My poor, poor Ella Bean. Rescued at 4 months, who knows what happened before…My Bean has the worst case of retained baby (or deciduous, as the DVMs would put it) teeth. She literally has two rows of top and bottom front teeth. The newbies just aren’t pushing the deciduous guys out. Her lower canine teeth have started the same path.

I actually yanked a loose one out from the back myself. Pull and twist. Fast. I saw a vet do it to Louis back when he was a pup, so clearly, I am qualified.It was my first canine surgical procedure. It was bloody, but successful and she seems much more comfortable. Her gums are inflamed and as I discussed in the first chapter of this tale, her breath is so rancid I can’t bear to have my face to close to hers - and I am a pretty hands on mom. Not too much will gross me out with my dogs.

Wait, I just got another. Seriously. I stopped typing to check out her mouth, found another loose one, yanked and put it straight into her baby teeth box. Bloody. Louis has a box too, for the ones we found, anyway. Sick, right? But would you have your dog-blogger be any less of a parent?

Not to worry, I am only doing the serious, hanging on by a thread, loose teeth. I am poking around for wigglies at obsessively frequent intervals. I should really find a more valuable way to spend time.

Apparently this is incredibly common in toy breeds. I didn’t experience it with Louis and the family and I were /are surprised by her breath and the double teeth. She is like a little shark, two sets a razor teeth ready to kill. Its actually her breath that could do the killing. As previously mentioned, this happens because crud gets stuck between, behind and underneath these retained teeth. I am brushing hers twice a day and it is not helping.

She is about 6 months old now, old enough for her spay. We are trying to hold off for a few reasons, a) she might weigh 3 pounds after a lot of treats, so in hopes she gets a little bigger and b) to give her teeth more time to work themselves out.

On the other hand, more time means a higher possibility of gum disease and displaced adult teeth. These are the choices we make and hope we are doing whats right. After speaking with her vet, he feels another few weeks won’t do any damage, so we are going to give it a try.

Whatever isn’t out by spay time, comes out when she is under anesthesia. Imagine. You go to sleep and wakeup without your uterus (which you didn’t even know you had) and your mouth is killing you. I have had my appendix out and teeth pulled and of all of the health procedures I have had, I can, with some authority say the belly and mouth are two of the worst places to get messed with by a doctor. I want to try and lighten her load. Life hasn’t been so easy for my Bean thus far.On the upside, her heinous haircut is starting to grow out.

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A number of weeks ago, the fur kid’s Aunt Kara (my best friend, since age two) made a visit down to sunny Florida to spend time with me and the whole family. A fabulous hairstylist since grade school (I wish I had the pictures of some of my ‘dos done by Kara), Ella Bean got the Kara treatment.

I had laid off her hair since her adoption and at the time, she was sporting a serious doggie mullet and there was some sort of mustache situation. Not exactly playing up The Bean’s best features, if you know what I mean…Kara made her look darling. She worked slowly, through Ella’s squirmy resistance and the results were awesome. See example A.

Well, the darnedest thing about hair, is that it grows. Four weeks later, the ’stache situation had returned and Ella Bean was none to happy about it. I don’t exactly have the best track record in dog grooming, on more then one occasion having given Louis haircuts that were not exactly flattering. I have been told in no uncertain terms by family members and friends to put the scissors down and stick with the writing.

Of course, I couldn’t just leave Ella to grow in a Hulk Hogan-esque mustache! Since we made a pact to lay off the professional groomer to save cash for the meaty feasts and toys and treats for our furballs, I was at a loss.

Feeling confident, I picked up the scissors. After all, I have watched three episodes of Groomer Has It on Animal Planet and I did assist on Ella Bean’s first makeover….

The results are in. My poor Ella is in hiding, shamed by her mom with a bad ‘do. I lost my confidence around her muzzle and in playing the dangerous “make it even” game, the results are a little more vermin-like then we would prefer. OK, thats putting it mildly. See Example B. Kara’s camera is definitely better then mine, but I think we can all agree, I should stick to my day job!

You can even see how angry my Bean is at being photographed in this state.

Luckily, the darnedest thing about hair, is that it grows…

With love to Kara, my lifelong best friend…

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Even though Cup of Dog is certainly ‘dog’ based in content, while perusing the web looking for some doggie tidbits to share, Louis and I happened upon a story about a penguin named Pierre. Louis and I love penguins, Louis has even been known to dress like a penguin on occasion.

Back to Pierre. Pierre the penguin resides at the California Academy of Sciences and is an astounding 25 years old. He is a Jackass Penguin (named for the noises these birds make, not a comment on them, personally) and like any bird of 25, his age had caught up with him. He had lost vital waterproof feathers, leaving him shivering, with an embarrassing naked, pink bum.

Not content to leave Pierre shivering on the sidelines while his penguin brethren leaped, swam and played, the aquatic biologist attending to Pierre at the Academy first rigged up a heat lamp, to stave off the cold. Then she cooked up an even warmer solution.

Pierre was to have a custom designed wetsuit, just like the type people (and some lucky dogs) wear to keep warm in cooler waters. The Academy enlisted Oceanic Worldwide, a supplier of dive gear to make Pierre his suit.

Like any custom garb, fittings were conducted during the design of the suit to ensure satisfactory fit and function. The suit covers Pierre’s torso, fastens with Velcro and has openings for his flippers.

Since being attired six weeks ago, Pierre has regained his youthful vigor, put on some pounds and even grown plumage back on his rear. Like a penguin of only ten years, Pierre is happily hanging with his crew, swimming in the penguin tank and showing off his custom finery.

While the scientists attending to Pierre can not say with authority that the suit is responsible for the restored feathers and revitalized health, Louis, Ella Bean and I can all attest that sometimes all anyone needs is a brand new outfit to perk up an otherwise dreary situation.

My brave Louis deals with a situation, not unlike Pierre. He has failed to grow in much fur on his tummy. While quite kissable, his bald tummy does make it rather uncomfortable to lay on cold tile or stone flooring and Louis will resist touching his tummy to anything uncomfortable at all costs. Like Pierre, he deals with his situation by wearing a top to keep his tummy warm. In support of Pierre, Louis has chosen to don his designer penguin duds and model them for this article.

Louis also wishes to suggest to any readers who are anti-dressing animals, that they walk naked through a variety of weather conditions and see how they feel.

Sometimes looking good is not at all superficial!

Image of Bark Street Journal via Haute Diggity Dog, available for purchase at www.hautediggitydog.com

Image of Pierre the Penguin via the California Academy of Sciences

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The Puppy Builders Gym Set looks like a toy one would give to their toddler, a colorful blanket with hanging mobile toys. The toys are different shapes and textures to help develop puppy’s brain.

For those of us who don’t have babies, but love our fur babies with ‘mommy - baby’ ardor, here is a toy to help keep reality nice and blurry. Don’t tell us puppies aren’t our kids!!!

Is the gym set over the top?

The longer I work in the pet industry, the less fazed I am by products that might seem silly to doggie parents who aren’t up on the latest pup-trends. However, this seems more reasonable then purchasing a $1,200 collar and lead set. (Yes, a collar and lead I know of does carry that hefty of a price tag!)

The online retailer who offers this toy, Paw Palace Online - The Ultimate Luxury Dog Boutique has an online gift registry. Friends and family can shop for your new arrival, birthdays and other special events without any guesswork on sizes or duplicating anything Fido’s inventory. I love it!

My dogs would try and destroy it, flip it over and drag it around, but if you can train your young puppy to use it, I think the resulting cuteness would be worth it!!!

For more information please visit www.pawpalaceonline.com

Image via Paw Palace online

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How to Waste Time as a Dog Obsessed Facebook Fiend!

I am not the only Facebook user constantly using Dogbook, the Facebook application for people to share pictures and information about their dogs.

In fact, according to the group’s page, there are about 21,480 daily active users. Not too shabby! I am certainly not alone in my obsession with Dogbook. Louis Reginald has had a profile, pretty much since he came to live with me.

He has a whopping 492 friends on Facebook. To give you a point of reference, I have a paltry 148 friends. Ella Bean has only been on the site for about a month and she has only 21 friends. Other dogs have upwards of 1,000 friends!

Dogbook was developed in a week’s time by a 21-year old named Alexandre Roche. The application essentially makes a Facebook Profile for your dog. You enter in your dog’s name, its breed and type, its favorite actitivites, ect.

Why are seemingly logical adults and college students spending hours making ‘friends’ for their dogs, updating their profiles and even their status?

Unlike breed or health topic specific chat forums, Dogbook is a more personal approach to social networking in the vast online canine community. Canine members communicate to one another by taking on their dog’s persona, rather then speaking directly to the human owner. Its fun, but not really all that useful, it is purely social and you have to chance upon users interested in topics like health in order to connect with like-minded pet owners.

Dogbook, however, makes it clear that we are just a group of people, so in love with our dogs, we want to show them off on the world wide web.

I hope that they add more functions like the human Facebook, where our dogs can join ‘groups’ (i.e. Frisbee Lovers, Raw Eaters, Fat Dogs, Tiny Dogs, etc.) and the ability to communicate and connect via those interests. This would advance Facebook’s superficial value and turn it into a place where dog owners can share information, valuable tips and experiences as a dog owner and more.

The major downer about Dogbook is that the programmers regularly encounter problems that disable the application. At one point the server was down for a few days. Check out the messages from users on Dogbook’s page [click here and head to the discussion board]! Users were livid!!!! You would think that people would stay calm, after all, its a pet profile, but people were seriously freaking out! All of the features have yet to be restored at this time, but the programmers assure users that they are working day and night to restore all the features and add more to capitalize on the application’s success.

My other fave dog application, which I started using to waste time when I am bored. This application, PetPupz, beats Dogbook with 104,421 daily active users. Nice! What is so funny is that PetPupz is no longer for bored people in front of their computers. We have become owners obsessed with giving our virtual dogs the best food, care and having the highest levels of obedience. Its great, with the click of a button, you can train your dog! I wish I had that button for Louis and Ella!

In this application you choose a dog breed, adopt a puppy, name him or her, decide his or her likes and dislikes and take it from there.

It is up to you to earn Puppy Points to feed, train and play with your puppy to keep it happy. Every 24 hours the program gives you some points and points can be earned by inviting other players, playing with other peoples dogs and participating in advertising surveys. I only earn through petting other dogs and inviting people. I can’t explain why I am compelled to keep using this application, with two real dogs snuggled up to my side, however, I keep coming back for more!!

Try it, you’ll see, its addictive fun!

If you have a Facebook account, check out Louis Reginald and Ella Bean on Dogbook and ask to be their friend and come visit my fake dog, Winston, in the Petpupz application!

What’s your favorite Facebook doggie application?

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Groomer Has It, Week II Recap

Week 2 of Animal Planet’s show Groomer Has It proved to be more amusing then the first!! The eleven groomers left in the Dog House have over 150 years of experience in dog grooming!

This week, Jai Rodriguez, the host’s Yorkshire Terrier pup Nemo arrived at the dog house in a full on cowboy getup offering a clue to the challenge. Nemo delivered the information to the contestants regarding their ‘Quick Snip’ challenge!

This week’s Quick Snip challenge had the contestants pair up to shear a sheep! Shocked by the challenge, professional sheep shearers gave the contestants advice on how to get started. The groomers dove in with their heavy duty shears, attempting to clip their sheep to perfection. The winner of each week’s quick snip challenge recieves an ‘extra’ that will assist them in the main challenge. Even though these smaller challenges are rather silly so far, winning them can mean the difference between being that week’s top dog or ending up with their tail between their legs. Contestants Amber and Jorge won the challenge, making this Amber’s second win in a row for the Quick Snip portion!

The main challenge was for each contestant to groom a Bearded Collie, (The contestant’s first chance to work with a LIVE dog!!) one of the most difficult dogs to groom to show quality. Relating to the Quick Snip challenge, the Bearded Collie, or Beardie, is primarily a herding dog, used by Scottish shepherds to care for their flocks. Today, Beardies can be found herding, but also make lively family pets.

The difficulty in grooming these pups is twofold. First, the show brought the groomers a group of matted and dirty dogs. Beardie’s have thick coats that are prone to severe mats and staining. Removing mats, without upsetting the dog or removing the dog’s hair is a major challenge. The goal is to maintain a natural looking coat that lays flat and flowing, with no scissoring. Jorge and Amber, winners of the Quick Snip challenge were rewarded with an extra tool, a fine tooth comb to assist them in the challenge.

After two hours to complete the challenge, the judges reviewed the contestants work. This week, a special guest judge, a Bearded Collie expert, Carol Scott, joined the team of judges.

Jonathan, the celeb groomer who won the first week’s challenge came out as top dog again with his Beardie! Unfortunately Sarah was eliminated in a somewhat controversial decision! The judges called her out on a poor wash and her inability to remove staining around her dogs face and mouth. Even though Will’s Beardie Lily, suffered through her grooming as he yanked at her matted private parts. I think a suffering pooch is worse then a little staining!!

Stay tuned for next week’s show, Ruff Customers! If you have missed the first two episodes, head click here and head on over to Animal Planet where they are streaming the episodes of Groomer Has It!

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Given that my Louis just turned one on Monday and our unexpected addition, Ella Bean is just six months old, the past 9 months of my life have been steadily preoccupied with issues like potty training, basic obedience, diet and of course teething.

Teething happens in multiple stages for dogs. Their first set of teeth, known as milk teeth, appear within a puppy’s first month. When you acquire a puppy, the milk teeth are usually the first nippers you’ll see. At about four months old, these milk teeth will start falling out.

While teething begins at around four months, it can last up until their first birthday.

Teething is the bane of most dog owners existence. Teething can result in lost shoes, furniture and other damage if the pup is not monitored or confined at all times. It is also necessary to train puppy to chew on appropriate objects and toys through positive reinforcement. Chewing helps to aleviate the pain and pressure of the teething process. For dogs of all ages, it also relieves tension and provides stimulation. It is vital to have appropriate chews as your puppy goes through the teething stage.

Puppy breath is another issue that may be related to teething. A raw diet like I feed Louis and Ella eliminates a lot of smells, Louis and Ella never never get that ‘dog’ odor and the diet even reduces the stink of their stools. Louis, past teething always has great breath except after raw feasting or snacking on poo. Even though Ella is on the same diet, her breath smells. I have been training her to get used to toothbrushing, which helps the breath, but ultimately, with all of the teeth she is losing and growing, she is retaining some of her baby teeth and bacteria and food and gunk gets stuck between the ‘double’ teeth. When she has her spay surgery, the vet will also pull any baby teeth that haven’t yet fallen out to avoid this double tooth issue. This is very common in tiny breeds and is nothing to worry about it.

Just keep on observing puppy’s progress and if you see double teeth, consult with your vet to decide a timeline for when, if necessary, to do manual extraction.

Get the pup used to brushing using an enzymatic toothpaste before she or he grows his permanent teeth so you don’t meet resistance! Make is a positive experience with treats and praise! Raw diets promote dental health, which is a major issue in doggie health care. Know that the same plaque on a dog’s teeth is that plaque that builds up into the heart and bloodstream. Ewwww.

So anyway, Ella Bean is a little embarrassed that I shared her breath issues, but I assure her that informing other pups that its normal will make them feel better.

Ella also wants to share that a few drops of Bach’s Flower Essences Rescue Remedy directly on the gums helps to relieve teething pain. It can be bought by clicking the link above and its available at health food stores and some holistic pet shops.

In the mean time, Ella is a stinky tooth fairy, but we all know its just temporary. We are keeping her comfortable and trying to find the itty bitty lost teeth to save as keepsakes!

Dog pictures courtesy of Kara Sommer, photographer extraordinaire, and the fur kids aunt

Rescue Remedy image via www.rescueremedy.com

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Has anyone else seen the awesome video of Gin the Border Collie and his audition for Britain’s Got Talent?

Its awesome. Check it out by clicking here. Its really worth it!

Canine Freestyle is a choreographed routine, set to music, that conveys the strong connection between dog and human. In other words, its dancing with your dog. Don’t laugh it off, its pretty cool to see and it takes a LOT of obedience training to be able to get your pup to do some of the complicated moves that are standard in today’s routines. For more information of canine freestyle, check out the Canine Freestyle Federation.

Special thanks to Kara S. for the tip!

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I know I just did a comprehensive review of merchandise geared toward elimination assistance in Dog Poo Stuff, however, a few more products caught my eye and I had to share.

Another indoor/ outdoor dog bathroom has an urban look as opposed to the last doggie elimination stations I posted about. I love when design and function are hallmarks of a product! Named the ‘Doggie Loo,’ it functions the same way as similar products, with a drainage system that must be kept clean. However, its a fantastic option for dogs that live in apartments, elderly dogs and puppies and the eco-conscious folks. (Less dog poo outside means less e. Coli and roundworms sitting around in the grass, those bacteria can also enter our water and by avoiding pet stains on the carpet, owners are less likely to use toxic chemicals to clean up messes). Developed in Australia, the Pet Loo is available by visiting www.thepetloo.us.

Made by the same company is The Swoop, a poo picker-upper that grabs and bags poo with zero risk of hand to poop contact! Genius!

Also available at www.thepetloo.us.

Another issue plaguing many dog owners is the occasional bout with diarrhea. It is very important to feed your dogs a high quality diet (I recommend researching raw feeding. Nothing beats it. See the BARF-Raw Feeding category on Cup of Dog) and keeping your dogs intestinal track healthy in order to achieve maximum nutritional benefit during digestion and aiding in less waste. Dogs who are fed diets that utilize their digestive system’s natural design are known to have small, hard poops, making waste removal painless. Regardless, everyone gets a tummy ache over the course of their lives and in my experience the best thing out there for diarrhea is called Pet Flora by Vitality Science. Its truly a miracle product. I use it for Louis who has the world’s most sensitive tummy and it stops diarrhea right away. Read more about how it works in an older post I wrote, Pet Flora, Holistic Digestion Aid. Additionally the company makes a supplement called Canine Comfort that contains Pet Flora and can be used as a regular supplement for dogs with chronic digestive issues.Visit www.vitalityscience.com for more information.

Another ingenious product, for those lucky enough to have yards, is the Doggie Dooley. This in-ground waste digester system works like a home septic system by using environment-friendly enzymes and bacteria to turn dog waste into a ground-absorbed liquid. You deposit the poo and add water and digester formula that comes with the product. The Doggie Dooley comes in a variety of sizes depending on the number and size of pets you have. Visit www.drsfosterandsmith.com for more information.

To finish on a more humorous note, I found this calendar which is dedicated to dog poo. Lovely landscapes include some doo, for the dog poop obsessed. The 2009 calendars will be available in July, until then you can purchase greeting cards made from the same group of images. Visit www.monthlydoos.com for more information. This site also has plenty of other poop related items, including squeaky toys, treats and even doo shaped Christmas tree ornaments.

Wishing everyone happy digestion!

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Exactly one year ago, Louis Reginald, the instigator for Cup of Dog, was born. He looked more like a little hamster then a puppy. Ryan, my husband and I were in love with this little nugget of a puppy.

Less then two weeks later, Ryan and I had placed a deposit and eagerly awaited his weaning. At 13 weeks old, he came to live with us.

After weeks of anticipation and preparation, we were still completely unprepared for what was in store for us. The enormity of the responsibility was all of a sudden overwhelming to us both. It seems like just yesterday Louis’ dad and I were standing outside of our Lakeshore Drive apartment in chilly Chicago, pleading with Louis to ‘go’ on the grass, rather then in the apartment, at 3 o’clock in the morning.

Since, we have learned we cannot reason with him (he is a dog, after all) instead, we worked on his obedience and house training and slowly, he began to get it. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are not easy to housebreak!

At one year old, he is a small for a Cavalier, weighing in at 12 lanky pounds of pure love. His adult long coat has yet to come in and he looks a lot younger then his age. He came to us with a tail equal in length to his body, which we thought he would grow into. He hasn’t, the tail grew along with the dog. People stop us on walks all the time to comment on his extra long tail. I think he is perfect. It’s possible he will keep growing and fill in, but it doesn’t matter.

At one year, he has matured into a beautiful dog, a patient older brother to Ella Bean, and a best friend. Looking back at his early puppy-hood, I could not imagine that he would be the dog he has become. He has won the hearts of his whole family, even those who aren’t dog people.

Louis has taught me all about canine nutrition, homeopathy, naturopathy and he has opened my world to alternative modalities to achieve wellness.

He is also the world’s best cuddler and he can regularly be found snoozing up against Ella Bean, me or Ryan.

In honor of his birthday, I have prepared a special meal of raw venison parts, beef tripe and other goodies. Ella Bean will surely partake in the festive meal!

Louis has changed my life in infinite ways, as many dogs do with their people. The responsibility I feel toward him is colossal. I take great pride in caring for both my dogs. Louis makes me smile all the time (not the easiest of feats), comforts me when I’m in pain and challenges me to be stronger and more confident.

I know that everyone believes that their own dog is the best ever, but I can confidently say that Louis embodies the spirit in the saying that ‘dogs are man’s best friend.’

Above all, Louis has taught me about being connected to another living being. He follows me from room to room, we do almost everything together.

Cup of Dog wishes Louis the best birthday ever and I promise that year two will be bigger and better then before!

Louis at one year.

Birthday Cake pictured above made by Haute Diggity Dog and available for purchase at www.hautediggitydog.com.

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