above. Is Pete's head lowered? NO. Is Pete showing his belly, even just a tinsy bit? NO. Is his tail down? NOPE! Well, in his case he is trying to DOMINATE. This is no subordinate urination, it is treachery and he's lucky the Great Dane litter mates are so laid back.

Mark away Lil' Pete, mark away you amazing little big dog...

Twink!

Extra, Extra Read All About it!

A couple of days ago, I received the most pawesome email from Silver Lining Herbs. A kind lady contacted me to say that my bloggie had been featured on their TOP 10 FAVORITE dog blogs! She went on to mention the criteria used for their wise choosing:

"Although there are lots of dog bloggers out there, the blogs written from the POV of the dogs tend to be our favorites, especially because they're quite entertaining. We also love looking at lots of cute pictures. Through your posts, you have displayed responsible pet ownership, compassion, a sense of community, and dedication to sharing the story of your pet(s), which we admire."

This is the first thing I did when I received the email

Here's my personal take (yes, I am still as opinionated as ever)

1. I am quite entertaining, I agree. 

2. My blog has cute pictures. I agree, although sometimes my human makes me post photos of the cat-astrophic kittehs. Blah

3. Through my posts, I have displayed responsible pet ownership. That is correct! I, Twinkie, love all my pets. Okay, so I wasn't crazy about all our adoptions right from the start, but I've learned to trust my humans plus I am also responsible, so there's truth to this statement.

4. I have demonstrated compassion. Being a rescue dog myself, of course I feel compassion. I was a MESS when M found me. It's been several years now, and I'm healthier than ever, with the exclusion of my useless leg, but even though I have a forever home, I always think of my beginnings and think of other abandoned animals in need of a bit of food, water, and TLC. 

5. The sense of community makes me a bit emotional. You see, that was the goal, once upon a time when my mom and I had lots of spare time, and a smaller pack. I put up lots of events to feature my friends, I spread the news, put links up, contests, my Dear Twinkie column, and the cherry: GABE, the Global Animal Blogging Event. Everyone's link is still up, but unfortunately, I currently do not have much time to  dedicate to my community. As some of you may know, we are an ever growing pack; a pack which includes a geriatric case, a Wobbler, a scrawny and sickly tiny dog, mois, a demanding devilish younger terrier terror . . . mom also works a lot teaching Pailates... While the sense of community is still strong, lack of time gets in the way. Sniff. 

6. Dedication to sharing the story of my petS is also true. If I'm not blogging, I'm still finding a moment here and there to share through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest of the most important media. 

This is my custom badge (for all you skeptics)

You may also read the actual Silver Lining Herbs' post by clicking HERE

Therefore, after this breakdown and careful consideration of each and every point, I am HONORED to be part of Silver Lining Herbs' Top 10 Favorite dog blogs, especially when that means I am on the same list as (here I will mention the long time bloggie furiends that I am familiar with only): the legendary Ms. Khyra, my beloved Chronicle of Woos, the hilarious comic duo of the Two French Bulldogs, and the rest of the deserving blogs.


Before I wrap things up though, allow me to break down the blurb that Silver Linging Herbs used to feature my blog, 'cause I really can't help myself:

Twinkie is a very appropriate name for the sweet little Teacup Chihuahua who runs this blog. He was rescued off the streets and rehabilitated despite doubts he would ever pull through. Despite only being able to use 3 of his legs, he’s a happy little dog who shares space with his fellow K9 siblings and even cats. Although this blog is centered around Twinkie and dogs, it also is appropriate for cat lovers, too!

"Twinkie is a very appropriate name"  . . . They are correct, I was named after the infamous "Twinkie Defense". I also do run this blog, don't ever be fooled. 

"He was rescued," is almost accurate, but I am a SHE. I'm a girly girl, kk? Good. 

The rest of the text I cannot object to, until we come to the last line: "[Twinkie Tiny Dog, the blog] is appropriate for cat lovers too." While it's true, I do NOT want my blog to go to the cats. 

I'm afraid it's time to wrap things up. Don't ask...

Lots of licks to y'all!

Twink!

Wordless Wednesday

I'm terribly sorry, but due to the unfortunate fact that this is Wordless Wednesday, I cannot post about the development of events in my dwelling after the untimely passing of Brother Bubba and the subsequent and sudden arrival of Brother Rocket. All of you caring furiends (and Curious Georges) are going to have to wait a bit until I can post again. As you can tell, I'm still in one piece, since I'm still able to type and all... (remember that words in ai-talics do NOT count as words)

Now, can you name this new two-headed beast?

All I can say is that it has the potential to make it on the updated Designer Dog Breed List.

Twink!

The Brother I Never Met

When my animal lover humans first met, they were faced with a major decision. She already had Us (me and the rest of the blog gang, 6 dogs and 7 cats), and he had two boy doggies; Bubba and Rocket, aka The Boyz. The Boyz were ... trouble. Both rescues, both aggressive, both outweighing most from my pack. So, fearing for Us and all seven of our naive kitties, the humans made an extremely tough decision: The Boyz were to stay at their initial forever home, and we were to meet them when they "slowed" down; they were both, by this time, considered senior dogs, but they sure didn't act like it! 

Fortunately for Bubba, but perhaps unfortunately for our humans who loved him and wished to bring him home every day, he never slowed down. Overnight, he just went to sleep. He simply never woke up. 

2000-2013

Bubba, the ferocious, beautiful brindle Pitbull mix will be forever remembered by his humans and the many he touched (and occasionally bit) during his long lifetime. 

Bubba was always aggressive. The first and the second family that adopted him, could not deal with him. They wanted to get rid of him. To Bubba's good fortune, a dog lover, my pawrent, heard all the bad stories about him and went for a visit at the second family's home. He found Bubba hiding under a table, baring his teeth, and lunging at anything that moved near him. That puppy needed a home and he got it!

Lil' Bubba remained aggressive. When he got a brother, Baby Rocket, a Chow mix, Bubba attacked. He was sent to obedience school to learn how to stop being aggressive and to play nicely with his brother. He came back home many days and dollars later. The trainer placed him and his bro in a large enclosure and watched. The two watched each other for about an hour when they finally couldn't take it any longer. Muzzles were flying, as they each tried to grab the other. The trainer grabbed the hose... To sum it up, after all his training, Bubba had only learned how to walk well on leash. His nickname was Kujo.

Bubba and his purple-tongued bro, Rocket, were both alpha males and fought most of their lives, but they somehow also got along. There was no option of rehoming either one of them. Aggressive Pitbull mixes are the last to find a home, and aggressive Chows, don't fare well either. 

By the time our humans decided to join their lives, the stories of Bubba's ruthlessness belonged in the past, still my pack is a vulnerable one: we me, Twinkie, the lightweight 3-legged teacup; Frankie, the scaredy-cat brindle chiweenie that squeals at the sight of another dog; Pedro, Mr. I'm Da Boss, aka El Diablo; Sasha, the ADHD slightly aggressive Great Dane; Ziggy, an ailing dog that suffers from Wobbler's and can't even move some times; and we finally have a spotted senior dog, Linguini, that can barely move. 

At first, our humans used The Boyz' two story home and yard as a kennel only. They referred to it as "the world's most expensive kennel." After a few months, a couple moved into the house. Part of the deal was that they would at least try to take care of the boys. They did that and more. They cared for the boys.

That all brings us to today, the day sweet Bubba decided to go to sleep, forever, at his forever home. We got a call early this morning. Rocket is upset, missing his lifetime best rival and best furiend. He is on his way here.

Wordless Wednesday

Twink!