Our Pack & Latest Rescue Dog

After my husband and I recently declared we would not take in anymore pets, we took in a new rescue dog from the city lock up the Monday before Christmas.  Nuisance, we affectionately call him, is doing great.  He doesn't bother my 3 cats and gets along famously with all of our dogs.  Of course he is only a year old and behaves as most young dogs do (I didn't like that couch cover anyway!) and will need a little training, but I am very happy with his progress.  We are thinking about giving him a new name other than Nuisance (law of attraction lol), but Nuisance just seems to stick to him and can't imagine calling him something else yet.

Nuisance

Sadly, here in small town Oklahoma, stray and dumped dogs seem to go with the territory.  When we moved in to our new home a year ago, we took in a stray who was hanging around the house.  Bella, apparently had been dumped and likely kicked and hit by the way she would cower down in fear at sudden movements.  When I took her to the vet to have her spayed, the vet said it looked as though she had had several litters of pups ):  Bella looks like a Border Collie or Border Collie mix and she is very sweet. While it took awhile, she now comes inside at night, but sleeps right next to the front door.  She prefers to stay outside all day unless the weather is bad.  We have her dog igloo set up on the porch with plenty of blankets and pillows and spoil her as much as possible.  She now has her forever home.

Bella

Bella sleeping in the front yard

Lexi and Tank

As for the rest of our pack, there is good ole Tank, our 10 year old yellow  lab and big teddy bear whose current New Year's resolution is to lose 10 pounds (along with his mom!).  Originally my husband's dog, Tank lived with family for many years while my husband was stationed in Germany (Air Force).  After we married & later brought Tank to live with us, we found he had gained too much weight.  While he was loved & spoiled rotten, having too many treats and not enough exercise packed on the pounds.  He has lost 20lbs to date, but still has more to go.

And Lexi, a pitbull/lab mix adopted from the Sacramento SPCA as a pup.  Lexi has been my biggest challenge being anxious and fearful, but has come such a long way and I'm proud.  Having Lexi in my life is a gift.  While we have always loved Labs, she really made me fall in love with pit bulls.

My beautiful Rottweiler Bronx, passed away in September and I am still grieving over his loss.  He was 10 years old, the sweetest boy ever and I think about him every day.

Lexi, Tank & Nuisance

In Memory of Bronx 2000-2010

My husband and I with Tank, Bronx and Lexi 2009

My daughter and Minx

And last, but never least, the cats!  My cats Ginger and Minx are 10 years old and were feral kittens.  Through much patience and love, they are well adjusted house cats.  And then there is my most onry house cat,  Libby (7 years old) who I adopted from a family member when she was a kitten.  Libby is also on Twitter @LibbyLibou and loves new followers(:  With the new house having 2 floors, the cats pretty much have one floor to themselves, which they love!  They love their dog free zone & no more soggy cat toys...

Ginger the door draft stopper

Libby

Why I don't make my bed(:

Serious Reasons to Pick Up Your Dog's Poop

Many scientific studies have shown that dog waste is a significant contributor to bacterial contamination in our waterways, backyards and neighborhoods.  Pet waste contaminates our soil and water by generating disease causing bacteria that can make people and dogs sick. Children have an even greater risk at coming in contact with bacteria and disease from dog waste if they play outside in the soil.

Disease and bacteria from dog poop can pollute stormwater runoff and watersheds, which in turn, contaminates streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. It can kill or damage plants, wildlife, fish and cause beaches to be closed down due to the pollution.  Dog poop is also one of the most common sources of coccidia, giardia, parvo, hookworms, roundworms and whipworms.

Diseases that can be spread to humans from dog waste include:

• Salmonellosis (the most common bacterial infection transmitted and include symptoms of fever muscle aches, headache, vomiting and diarrhea)
• Campylobacteriosis (a bacteria infection causing diarrhea)
• Toxocarisis (roundworms transmitted from dogs to humans and symptoms include vision loss, rash, fever, or cough
• Giardiasis (diarrhea causing illness caused by parasites)

As you can see, dog poop is a pretty serious matter.  Many local communities have passed laws requiring pet owners to pick up after their pets to help deal with the growing pet waste pollution problem.

Disposing of pet waste

Install an underground pet waste digester

A good way to rid yourself of dog pooh is to install an in ground doggie septic system such as the Doggie Dooley (www.doggiedooley.com) or something comparable. Contact your local officials in regard to site restrictions.

The trash
The trash is not always the best solution for pet waste because it can contribute landfill issues.  When walking your dogs, use biodegradable pick up bags and place in proper receptacles.

Flushing

You can flush pet waste down the toilet minus any non flushable substances such as most cat litters, however, cat waste can potentially kill sea life such as otters and dolphins.  Typically toilet water goes either to a septic system or sewage treatment plant, however, a parasite found in cat waste, called toxoplasma gondii, can survive treatment.  This is also a good reason to pick up cat waste outside as well. Legistlation has been passed in California prohibiting the flushing of cat waste in order to protect sea life.

Compost
Composting the waste is a great way to deal with the poop.  While you should not use compost from dog or cat waste in regular composters for veggie gardens, you can use the compost for shrubs and plants.

Hire a professional
There are many professional services that provide pet waste pick up and disposal.
 

In conclusion, pet owners can make a difference by picking up pet waste and disposing of it properly. Find out more about pet waste pollution by contacting The Environmental Protection Agency, The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or TAPP (Think About Personal Pollution)