Advice on Pets, Life, Love

Dear Dog Lady,

I have a dear friend, Ted, whose dog my husband and I would babysit whenever Ted went on vacation. We loved taking care of Spike because we were dog-less at the time and Spike reminded us so much of our own dog who, sadly, died in 2014.

Happily, we have now gotten another dog, Moxie, a sweetheart who fills our lives with joy and dog chores. I've been having some trouble with my walking so exercising our new guy is a little arduous. Anyway, when Ted asked me if he could leave Spike with us while he went on a Vineyard vacation with his extended family, I had to say no. Ted seemed disappointed but, what could I do? He hasn't spoken to me since.

I feel he should put on his big-boy pants and find a suitable situation for leaving Spike when he goes away. He has no dog care at all. Should I break the silence and suggest he find a commodious dog boarding arrangement? Certainly, money is no object for Ted.

Mona

Dear Mona,

Yes, yes. If you have found a good place to leave your dog, why not recommend it to Ted. He can't expect friends to keep his dog while he goes away for extended stays. If we were all a little younger, perhaps we could do it once or twice - or as a great excuse to fill the dog-less void. If he knows you have a walking problem, it's a mighty stretch to ask you to take care of two dogs.

Dear Dog Lady,

We have a beagle hound mix named Tank whom we love. He is seven-months-old and already has had emergency surgery to empty his stomach of five pounds of junk such as three pounds of grass, carpeting, a ceramic tale of a dolphin, stuffing from pillows, etc. Four months after surgery, he is still eating everything including the wood panel of the walls and carpeting and pillow stuffing. He even eats the foam stuffing from his bed so now he sleeps in his metal cage with no bedding because he has eaten three different beds. What can we do before he literally eats us out of house and home?

David

Dear David,
Goodness, Tank earns his name. The first question, of course: Are you feeding him enough? The second question: When he had his emergency surgery did you at least speak with the veterinarian about how to control his need to eat everything. This is either extreme puppy chewing behavior or a medical condition (tapeworm farm in his stomach?)

Load up on safe chewables for teething puppies: Kong toys, bully sticks, frozen marrow bones. Do not restrict Tank's access to these, although you should always supervise. This is a dog with a mighty jaw and whenever he chomps, you must monitor.

Consult catalogues that sell dog beds: Drs. Foster and Smith, Orvis and In the Company of Dogs are three. These do sell beds guaranteed to be indestructible and you should find one.
Considering you are already spending money on emergency surgery and home repair, you should think of money spent as an investment in Tank's survival. And it's not such a bad thing he currently sleeps in a metal cage - or crate (politically correct term). Confinement is the best way to stop his dangerous chewing if you can't supervise.

Write: askdoglady@gmail.com