Whenever I hear someone talk about how they are not ready for a dog and want to wait for just the right time, I wonder aloud, “when has a dog not made life better?”

When you stop and think about how dogs fit in our lives, it feels to me like they fit into every stage and moment of my existence. When I was a child, dogs were my best friend and teacher. Later on they became my helper, and co-worker. Ten years after I adopted my first dog, and launched Grouchy Puppy, there has been a steady stream of dogs positively influencing my life. Their ability to give fearlessly to us continues to entertain, inspire, and console.

Accidents happen. Even the most careful and protective guardian can have a dog manage to slip out of their harness or collar in a moment. A gate you thought was latched or a sudden loud noise across the street, just as you open the car door to go into the house. Help ensure that your family is reunited if your dog ever gets lost by having your dog microchipped.

August 15 is Check The Chip Day

Cute dog tags, cool looking harnesses and pretty collars are important to have for our dogs, but so is their microchips. If your dog goes missing but is found and turned into a vet or shelter, they can scan the microchip for your contact information.

Microchips greatly increase the chances that pets will be reuinted with their families if they are lost or stolen…but a microchip only works if its registration information is accurate.

To remind pet owners to have their pets microchipped and to keep the registration information up-to-date, AVMA and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) joined together to create “Check the Chip Day.” 

Learn more here

Over the July 4th holiday, my first chance to have a dog in our home again came true. Thanks to my well known love for dogs, and past two years volunteering at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, a friend of my husband’s let her older dog stay with us for several days. I don’t know who had a better time, the woman at her family reunion, or me spending hours trying to make sure a sweet corgi-lab was content.

First of all, I honestly believe part of the reason Miss Pickles (is that a great name?!) came to stay with us was due to my recent senior dog experiences. I believe that regular volunteer work gave Candy a feeling of confidence in my ability to care for her dog. She had lost her previous French Bulldog in December, and had only gotten Miss Pickles in March so she wanted to make sure she was in good hands. 

Are you a dog person or know someone in your life who loves dogs the most? This year I’m sharing my personal favorite gift giving ideas for dog people!

Below are five very different and special gifts for dog lovers of all ages. There is a website where you can use your own photos or original artwork to create cute gifts for your dog loving friends and family, ranging from everything from pillows to note cards.  There are also three new gift ideas just discovered this year!

Whether for the holidays, a birthday or a housewarming gift, you’re bound to find the perfect gift for the dog lovers in your life.

5 Very Unique Ideas for Your Gift Giving

November 9th is a big day around here! Today is the day one fluffy, large, adult, husky-shepherd dog changed our life forever. Thanks to her mere presence, Grouchy Puppy was conceived, slowly blossoming over the years into an incredible community of dog lovers!

In 2013 we threw a fun virtual party that is still whispered about. In 2014 our beautiful muse passed away and November 9th that year turned into a tribute.

This year, we invite you to celebrate with us again, in a way that embraces all the ways dogs give fearlessly and influence positively!! We invite everyone to share the spirit of Grouchy Puppy this weekend by contributing a six word story about dogs, a dog you know, a fictional dog, or your own dog(s). 

Share Six Word Stories Celebrating the Dogs We Love All Weekend Long

Tell a story consisting of just six words. Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s famous challenge and first six word story, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

What: Share a six word story about dogs, a dog you know, a fictional dog, or your own dog(s).  

How to join in the fun? Email us at info@grouchypuppy.com your stories and photos, we'll share them across our social media channels. Leave a comment below. Tweet us @grouchypuppy your photo and story, or message us on Facebook.

Giving Tree: November is Adopt a Senior Dog Month. We've had a soft spot for the oldsters for years, and since the passing of Cleo we've been spending hours every week helping the sugar faces at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. If you buy anything from our Zazzle store until the end of the year ALL proceeds will go to Muttville as our way of paying it forward

Join us! It's easy! Above are two stories that are endearing and funny six word stories reflecting our grouchy puppy muse. We hope you'll contribute your own six word stories in celebration.

We'll close with our deepest thanks for sharing these years with us and for your steadfast support!

National Dog Day is this weekend and if you don't (gasp!) have one already positively influencing your life, now is a good time to consider the reasons why you don't have a dog.

Below is a handy (and humorous) flowchart to help you, or a friend, with this important decision. Are you ready for a dog? Should you volunteer at a shelter or become a dog sitter instead? Sure, dogs make our lives infinity better, but before you rush out the door, consider these many responsibilities, and real costs, outlined by the clever folks at The Bold Italic:

Having a dog is wonderful, but also realizing not having one in your life because you answered no to most of these questions above...is also a good thing. Read any of my posts on my volunteering at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue and you'll see what I mean.

Does your dog love going to the beach? Ever wanted to take your dog out on a paddle board while on vacation? If you live in or are planning to visit Southern California, you're in luck!! Not only can you sign up for dog surfing classes or paddle board lessons with your dog, but all the proceeds support a great animal nonprofit.

If you love traveling with your dog, and that means taking the train, you're in luck! To celebrate the new release of The Secret Lives of Pets, tickets booked on Amtrak December 6 - 11th will allow your best buddy to ride for free. Woo woooooooo!

Universal City, California, November 29, 2016 – Riding the rails with a beloved four-legged friend will come with an extra special treat during this holiday season, in which “Pets Ride Free.” Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) and Amtrak are teaming up for a first of its kind promotion in celebration of the December 6 home entertainment release of Illumination’s blockbuster film, The Secret Life of Pets. The “Pets Ride Free” offer, available for trips booked December 6 through December 11, 2016 or while supplies last, allows pets to ride at no additional cost on participating Amtrak routes from December 9 through March 31, 2017.

I have been writing about dogs for awhile now, from the perspective of a passionate advocate, and as a guardian. For quite a few years, I have been talking about the many ways old dogs are important, and how they enrich our lives from first hand experiences with my own dog. This year I have been volunteering each week with Muttville Senior Dog Rescue.

You can understand why I was excited to get a chance to review the book, UNCONDITIONAL: Older Dogs, Deeper Love, by Jane Sobel Klonsky. If you haven't had the chance to have your life enriched by an older dog, the heartfelt words and images in this book could possibly send you straight to your closest rescue or shelter!

If you have known the love and companionship like I have from a senior sweetheart, be prepared for a rush of warmth straight to your heart, as you go down memory lane. 

And get ready to shed a few tears. This is probably the longest I have taken to review a book filled mostly with pictures. I probably averaged four to six pages, or about three dog portraits, between tissues.

You can't help but shed a few happy tears witnessing the deep, heartfelt love on these pages.

Jane has done a wonderful job of illustrating why I love celebrating how the human-dog bond is demonstrated by dogs, and those who love them, across Grouchy Puppy. This poignant collection of essays and beautiful photos is a celebration of the special bond shared in each relationship.

If you want to introduce what it means to have a dog to a young person, get this magical book. If like me, you already love old dogs the most, then these portraits and essays will remind you why caring about old dogs is important. You get to write the chapter in their life!

For everyone else curious about why dogs, and older dogs are the best, let me share eight reasons, some described in this book, to open your heart to an older dog:

We are a nation of dog lovers. There are so many of us that we influence our communities, businesses and animal welfare laws for the better. Compared to a decade ago, we can practically take our dogs with us everywhere now. Soon it will become natural for us to take our dogs with us when we decide it’s time to move into a senior living facility.

When I read an article about the U.K. moving away from its own status as a nation of dog lovers, I thought that it was a good topic to pose to the Grouchy Puppy community on Facebook for comment. One responded with a perspective of being a recent ex-pat to the U.K. with three greyhounds. Because I believe in the positive influence from sharing our personal experiences, I asked Cindi if she’d share a series of guest posts on what it was like for her to move from the US with her dogs, and to answer some questions about what life is like for dog lovers there.

I hope people will learn a little from Cindi's experiences about life across the pond as a renter with big dogs. Take it away Cindi...

The condensed version of my move to the U.K. was, gee, get everyone their vaccinations, ship the dogs over, rent an apartment, pay the pet deposits and easy peasy, right? WRONG. SO. WRONG. When I first moved to Scotland, the entire process brought me to tears several times. I should also point out, large-scale apartment complexes do not exist here like they do in the U.S. For example, you may have a big high-rise building in your city, but only 50% are rented out by agencies or private landlords. Most rentals here are private apartments (more akin to condos) or homes rented out by property management companies on behalf of private landlords. How did all my friends with dogs in various parts of the U.K. do it? 

Evie checking out her new neighbourhood in Scotland [Photo: C. Patterson]

No Pets. No Children. No Families.
Why was I having so much difficulty? Granted, I have big dogs (60-80 lb. range) but it shouldn’t be so hard, right? Apartment and houses alike always had the dreaded words “no pets” in the advertisement. But in a bit of comeuppance, it was equally gratifying to see homes and apartments advertised as “no children” or “no families” meaning they would only rent to professional singles or couples. I was also lucky and in a position to pay 6-12 months of my rent up-front (and as a foreigner, many landlords required this as well) as a bargaining chip to allow my dogs. After some desperation, I used social media to my advantage and lamented my plight to a local reporter, who called me when I was still in the U.S., about the lack of housing (and affordable housing) for pet owners. Thankfully, this article ended up being published, and I was able to use it in “selling” myself to potential landlords!

I believe strongly in the power older dogs have for enriching our lives. Opening your heart and home to senior dogs is worth the inevitable future loss. Why? That answer varies for many of us, but it could be simply that you appreciate quality over quantity. I learned this from experiences with my beloved dog. After she passed on, I miss her but the feeling of gratitude I have for the quality of time we had together overwhelms any sadness.

When a loved one passes away, their loss can knock you for a loop, even when they are showing signs their time with you is coming to a close. Imagine the devastation when two loved ones unexpectedly go within days of each other? That recently happened to long time senior dog lovers and adopters, Karl and Jessica.

If you missed them, I recommend you read their three guest posts from earlier this year, about their senior dog journey: It started with Tara, Continued with Bobo and Jameson, and their journey is Destined to Continue.

Karl and Jessica shared their sudden loss in an email, which they graciously allow me to share below. I hope you'll read it and take away the message of how the enrichment you get from caring for and about older dogs, far outweighs any pain.

An update to our Senior Dog Journey

The joy found outside between kids and dogs is contagious! 

 

Wait for meeeeeee 🐾 #adventureswithdogs #dogsandkids #mansbestfriend #getoutside #dogsthathike #dogstagram

A photo posted by grouchypuppy (@grouchypuppy) on Aug 20, 2016 at 8:59am PDT

When someone compliments me today, on my photo taking of dogs, I think of her. This old dog gave me lessons every day, and the price was love and kibble. A real bargain, wouldn't you say?

It's never too early to learn kindness and compassion towards each other, and for animals. Young children are often first exposed to animals through their first toy dog or stuffed bear. As they begin to learn reading skills and watch educational programming, it's a good time to show them the differences between the pretend care of their toy and real caregiving for their family dog.

Having a young child aware of what it means to care for another living creature, especially a beloved family pet, can help grow their empathy. A very popular children's character has been tapped to help educate youngsters in a new book series. 

Photo Credit: Brian Blanco/AP Images for Bayer Animal Health

Bayer Animal Health has partnered with the iconic storybook character Clifford the Big Red Dog to create custom “Clifford Goes to the Doctor” books, which features tips for families to prevent bites from fleas, ticks and mosquitos which can carry diseases, such as Lyme disease and Ehrlichia, also known as companion vector-borne diseases (CVBD).

To celebrate the limited-edition book, Bayer Animal Health Veterinarian, Dr. Dan Carey joined Clifford at a local elementary school in Miami, FL to read the book to first graders and share important pet care tips.

Bayer Animal Health also donated more than 1,600 copies of “Clifford Goes to the Doctor” to elementary schools throughout the Miami-Dade School District.

We live in San Francisco and had a dog who wasn't interested in going for hikes on local trails or up Mt. Tam. She loved a good neighborhood walk, and as a youngster, an afternoon at the beach or in the park. While we weren't terribly worried about her picking up ticks, we watched over her closely for fleas. We used a topical flea and tick medication every month that could penetrate her thick Husky-Shepherd neck fur. We also gave her monthly heart worm tablets.

Though we didn't like the idea of applying chemicals on our dog, we knew prevention was important and better than the alternative. In her final years, when she'd stopped going further than around the block, we stopped the topical flea and tick medication, and separate heart worm pill. We switched her to a tablet that offered flea control, heart worm protection and warded off intestinal parasites.

Unfortunately every year 1 in 79 dogs test positive for tick borne illnesses such Lyme Disease. Umbecca, a reader of the blog and our Facebook page shared this important story about a Catahoula dog named Ruger. I hope you'll read it and that it helps you understand better why our pets need to be protected from all nature of parasites.

Why tick prevention medication and regular vetting of dogs is important

Ruger was pulled by Janeen's Catahoula Rescue from the SPCA in Fresno, where he was turned in as a stray, with a plan to go directly to Oregon.  His vet check revealed that he has tick borne illnesses Lyme Disease and Anaplasmosis. He is currently in temporary foster care in California until he is well enough to travel. If you are interested in helping fund his medical or travel expenses, following his progress, or adopting him after he is well, scroll to the bottom for more information.

This is Ruger's story: