Paw Nation http://www.pawnation.com Paw Nation http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.pawnation.com/media/feedlogo.gif Paw Nation http://www.pawnation.com en-us Copyright 2010 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/The Doggie Diaries: At the Dog Park, Part 1 -- The Brawlhttp://www.pawnation.com/2010/03/11/the-doggie-diaries-at-the-dog-park-part-1-the-brawl/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/03/11/the-doggie-diaries-at-the-dog-park-part-1-the-brawl/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/03/11/the-doggie-diaries-at-the-dog-park-part-1-the-brawl/#commentsFiled under: ,

TheGiantVermin, Flickr

Other than the 1998 Luke Wilson movie, I didn't know much about dog parks before Anna and I got Pippi. I always imagined places where pups smelled each others' butts and guys attempted to pick up chicks. After our experience at one this weekend, however, I realize they can be much more intense.

The park we visited was just off one of New Jersey's godforsaken stretches of highways and Pippi had a great time. She was a little shy around the other dogs at first, but eventually got into the swing of things. I'll talk more about her behavior in a future post about dog parks, but for now I want to focus on a particularly fraught incident.

It began when a youngish guy came into the park with his muscular black pit bull. The pit bull played friendly at first, with dogs including a German shorthaired pointer mix who looked something like Pippi. But after a few minutes the pit bull got snarly and nippy (with the pointer mix in particular) and the dogs had to be broken up. A few minutes later the same thing happened again -- except the pit bull was even more aggressive this time. I couldn't tell if he was just playing or if he was out for blood, but the pointer's owner freaked out.

She split the dogs and began punching the pit bull in the chest and gut. This incensed the pit bull's owner, who began swearing at the other owner and warning her to keep her hands off of his dog. The gathering onlookers insisted that it was time for the pit bull to leave, and so his master angrily put on the leash and took him out of there.

Certainly everyone is responsible for the behavior of his or her dog, and it seems likely that the pit needed a break from the dog-park "fun." But to my mind the pointer's owner ceded the moral high ground when she attacked. The safety of everyone's dogs should be of primary concern, even that of those behaving inappropriately, right? Then again, perhaps the woman's maternal instincts simply took over and she was doing what any protective dog owner would do in that situation. What are your thoughts?

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]]>dog parkdoggiediariesDogParkGerman Short Haired PointersGermanShortHairedPointersBen WesthoffThu, 11 Mar 2010 11:00:00 ESTDoggie Diaries: A Cat Person Reconsidershttp://www.pawnation.com/2010/03/04/doggie-diaries-a-cat-person-reconsiders/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/03/04/doggie-diaries-a-cat-person-reconsiders/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/03/04/doggie-diaries-a-cat-person-reconsiders/#commentsFiled under: , ,

They only get along when they're in different rooms/Ben Westhoff

Only a few months ago, before Anna and I got Pippi, I wrote about the old cat people vs. dog people debate. I called myself a cat person, despite never having owned a dog. Now, with two months of canine companionship under my belt, it's time to reevaluate that label.

When we first got Pippi, I was overwhelmed. Between her insistence on peeing and pooping wherever she wanted and her constant need of attention, I was a bit freaked out. She was as well. Still a puppy, she'd been shuttled between a breeder, a temporary guardian, a foster dad and us, all within six months. And as a dalmatian/pointer mix she had boundless energy, requiring four walks a day and was constantly taunting our kitty Nora. "I thought having a dog would be like having a cat," I told my friends at the time, "but now I see that having a cat is more like owning a pet rock, while dog ownership is more like caring for a baby."

But in the past few weeks I've found our baby to be less of a burden and more of a pleasure. We've gotten into a dog-walking routine, her house training has taken, and I've realized something that is, to me, delightful: Dogs really let you manhandle them.

I've always been a pretty hands-on, rough-and-ready guy when it comes to affection, be it wrestling my brother or aggressive cuddling with my cat. The only thing is, Nora doesn't like it when I hold her too close. Like most felines, she prefers affection on her own terms.

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]]>doggiediarieslike cats and dogsLikeCatsAndDogsSnugglingBen WesthoffThu, 04 Mar 2010 11:00:00 ESTDoggie Diaries: Our Furry Vacuum Cleanerhttp://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/25/doggie-diaries-our-furry-vacuum-cleaner/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/25/doggie-diaries-our-furry-vacuum-cleaner/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/25/doggie-diaries-our-furry-vacuum-cleaner/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Wonderlane, Flickr

My wife Anna and I had no idea. Turns out that when we acquired our puppy, we also received a Hoover upright free of charge! Our canine vacuum will consume almost anything within reach, including food we've dropped on the floor, socks, underwear, snow and even part of our down comforter. Yesterday, inexplicably, she wolfed down a wad of paper towels. A few days before that, she chewed up my favorite wooden stirring spoon. Perhaps the worst offense was when Pippi obliterated one of Anna's notebooks. It had been full of information Anna needed at the office, and required her to explain to her boss that our dog literally ate her homework. "I felt like such a moron," she says.

Perhaps we should count our blessings. After all, since the great diarrhea incident of early February, Pippi hasn't consumed anything that has aggravated her stomach. Also, she tends to stay away from the furniture and, of course, hasn't nipped any people.

And yet it's expensive to replace and replenish household items and foodstuffs, and we worry about Pippi's well being. Surely bits of wood can't be particularly conducive to digestive-tract health. For this conundrum we turn to you readers. We've been doing our best to keep potentially edible items out of her reach, but beyond that, what can we do? How do we ensure that young Pippi doesn't find herself at the vet with, say, an eggbeater in her stomach?

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]]>diarhheaDog healthdoggiediariesDogHealthHungry dogsHungryDogsBen WesthoffThu, 25 Feb 2010 11:00:00 ESTDoggie Diaries: Jump! For My Lovehttp://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/18/doggie-diaries-jump-for-my-love/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/18/doggie-diaries-jump-for-my-love/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/18/doggie-diaries-jump-for-my-love/#commentsFiled under: ,

yomanimus, Flickr

Pippi's arrival in our home has been a lot of fun. Our new dog loves being near Anna and me and she loves meeting new people. The problem is that in her enthusiasm for children, friends, strange dogs and, well, anyone who happens to be passing by, Pippi often leaps on them to say hello. In the process, she has jumped onto some folks' bad side.

One early-morning, Pippi and Anna were exploring a yard when a small, middle-aged woman walked by on the sidewalk. With a hop, skip and a jump, Pippi reared up in front of her, placing her front paws on the lady's collarbone to say hello.

"Excuse me, ma'am!" the vexed woman yelped, looking at Anna sharply. Anna apologized, retracted Pippi's leash and tried to make her sit, but the damage was done.

Puppies are prone to hopping up, in an attempt to become face-to-face with their guardians and potential new friends. (It's a way for them to get closer to you, and, of course, makes it easier for them to lick your face.) The ever-curious Pippi seems especially prone to this behavior. It surely doesn't help that in our dog-friendly town, lots of people actually invite her to jump up and play with them.

What do you think, readers? Must we lay down the law and insist Pippi never jump up on anyone? And, if so, what's the best way to nip this jumping behavior in the bud?

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]]>doggiediariesdoggy disciplineDoggyDisciplinejumping dogsJumpingDogsBen WesthoffThu, 18 Feb 2010 11:00:00 ESTPet Product Review: Sill Shield Window Sill Protectorhttp://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/15/pet-product-review-sill-shield/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/15/pet-product-review-sill-shield/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/15/pet-product-review-sill-shield/#commentsFiled under: ,

sillshield.com

"Ooooh, there a car! Ooooh, there goes another car! OMG HERE COMES MOM AND DAD!!!"

While we can only guess what's going through our dogs' minds, we do know that they love looking out windows -- and in the process, can slowly destroy the window ledge with dirty paw prints and scratches.

Enter the Sill Shield. As its Web site notes, Sill Shield is a PVC slat similar in texture to outdoor siding, designed to protect your window sills. Fastened with stickers -- specifically 3M Dual Lock Velcro Coins, which are included -- it supposedly won't show wear and tear.

That's all fine and good, but would they be able to withstand Pippi, our highly-energetic dalmatian/German shorthaired pointer mix? I ordered one to find out.

The manufacturer offers Sill Shields in a variety of widths and depths, as well as custom trimming or notching. (All of the windows in our apartment were covered by the standard sizing.) I ordered a white one -- they also come in clear -- and placed it beneath our front window. It took only a couple of minutes to attach and blended in perfectly with our sill, which is also white. Most importantly, it easily withstood Pippi's assault. After about ten days of use it looks pretty much like it did on day one.

Is it worth it? Serious do-it-yourself types might be able to create something similar from parts at their local hardware store, saving themselves $12.95 per sill plus shipping prices that can cost up to $15 per order if you live on the west coast. But to the rest of us, the Sill Shield is a quick and effective solution to a perennial problem. The company also offers a "Door Shield," to keep dogs from scratching up doors.

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]]>dogpet productsPetProductsSill shieldSillShieldBen WesthoffMon, 15 Feb 2010 16:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: Poop Everywherehttp://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/11/the-doggie-diaries-poop-everywhere/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/11/the-doggie-diaries-poop-everywhere/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/11/the-doggie-diaries-poop-everywhere/#commentsFiled under: ,

Anna Westhoff

Looking back, I had no idea what to expect. When my wife Anna and I adopted Pippi a couple of months ago, I anticipated some dog walking, the destruction of socks, and some muddy paw prints on the finery. But I never thought I'd have to deal with puddles of diarrhea all over the house.

My first encounter with the poo was after a fairly late evening in the city. Getting home at around 1 a.m., I walked into the kitchen, where we keep Pippi at night. The smell hit me first, and then I saw the awful mess. This was odd, because Pippi is fairly well house-trained at this point, and almost never goes number two indoors.

I cleaned it up and then, the next morning, Anna awoke to more puddles. This continued for a few days. Whenever we took her out she relieved herself, but her consistently upset stomach ensured that she couldn't hold out for more than a couple of hours. I feared she was seriously sick, but after consulting with her sister and reading up on the subject, Anna concluded that Pippi had acute, rather than chronic, diarrhea. She was not lethargic, for one thing, which would point towards a chronic case, as would watery, mucus-coated or blood-coated stools. So instead of taking her to the vet we simply cut her food portions in half as our research had recommended and hoped for the best.

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]]>diarrheadoggiediariespet healthPetHealthpuppiesBen WesthoffThu, 11 Feb 2010 11:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: How Big Will Our Puppy Grow?http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/04/the-doggie-diaries-how-big-will-our-puppy-grow/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/04/the-doggie-diaries-how-big-will-our-puppy-grow/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/02/04/the-doggie-diaries-how-big-will-our-puppy-grow/#commentsFiled under: ,

Flickr/fazen

Our apartment is not getting any bigger, but Pippi is. Anna and I are wondering: How big will our puppy get?

I was recently out of town for a few weeks, doing research for a book I'm writing, and when I returned she looked bigger. It was not my imagination. When we adopted her in December she was about six months old and weighed 30 to 35 pounds. Now she's closer to 40. Of course, many dogs don't stop growing until they are two years old.

As previously discussed, Pippi seems to be either a Dalmatian, German Shorthaired Pointer, or both (we're going to send away for the doggie DNA test soon). Her paws were (and are) too big for her body in that classic clumsy cute puppy way, but I've heard from numerous sources that it's not a good idea to guess a dog's full-grown size based on the size of her paws. (This can be deceptive.)

I've read that a good rule of thumb for small and medium-sized dogs is to take her weight at four months and double it. From talking with Pippi's foster dad, it's safe to assume she weighed about 25 pounds at four months. That would predict a full-grown size of 50 pounds, which would put her in the range of dogchannel.com's estimations; they say a full-grown Dalmatian can weigh between 40-65 pounds, and that a female German Shorthaired Pointer usually weighs 45-60 pounds as an adult.

Do these seem like good guesses? Have your rescue puppies ever turned out to be much bigger (or much smaller) than you expected?

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]]>dalmatiandoggiediariesGerman Short Haired PointersGermanShortHairedPointersPuppiesBen WesthoffThu, 04 Feb 2010 11:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: How Can We Stop Our Pets From Fighting?http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/28/the-doggie-diaries-how-can-we-stop-our-pets-from-fighting/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/28/the-doggie-diaries-how-can-we-stop-our-pets-from-fighting/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/28/the-doggie-diaries-how-can-we-stop-our-pets-from-fighting/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ben Westhoff

Once again, this week's guest columnist is my wife Anna.

We need your help! Our recently adopted puppy, Pippi, is in unrequited love with our 10-year old tuxedo cat, Nora. At all times, Pippi likes to know where "big sister" Nora is, what she is doing and whether she wants a canine playmate. (The answer is "No!")

Nora is highly affectionate with humans but is slow to come out of her shell. Her personality clashes with Pippi's in-your-face approach.

A typical interaction goes like this: Pippi returns from a walk all jazzed up and ready to play. Nora, half asleep, is chilling on the sofa or the bed until Pippi begins frenetically sniffing her head and tail. A terrified Nora goes into defense mode, huddling with her ears flattened, growling like a tiny, fluffy mountain lion. Somehow this doesn't faze Pippi in the slightest.

Nora growls and swipes her claws at Pippi, who has decided that this is a game. So she in turn lifts her paw and bats the air in front of Nora, who perceives this action as a full-on attack... and so begins their noisy upward spiral of chasing, hiding and facing-off.

I refuse to believe that all hope is lost. So I ask you: What are some of the successful techniques you have used to keep the peace between your cats and dogs?

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]]>doggiediarieslike cats and dogsLikeCatsAndDogsBen WesthoffThu, 28 Jan 2010 11:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: Pippi Saves the Day!http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/21/the-doggie-diaries-pippi-saves-day/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/21/the-doggie-diaries-pippi-saves-day/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/21/the-doggie-diaries-pippi-saves-day/#commentsFiled under:

Anna

While I'm out of town, this week's guest columnist is my wife Anna. Take it away!

With Ben gone, I have brazenly broken our agreement not to allow Pippi on the bed. She absolutely loves our bed and snuggling up to me!

Anyway, we woke up early one day recently - around 6:15 a.m. Without bothering to brush my teeth or wash my face, I piled on some warm clothes and bounded out the door with Pippi for a bathroom break. Everything went to plan (hooray!), but then Pippi attempted to (excuse this detail) eat some frozen poo from under a bush. I scraped it out her mouth, grabbing a handful of wet and partially masticated poo in the process. Yuck!

We ran all the way down our street and up the back stairs of our place. I reached for the knob and discovered - to my horror - that I had forgotten to unlock the doorknob and to bring along my keys. I was locked out of the house with a stinky doo-doo-hand at 6:30 am. In frigid January. In a new town. And I didn't even have my phone!

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]]>doggiediariespippiBen WesthoffThu, 21 Jan 2010 11:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: Pippi In Her New Homehttp://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/14/the-doggie-diaries-pippi-in-her-new-home/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/14/the-doggie-diaries-pippi-in-her-new-home/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/14/the-doggie-diaries-pippi-in-her-new-home/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ben Westhoff

Last week, Anna and I moved from our small, third floor walk-up in Hoboken to a new place on the ground floor of a house in the New Jersey suburbs. It was a pretty standard moving day, complete with an early morning snowstorm and a flat tire on the moving truck. But you know who wasn't any trouble? Our new puppy Pippi.

Dutiful guardians that we are, we gave nary a thought to how she would react to two guys we hired to help move our stuff, or to the 45-minute car ride to our new place. Pippi gets carsick, a condition that typically makes her shake and drool in equal measure. This time, though, she took refuge in the lap of one of our brawny helpers (he is a saint), who cradled her and helped her stay calm during the trip.

Perhaps because she has more space, perhaps because she feels more bonded to us, Pippi appears to be more relaxed overall. Whatever the reason, she is having fewer accidents than before. In fact, she's done some insanely cute things since we moved in, including insisting on sleeping with Anna's slippers and attempting to French kiss us all the time. (I find said smooches endearing... mostly.)

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]]>doggiediariesmoving with petsMovingWithPetsBen WesthoffThu, 14 Jan 2010 16:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: Kennels or Housesitters?http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/07/the-doggie-diaries-kennels-or-housesitters/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/07/the-doggie-diaries-kennels-or-housesitters/http://www.pawnation.com/2010/01/07/the-doggie-diaries-kennels-or-housesitters/#commentsFiled under: ,


Flickr/dhfloyd

Anna and I adopted Pippi just before going out of town for several days over Christmas, so we didn't have a lot of time to weigh options for her care while we were away, and thus had to board her. Knowing that some dogs react badly to the stress of kenneling we were a bit worried, not to mention concerned about finding a clean, safe facility on short notice.

Anna's coworker referred us to Club Barks in West Paterson, New Jersey, and fortunately they were quick and responsive in verifying Pippi's vaccine schedule. (They also gave us a freebie day of doggie daycare to assess her before full boarding began.) It's not a luxury canine "spa," but the dogs get to run around outside and socialize during the day. At pick-up, they said they enjoyed boarding our "adorable" Dalmatian (German Short-Haired Pointer? Mix?), and when they brought her out, Pippi seemed to be a happy camper.

Other folks we've talked to choose other methods of caring for their canines while they're gone. "We prefer our dogsitters if one is available," Anna's sister Alicia tells me. "It doesn't cost much more [than a kennel] to have someone stay at the house." Benefits for the dogs include eating their own food, sleeping in their own beds, and having their regular backyard playtime and walks. Benefits for the owners include avoiding the hassle of pick ups and drop offs and having someone trustworthy to watch the house.

The future husband of my sister-in-law Emily, Dave, opts for an even lower-cost option: Having a friend stop by in the mornings and evenings. "One word, free!" he says. "Duke and Dash are already used to no one being there during the day since I'm gone all day for work." He adds that he's not a big fan of kenneling because it involves taking the dogs out of their normal environments, which can cause anxiety. "When they're home at my house, they can roam free in and out of the house and do as they please."

We might have to try that ourselves, assuming we make some friends in our new town. How about you? What method do you prefer?

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]]>doggiediarieshousesittingKennelsBen WesthoffThu, 07 Jan 2010 11:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: What Breed Is Pippi?http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/31/the-doggie-diaries-what-breed-is-pippi/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/31/the-doggie-diaries-what-breed-is-pippi/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/31/the-doggie-diaries-what-breed-is-pippi/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ben Westhoff

I mentioned last week that Pippi, our new white-and-liver-spotted puppy, is a sixth-month-old rescue who we think is a Dalmatian/pointer mix. We're not sure, however. Pippi's foster dad told us he got her from a Russian carpenter with whom he worked. This carpenter said that Pippi came from a breeder, but his English wasn't good enough to make out much more than that.

If she came from a breeder, that would imply Pippi's a purebred, right? But a purebred what?

When I walk her down the street, children point at her and yell, "Dalmatian!" But even though that breed can have brown spots (here's one that does), Pippi doesn't quite fit the mold of a purebred Dalmatian. Anna notes that Pippi's spots are not "breed standard," i.e. evenly distributed and about the size of dimes or half dollars. Pippi's look, rather, is more like the "ticking" of a pointer, sparse on her sides and clustered on her face and back.

Pippi also has large patches of color on her ears, side and tail, which are similarly not standard for Dalmatians. (At the very least, they would disqualify her from showing in a competition.) Then there's the shape of her muzzle. Anna says she associates Dalmatians with slightly tapered muzzles (when viewed from the front), rather than those that are more squared, like Pippi's. But she wonders if that might just be a faulty association on her part, which some Web sites indicate.

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]]>DalmationsdoggiediariesGerman Short Haired PointersGermanShortHairedPointersBen WesthoffThu, 31 Dec 2009 11:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: We Have a Puppyhttp://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/24/the-doggie-diaries-we-have-a-puppy/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/24/the-doggie-diaries-we-have-a-puppy/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/24/the-doggie-diaries-we-have-a-puppy/#commentsFiled under: ,

They say when you describe your dog you're really describing yourself. So does that mean I'm sweet-natured, freckle-faced and suffer from occasional bladder-control problems?

Anna and I finally have a dog. We adopted six-month-old Pippi, a liver-and-white-spotted Dalmatian/pointer mix (we think), from a New Jersey rescue service called Cuddly Creatures. She landed in their foster program through the good graces of a construction worker who saved her from the pound after a carpenter with whom he worked adopted her for his own family, but for some reason decided that they could not keep her.

We spent about two hours meeting Pippi, much of it in a soggy yard under a gray December rain, before signing on the dotted line. She's very wiggly and prone to jumping, which gave me pause. But she hardly ever barks; she clearly is very bright; and, probably the deal-clincher, she's unbelievably cute. Almost every time we walk we're stopped by people fawning over her.

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]]>DalmationsdoggiediarieshousebrokenpointersBen WesthoffThu, 24 Dec 2009 13:00:00 ESTPet Product Review: Modkat Litter Boxhttp://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/23/pet-product-review-modkat-litter-box/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/23/pet-product-review-modkat-litter-box/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/23/pet-product-review-modkat-litter-box/#commentsFiled under:

Modkat

Cat owners have long attempted to minimize the stink, unsightliness and stray litter granules associated with traditional litter boxes. Two alternatives are to teach your cat to use the toilet (good luck), or invest in the CatGenie, a fairly expensive and complicated apparatus that sifts through the litter and flings the poo away, but requires connection to a power source, water line and a drain.

The ModKat purports to be a simpler solution, billing itself as "the world's smartest looking, most functional cat litter box." It's hard to argue with the first claim, as the primary-colored cubes won't look out of place in any Ikea-furnished apartment (especially if you've still got your old iMac sitting around).

The ModKat is intended to limit litter tracking by offering entry from the top. The cube's roof features a generously sized entrance, as well as a grate designed to catch stray litter upon exit. We weren't sure if our cat would balk at climbing in from above to do her business, but she had no problem at all and adapted immediately. According to ModKat's FAQ, this is typical.

The box is slightly wider than our regular litter box, but otherwise the design is great. It comes with a reusable tarpaulin liner and a scoop that hangs from the box's side when not in use. When it's time for cleaning, you press a button on the side and the roof swivels down, allowing easy access.

At $180, the Modkat is pricey but worth it. Think of it less as a litter box and more as a piece of functional art.

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]]>CatGenieiMaclitter boxlitter boxesLitterBoxLitterBoxesModkatspaceship litter boxSpaceshipLitterBoxBen WesthoffWed, 23 Dec 2009 13:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: Have You Ever Been Bitten By a Dog?http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/17/the-doggie-diaries-have-you-ever-been-bitten-by-a-dog/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/17/the-doggie-diaries-have-you-ever-been-bitten-by-a-dog/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/17/the-doggie-diaries-have-you-ever-been-bitten-by-a-dog/#commentsFiled under: ,

Flickr/michaelandpet

Were you bitten by a dog as a child? How did it affect the way you feel about dogs today?

My mom and my wife both were bitten as kids. Anna's bite was a lot more serious than my mother's, yet Anna loves dogs and my mom does not. What gives?

Anna's family got an English springer spaniel puppy when she was about four, and there seemed to be something wrong with her almost immediately. She snarled inexplicably and was very food territorial. They had to be sure not to walk behind her while she was eating. When Anna was six, the dog attacked her at the top of a set of stairs: "She knocked me onto my back and did not let go. She had my whole forearm in her mouth and bit me several times before my mother could pull her off of me."

She doesn't remember much about the aftermath other than (gross-out alert) "the blood and the tissue that I saw hanging out of the hole in my arm." Her mother cleaned the wound and took her to the hospital, where she got stitches in five places on her arm and a bandage she had to wear for weeks.

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]]>bulldogcocker spanielCockerSpanieldog bitesDogBitesdoggiediariesspringer spanielSpringerSpanielBen WesthoffThu, 17 Dec 2009 11:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: Should We Get a Puppy or an Adult Dog?http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/10/the-doggie-diaries-should-we-get-a-puppy-or-an-adult-dog/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/10/the-doggie-diaries-should-we-get-a-puppy-or-an-adult-dog/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/10/the-doggie-diaries-should-we-get-a-puppy-or-an-adult-dog/#commentsFiled under: ,

Flickr/tambako

Anna and I continue to pursue a pooch that will make the planets and constellations align for us. Question: Should we get a puppy, or an adult dog?

I adopted my cat Nora ten years ago when she was a kitten, and as everyone knows there is nothing more adorable than a clumsy, excitable kitten. I'm sure the same is true for puppies, though I've never had one. It seems unlikely that Earth offers anything much cuter than a tiny dog with oversized paws.

Plus, as Anna points out, there are other advantages to adopting a puppy. To the extent environment determines behavior, she says, you can teach puppies to be appropriately-mannered. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, of course, but you can teach old tricks to a new dog.

Then again, puppies have their drawbacks. With puppies, you don't really know how big they'll get, and they have that pesky habit of peeing on rugs. Then there's the chewing. I fear a puppy will go to town on that knockoff, um, I mean totally legit Fendi bag I'm planning to buy Anna for Christmas

Adults dogs, on the other hand, often come potty trained and crate trained, and they're more likely to make it through the night without crying like newborn babies. They're less energetic, less prone to wearing you down, and probably won't go around knocking all my bottles of cologne off the shelves. On the other hand, the bad habits of adult dogs may be harder to break.

What does everybody think? Should we go all cute overload on everybody and get an impressionable little puppy, or stick with a tried (if not necessarily true) older dog?

We want your help and insights! Follow Doggie Diaries on Twitter!

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]]>Adult dogsAdultDogsdoggiediariespuppiesBen WesthoffThu, 10 Dec 2009 11:00:00 ESTFollow "The Doggie Diaries" on Twitterhttp://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/04/follow-the-doggie-diaries-on-twitter/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/04/follow-the-doggie-diaries-on-twitter/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/04/follow-the-doggie-diaries-on-twitter/#commentsFiled under: ,

Flickr/neiljaxx

On Twitter, nobody knows you're a dog, right?

Perhaps, but follow "The Doggy Diaries" anyway at our new feed here. I promise to keep you fully apprised of every poo-filled step of Anna's and my journey to find the pooch of our dreams. Beyond that, I will shout-out articles relevant to the types of dogs we're considering, like rescues, bully breeds, and those who have been discriminated against. Feel free to send along anything you deem interesting, and hit me up to follow you as well.

Of course, don't forget to follow Paw Nation here.

And if someone can suggest the best way to go about making #slobber a trending topic, let me know.

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]]>doggiediariesPaw NationPawNationTwitterBen WesthoffFri, 04 Dec 2009 13:30:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: The Benefits of Purebredshttp://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/03/the-doggie-diaries-the-benefits-of-purebreds/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/03/the-doggie-diaries-the-benefits-of-purebreds/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/12/03/the-doggie-diaries-the-benefits-of-purebreds/#commentsFiled under: ,

Alicia

Anna and I spent Thanksgiving on Cape Cod at her older sister Alicia's house. Unlike their younger sister, Emily -- who looks after a pair of rescue dogs with her fiance Dave -- Alicia and her husband Hal have a pair of Weimaraners, of whom they are very fond.

"We grew up with springer spaniels, and I've always loved hunting dogs," Alicia says. "They're great family dogs, and they tend to be good to their people."

The advantage of purebreds is that you have a good idea of what their sizes and temperaments will be as they get older, Alicia explains, and Weimaraners in particular are good-natured, athletic dogs. "It had nothing to do with William Wegman," Hal asserts, referencing the famous Massachusetts photographer with a proclivity for dressing up his Weimaraners in women's clothing.

Still, they wanted to steer clear of profit-minded breeders, and to meet their pup's parents if possible. So when Alicia heard that a man in her father's neighborhood had bred puppies for his own kids -- and had an extra -- she figured it was the perfect arrangement.

Continue reading The Doggie Diaries: The Benefits of Purebreds

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]]>purebreedrescue dogRescueDogWeimaranersWilliam WegmanWilliamWegmanBen WesthoffThu, 03 Dec 2009 11:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: Whom Do You Like Best?http://www.pawnation.com/2009/11/26/the-doggy-diaries-whom-do-you-like-best/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/11/26/the-doggy-diaries-whom-do-you-like-best/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/11/26/the-doggy-diaries-whom-do-you-like-best/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ben Westhoff

Anna and I have found an apartment. Located deep in the New Jersey suburbs, it's the ground floor of a house, actually. It's much bigger than our place in Hoboken, but then again, most people's crawl spaces beneath their staircases are bigger than our place in Hoboken. We've got plenty of space for storage, including ample closets, a basement and, most importantly, our own washer and dryer.

There's even a backyard, if you consider a few unpaved square feet in front of the driveway a backyard. This will come in handy, however, because, despite our previous fears, we found a landlord who is forward-thinking enough to let us have a dog. We think he's going to let us have a dog, that is. According to the terms of the lease, our little canine friend has to be pre-approved, presumably to make sure he or she's not too big or loud.

In any case, we have begun scouring the earth (or at least the Internet) for some fine un-feathered friends. Anna really fell hard for an adorable abused puppy named Raina -- who had a pirate-like black patch over his eye -- but when she called to ask about him he'd already been adopted. Arrrrgh!

We're also keen on this terrier/Labrador-retriever Mix, this wirehaired-terrier mix, not to mention Bo and Burger here. Tell us in the comments which dog you like best. Oh, and don't even think about swooping in and adopting them. At least, not until we've made our decision.

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]]>doggiediariesPetFinderrescue dogRescueDogBen WesthoffThu, 26 Nov 2009 12:00:00 ESTThe Doggie Diaries: Bully Breedshttp://www.pawnation.com/2009/11/19/the-doggie-diaries-bully-breeds/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/11/19/the-doggie-diaries-bully-breeds/http://www.pawnation.com/2009/11/19/the-doggie-diaries-bully-breeds/#commentsFiled under: ,

Flickr/Beverlykahuna

Thanks in part to all of the stories and words of advice shared by readers, Anna and I are exploring adoption of a rescue dog. (A dog that has been rescued, that is. Not, like, a St. Bernard carrying a barrel of whiskey around its neck, or a puppy in a cape.)

We've been perusing Petfinder.com in our spare moments, and have come upon a number of lovable-looking candidates, one of whom we're making plans to go see. One thing struck us as interesting, however: the amount of so-called "bully breeds," i.e. the bigger, sometimes more aggressive dogs with bad reputations. In Northern New Jersey, at least, there seems to be an inordinate amount of American Staffordshire terriers, pit bulls and pit-bull mixes.

Sure, Michael Vick now is playing down the turnpike for the Philadelphia Eagles, but that doesn't really explain it. So I consulted Kim Saunders, Petfinder.com's vice president of shelter outreach and public relations. "Certainly in the Northeast and the New York metro area there's a predominance of bully breeds in need of homes," she told me. "People get them for the wrong reasons, they come from areas where they're not spayed and neutered as often, and there are a lot of unfortunate stereotypes about the dogs, which are not deserved."

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]]>American Staffordshire TerriersAmericanStaffordshireTerriersdoggiediariesPetfinderpit bullsPitBullsrescue dogRescueDogBen WesthoffThu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST