January 21, 2008

Bow wow WOW! Holy Snowman, Underdog, it is COLD outside. Brrrrr.

You may remember that I complained.......er........wrote about the heat last summer in Chapter 5. I thought summer heat was bad enough, but this winter stuff may be even worse.

My feet were so cold on a recent walk that I curled up in a little ball and refused to walk any farther. OK, OK, I wasn't really suffering that much. I was acting a teensy bit over-dramatic, but I wanted to make it clear: IT WAS WAY BEYOND "TOO COLD OUTSIDE" FOR MAN AND BEAST! Or Woman and Dog.

At any rate, Marianne got the point because we went home for hot tea (Marianne) and a nap by the fire (me).

However, this ploy of mine rather backfired because Marianne woke me up to put BOOTIES on my paws. Little red booties. Can you imagine the comments from the cats? I was so embarrassed that I hid in my crate for the rest of the evening. Marianne commented on how toasty my paws were when she took the booties off later. Harumph. They still look silly.

I wondered, "How cold is too cold for dogs to be outside?" Marianne did some research for me. The answer varies a bit, depending on the dog breed. For example, Madeleine the Greyhound needs her fleece coat if the temperature drops below about 35 degrees, and she doesn't like to go for walks much longer than 20 minutes. Other dogs with fluffy coats like Huskies can tolerate much colder weather.

However, experts feel that anything below 10 degrees is too cold for dogs to be left outside, even if they do have an insulated cozy doghouse lined with straw and warm blankets. Here are more cold weather tips:

Please don't leave your dog in your car while you run errands. In the summer your car becomes an oven and in the winter it becomes a refrigerator. Dogs can freeze to death if left in a cold car. Trust me, Fido would much rather be home snoozing in his dog bed (or your bed!) than shivering in your car.

Keep your dogs and cats out of your garage or any place they might find antifreeze, which is lethal to pets. I'm told that it has a sweet taste that is especially appealing to cats. You can call the ASPCA Poison Control Center hotline at 888-426-4435 for more information or help if your pet does get into something harmful. Why is Tigger in the garage anyhow, instead of with you in the house? Hmmmm?

Be sure to wipe off your dog's paws, legs and tummy when he comes in the house. If you don't, it's possible for him to ingest salt, antifreeze or other chemicals if he licks his paws or legs. Plus, salt can burn our paw pads. OUCH!

If you think your dog will tolerate them, booties will protect his paws from cold, chemicals and ice. Marianne showed me pictures of sled dogs wearing booties, so I guess I'll wear mine after all. Looking silly beats painfully cold paws any day.

Make sure your pets have warm places to sleep, off the floor and away from drafts. A soft, cozy dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is ideal, though the couch works just fine too. Now, I'm not saying Madeleine the Greyhound is SPOILED ROTTEN or anything, but Marianne bought her a lovely big papasan chair last week. Since I am not allowed on the furniture I laugh when I see Madeleine looking wistfully at the cats curled up in HER chair. Ha ha ha.

Be sure your pets have access to fresh water, too. People forget that water dishes outside can freeze, and we get just as dehydrated in the winter as you do! And some dogs need extra protein in the winter if they're exercising a lot. Marianne says I have just enough protein in my diet and denied my request for more. Bother.

Finally, keep your dog leashed on walks, especially during snowstorms. Dogs can lose their scent and easily become lost. I'm told that more dogs are lost during the winter than any other season, so make sure yours always wears ID tags. Actually, that's just good sense any time of the year.

In fact, go check your dogs tags right now. Go ahead, I'll wait. So tell me, can you still read the information? If not, splurge and get Fido some new tags today, and a Quiet Spot to keep them clean, legible and quiet. Go to www.quietspot.com for more information if you're unfamiliar with this marvelous invention. All the cool CCI pups wear them.

Chow for now!

Parker

Questions or comments for Parker? Send them to Call7ForHelp@TheDenverChannel.com.

Would you like more information about Canine Companions for Independence, or perhaps be a puppy raiser? Call 1-800-572-BARK or go to www.cci.org for details.