Visiting the Denton Dog Park

Honey and I got in the car yesterday afternoon and visited the spanking brand-new Denton Dog Park. It is a very nice facility, and all the dog owners are very conscious of their dogs, wchich makes it a pretty safe place for all dogs, from the shy and skittish to the overtly friendly.

Honey whined and stayed close to me on Sunday, as she wasn't too sure about what to do about all the dogs around. Today was a little better. She finally managed to calm down to where she only whined if there were more than two dogs near her.

I hope that she will get better as we visit more often. She's now laying down on her little bed, getting ready to chase rabbits in her sleep.

All is well in her world.

Cleaning My Room

Some of you might not know this, but Honey's one flaw is that she sheds. She sheds a lot. She sheds so much that when the last vaccum cleaner broke, my roommate bought one of the bagless ones to save on bags -- even recycling the bags didn't help. The poor doggie sheds and sheds and sheds . . . even with daily brushings.

My room needed a major cleaning, as the lady sleeps with me every night, and with all the shedding she does, it gets gross. So, today, I treated my room to a top-to-bottom cleaning. The room is looking great, and I even moved my bed, just to shake things up.

Well, Honey came into the room and smelled everything! I guess she got a little confused with the new layout, but I am sure she will adjust.

The Ear Alignment That Ended Up with Shots!

Honey's right ear has been lopsided for a few days, and after examining them myself, I didn't see any crawling little critters inside. Since she wasn't scratching her ear, I assumed it wasn't a big deal. I'd wait a few days and see what would develop.

The lopsided ear didn't go away, and she started to hang her head a little lopsided also . . . and would shake it as if to dislodge something stuck in the ear once in a while. I decided it was time to head to the doctor.

The vet office was very accomodating, and they were able to see her on the same day. We got in the car, drove to the vet office, and Honey was taken to the back office to get a swab done in her inner ear.

While we waited for the results, the nurse pointed out that the little lady was due for her shots (including rabies and boosters) the week of June 11. I asked her how much trouble it would be to get the shots done now. She went back to ask the vet, and told me that it would be OK to do it all in one visit.

The vet called us in to do a quick physical which the lady passed with flying colors. The ear problem is an ear yeast infection, and so she gets antibiotics twice a day for 14 days. It's really a torturous procedure, as I must massage the ear to make sure the ointment spreads through the entire ear and ear canal. Honey endures it with eyes in half slits and a huge doggie grin. I guess it's a good massage for her.

The shots were easy. She didn't even blink when the vet injected her with all three needles. I guess she is used to them. So . . . she is current on all her shots and her ear infection is being treated. This dog's life continues to go well.

Dog Park? Are You Nuts?

I have been watching "The Dog Whisperer" for a few Fridays, and I have picked up one thing from the show: Dogs are pack animals, and they need sometimes to be around other dogs to behave properly. They need to be socialized.

Armed with that knowledge, I decided to take Honey to the dog park on a Saturday. After researching the Plano Dog Park, I realized that I needed to have Honey registered with my city -- which I did. I also went to the garage and looked for a plastic bowl we had bought for her when she first came into our lives, and even got bottled water from the supermarket.

We went this Saturday to the dog park. It was a very warm day, and my car's AC was working, but not as well as I hoped. By the time we reached the park, Honey was a little warm and panting, but she nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement when she saw and smelled a new place to explore.

We made it to the dog park. We followed all the instructions. After watching the Dog Whisperer, I made sure I was calm when we got in, so that Honey wouldn't panic or start growling at other dogs, picking up my energy.

The excitement of going to the new place quickly evaporated when the leash came off, and she was approached by strange dogs. She started whining and looking up to me, as though she was saying, "OK, we need to go. I don't like it here." She'd walk about 3 feet away from me, look behind her, and head back to my side. She was so stressed, she started panting and slobbering all over, but I didn't worry because she wasn't the only slobbering dog in the place.

I walked with her around the perimeter of the park, and she would run to me whenever any dog would come by to greet her. To her credit, she never growled or tried to bite any of the dogs that came by . . . which made me feel confident that she would eventually warm up to it.

Long story short, we were in the park for about 45 minutes, and I met more than a few nice people, all dog owners, who said the nicest things about Honey, petted her whenever she approached, and were eager to reassure me that the behavior was normal for a first-timer. She never did manage to venture far, but her whining eventually became less insistant.

We headed back to the car to her great relief, headed home, and pretty much shelved the dog park issue until we visit the soon-to-be-opened Denton Dog Park. More on that later.