Seriously.

Have you thanked your dog for never being angry at you when you’re too busy to throw the ball one more time? Have you thanked your dog for keeping your feet warm when it’s cold outside? Have you thanked your dog for being so excited when you come home, no matter how long you’ve been gone? Have you thanked your dog for loving you unconditionally? Have you thanked your dog for never judging or criticizing you? Have you thanked your dog for his/her unending optimism? Have you thanked your dog for showing what true kindness is? Have you thanked your dog for never asking to be thanked for anything? Have you thanked your dog for always being a dog, and so much more? If not, get to it!

What do you thank your dog for?

**Hey, guys! Maggie here. As you can see, John now has his own byline since he’s taken over the blog while I recuperate. I got the tube out of my arm yesterday (yippee!) so after a weekend of rest and puppy snuggles, I hope to be back next week with tons more dog-related posts because, oh man, these guys have had an eventful couple of weeks. Thanks for sticking around!

Is it the wrinkles? The angle? Or is he just growing up?

No, this probably wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but…

Cooper was so tired while I was sitting on the couch eating pretzels. Emmett and Lucas each got a pretzel. Cooper didn’t wake up, so I put one right by his nose. Still didn’t wake up. So I put one under his lip, thinking he’d wake up and be like, YAY! A PRETZEL!

But nothing.

So John said something like, “How many do you think you can stick in there before he wakes up?”

The answer?

Five.

1. Surgery on Friday went well. No dog walks for two weeks. Boo. I don’t get the results from the lymph node biopsies or the cancer “stage” for a while, so we’re just waiting and hoping right now. I can’t even begin to tell you how much your comments, emails, and messages meant to me. Saying thank you doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the depth of my gratitude, but thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
2. This is how I spent the weekend.
   
3. Lucas hurt his shoulder going bonkers in my parents’ backyard on Christmas. This is how he’s spent the last two days:
   
4. Have you seen this Dogs in Cars video? Preciousness. And happiness.
5. Also, I wanted to remind you that the Ella B Jewelry 20% off coupon for OMD! readers expires on 12/31! You can click from the little box on my right-hand sidebar or just visit Ella B Jewelry and use the coupon code OHMYDOG20. There’s a ton of really cute jewelry, but if you’re looking specifically for the dog bone necklace or paw print charm bracelet that benefit Rescue Ink, click on the Shop for a Cause button. Otherwise, click away!
6. Thanks for sticking around as I wait for things to return to “normal.” I’m excited to get back to blog reading, writing, and commenting – in the short spurts that John lets me have laptop time!

In the meantime, did you have a nice holiday weekend? How are your dogs faring the winter weather (is anyone getting any snow yet??)?

In an unprecedented move, John reversed his ruling yesterday and decided that dogs can now get on the bed!

Emmett spent the morning testing each and every corner. The verdict? He loves them all!

Lucas was unsure, perching on the edge, not really comfortable with the sudden change.

Don’t worry: Cooper’s not missing out. He’s at doggy daycare today, but I’m sure he’ll settle right in this evening!

As for me, I’m not sure I’ll ever work at my desk again now that I can have laptop plus puppies in bed!

When Cooper first started going to daycare, it was hard on all of us. Everyone kept telling us that he’ll love it! He’ll be so excited to go! He’ll learn the word daycare and get all worked up!

Um. Not so much.

He hates the going part. He tucks his tail. He shivers. He whines in the lobby. But the second he gets into the playroom, he has a total blast. They tell us he’s “perfect” (though they have 3 Coopers, so I wonder if they’re talking about the right one…) and that he loves to run. He plays in the big dog room because he’s so high energy.

So the lobby seems to be the bad spot for him. We’re working with a fabulous trainer one-on-one, and she suggested stopping by the daycare on days he’s not going. Walk in, give him some treats, then walk right back out. We’re going to start that routine just to help him feel happier and more confident with the comings and goings.

But it’s awesome he has so much fun playing, and hopefully it’ll help him keep building his confidence.

Plus, on days he goes to daycare he comes home and CRASHES, which shows that he’s getting a lot of exercise, and it means a nice, quiet evening!

Dogs aren’t allowed on the couch.

No, really. They’re not.

Seriously, Lucas. It’s John’s rule, not mine. He wants one place for guests to sit without getting coated in fur. So, really, dogs aren’t allowed up there. Off, please.

Ooohhh. Alright. (But only when John’s not home, k?)

Let me start this story by saying: He’s fine. And it’s a Thanksgiving miracle.

Who? Me?

We spent the long Thanksgiving weekend at my parents’ house, which is doggy heaven. They have a big yard with lots of places to run and hide. There’s a wood pile to pee on, squirrels to chase, a duck pond to bark at (the ducks, not the pond), and tons of toys and sticks to chew. My sister has two dogs, my mom has a dog, my aunt has a dog… At the holidays, the house and yard become a dog park. They run and play, then come inside for snuggles, scratches, and treats, then back out the dog door to chase a rabbit out of the garden.

Doggy heaven.

My mom’s dog, Otto, is tiny. You can scoop him up with one hand. As an aside, he and Lucas are besties because Otto is convinced he’s as big and tough as Lucas, and Lucas is convinced that he’s as small and whimpy as Otto.

Lucas and Otto

Because Otto is so small, my parents are used to leaving whatever on the counters because there’s no way he can get up there. When we visit, because of Emmett’s extensive counter-surfing experience, we move all food-related items off the counters and into the stove or microwave. However, there is this huge glass treat jar that lives on my mom’s desk. It’s been there forever and has never drawn any interest from Emmett, except when we give him treats from it, of course.

Friday night my family went out to dinner. Afterwards, John and I were going to pick up a movie. Before we got to the Redbox, my mom called. “Major destruction. Come home now.”

We hightailed it back to the house, debating the whole way on what could have happened.

We arrived home to find, first, that Emmett had gone in the laundry room and pulled the boys’ dog food off the top of the wash machine. And ate all of it. That was his food, Lucas’ food, and Cooper’s food for the next day, so five cups total.

Then, in the kitchen, Emmett pulled the giant glass jar off the counter. It had shattered. Glass was everywhere, but there were no treats to be found. That jar is always stuffed full with small rawhides for Otto, biscuits, and so on. Every single piece… gone. In the family room, he pulled a box of Crayons out of my nephew’s toy box and ate his way through those.

His stomach was humongous. I feared bloat. Plus, with all the shattered glass, I was terrified that he had eaten some as he inhaled all the treats. Thankfully, Otto and Cooper were both in their crates and safely out of harm’s way. We checked Emmett and Lucas from head to toe, and – here’s the miraculous part – neither one of them had as much as a scratch on them.

All the dogs went outside while we cleaned up the glass, which had exploded all over the kitchen and spread into the living room. Every couple of minutes, we checked on Emmett.

In the meantime, we called the emergency vet, who was in the middle of an emergency and had to call us back.

Emmett’s stomach was inflated, but not sore. He wagged his tail. He didn’t pant or drool. We had been gone for hours, so it was a total miracle that he didn’t experience bloat, especially with all that rawhide (which we never, ever, ever give him anyway). Once the floor was clean, they came inside and fell asleep.

Later, the vet called us back. Normally, she said, they induce vomiting when it’s a quantity issue, but since he may have ingested some glass that was a bad idea. She said to watch for signs of distress and call back.

At that point, it was almost 10:00. We left Emmett with my parents and ran out to buy Cooper and Lucas food for the next day (Emmett was getting NOTHING) and pick up a movie so that we could all stay up and monitor him.

I was convinced that he’d have a bathroom emergency at some point in the night, but he never did.

On Saturday, he went once, but his stomach was still huge. We didn’t feed him breakfast – and, man, was he pissed – then for dinner we gave him a couple tablespoons of wet food with pumpkin puree to help move things along. Same thing for breakfast this morning. He’ll get the same thing for dinner tonight and until he… eliminates… the rest of all that junk he ate.

We’re on the right track, though.

This morning he pooped a box of Crayons.

Happy Thanksgiving!

On Monday and Tuesday Emmett went to elementary school. I didn’t get any pictures of him in the school, of course, but here he is on the way home, barely holding himself up!

He visited with kindergarten, first, and second grade classes, which totaled nearly 500 students. The goal of the program was to entice the children to come read with the dogs at the Saturday library program. The local humane association’s education director gave a phenomenal presentation to the kids – she does an incredible job getting them to pay attention, giggle a little, and walk away some really important messages (how to pet a dog appropriately, for example).

The most fun for me, though, is when the kids ask me the greatest questions ever. Every time we do an event like this, I come home with a list of never-before-heard questions that just crack me up!

From this event, here were some of my favorites:

“Is he a boy?”

“Does he like One Fish, Two Fish?”

“What’s his favorite color?”

From a little girl frantically waving her arm back and forth, “I just wanted to let you know that my name is Maggie, too.” Aww!

And, my all-time favorite question:

“Why does he look like that?”

I love answering questions like that, though sometimes I get a little stumped and have to stammer a bit before I can come up with something!

Tell me: What’s the best or funniest question you’ve ever gotten about your dog? Have you encountered one that stumped you?

Last year, I participated in Petside.com’s Pet ‘Net 2010 and wrote about welcoming a foster pet into your family… Here was Cooper, my foster:

Well, turns out I adopted that foster dog! (Can you blame me?! Do you see that face?!?) Cooper joined my other two pups, Emmett and Lucas, a year ago. He’s been a great addition, but had I known we were going to officially adopt him, I might have arranged their introductions a little differently.

Here’s the thing: Dogs, just like people, can feel jealous. They experience that same sometimes-combative sense of displacement that an older sibling can feel upon arrival of a new baby. The trick is in orchestrating that first meeting – and the subsequent days and weeks – to make sure that new and existing pups feel welcome, happy, and comfortable!

But where to start?

Comfortable.

Start before you adopt! If possible, arrange an introduction with your potential pup and your existing dogs. While it’s ideal to get a sense of how they’ll get along before you sign the adoption papers, there’s one big, huge caveat. Not all dogs in shelters behave the way they will once they’re home. They’re stressed. Most don’t get a lot of time or attention. Many don’t have much in the way of formal training or maybe even healthcare. Introduce them to make sure there aren’t huge problems, but know that you can work with and overcome many challenges.

Meet-and-greet on neutral ground. Yay! Congratulations! You’re bringing home your brand new adopted dog! As exciting as it is to rush home, don’t go there first. Instead, have a family member or friend walk your existing dog to a neutral location – say, an unfamiliar park or hiking trail. Meet them there with your new adoption. No one will feel threatened, like their territory is being hijacked. Dole out tons of treats equally and give lots of praise and pats. But, again, you know your dog better than anyone else. Lucas, for instance, HATES unfamiliar places, so I would never have introduced him to Cooper anywhere other than home. That’s an oddity, I know. Emmett does much better in a Green Zone.

Maintain whatever “normal” is for your family. So they’ve met. That’s huge. Next up is bringing your new pup home. Even though you know how much your life has changed, it’s critical to maintain normalcy for existing pets. Keep the feeding and walking routines the same. Did you play fetch every night after dinner? Play fetch after dinner! Even if it means your new pup has some crate time or spends time with a different family member, keep your dog’s routines the same while slowwwwlllly integrating the new dog into those routines. Set aside extra special time to shower your pet with attention – and squeeze in one-on-one time with your new pet, too. It’ll be a busy few weeks until things start to fall into place, but don’t allow resentment or jealously to build in the early days.

I fit in, even in the car!

Build those bonds. This goes for the you/existing pup, you/new-pup, and all pups combos. You need to spend time playing, training, and snuggling with each dog individually and together. You need to arrange (and supervise!) daily play and walks with all your pups together. While I hate to put a timetable on this, experience has shown that it takes lots and lots and lots of time (almost a year for the Emmett/Lucas introduction; three to six solid months for the Emmett/Lucas/and-now-Cooper combo) for real bonds to form.

Hey, Emmett? Are we bonded? 'Cause I love you! Can you move over now?

Watch the “hot” zones. Feed them separately until you know they can eat side-by-side. Dedicate separate water bowls until you know they can sip in solidarity. Monitor play time until you know they can share toys nicely. It may not be perfect every moment of every day, but it can be fun and full of love.

Can I play? Guys, can I play? Guys?

Give some wiggle room. Okay. This may not be advice you hear everywhere, but I say you have to allow a little growling or corrections. This goes doubly if you’re bringing a baby into your house. Your existing dog (Ahem, Emmett.) may not want to share his bed at night. And that’s okay. If you allow him to try to correct the unwanted advance, it may nip the behavior faster than if you step in every time. Of course, you don’t want full blown fights to erupt. But, really, it’s okay to let them work it out amongst themselves.

Emmett was okay with sharing his bed... as long as Cooper didn't touch him!

Bringing home a new dog is an exciting, happy time! With a little planning, time, and attention, it will be as seamless as it is fun!

Ahhh! Seamless!

What other recommendations do you have for introducing a new adopted dog to your existing dog?

This post is a part of Pet ‘Net 2011! Help me get a $500 donation to my shelter by clicking on that link and voting for this post! Other ways to help:

By taking any of the simple steps below on November 16, 2011, Iams Home 4 The Holidays and their Bags 4 Bowls initiative will donate bowls of food to local shelters in honor of Pet ‘Net 2011!

1. Tweet @Iams with the Pet ‘Net hastag #IHeartShelterPets and Iams Home 4 The Holidays and their Bags 4 Bowls initiative will donate 25 bowls of food to local shelters.

2. “Like” Petside’s Facebook Page to earn 25 additional bowls of food AND…

3. Share your adoption story on Petside’s Facebook Wall for the chance to be featured on Petfinder.com as a Happy Tail story!

4. VOTE for your favorite blog on our Pet ‘Net 2011 Hub Page! Petside will donate $500 to the winning blogger’s shelter of choice.