A new day, a new plan & dream girl pics

So I have made the plunge. After thinking about it for quite some time I have decided to try a raw food diet for the gang. I have always supplemented with raw meaty bones during hunting season (hubby runs a game butcher shop) but this is a much more defined long term plan. I am starting with Jack and Missy since they are about to run out of food. The plan is to feed them regular kibble in the morning and give them Primal Pattie for dinner. Then I will add the dehydrated food for their breakfast after the kibble is gone. (I was told you shouldn't feed both types in one meal since they digest it differently) It seems to be the best raw food option for me since I don't have the time, nor the inclination, to prepare food for the dogs. Heck I barely prepare foods for me and the human members of the family! One who knows me well might even be amazed I have kept them all alive to this point. (my secret is marrying a guy who cooks) So wish us luck with the new plan. I will certainly keep you posted. (Thank you Lauren for all your help talking me through the process. You rock!)

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THIS is the girl I told you about. Isn't she just Divine? And her ears do the cutest things! Her name is Angelica.

Photos don't do her justice. I'm sure she will get adopted quickly. She is so sweet and good with other dogs too. And believe it or not she is afraid of cats. I guess she never read the dog handbook.

This poor sweet old girl is Misty. She was found stray. Can we say dumped? One of the smallest female dalmatians I have ever seen. We need to get her coat fixed up and some tumors removed. She is looking for a great retirement home to spend her golden years in. It looks like she had a few litters in her day as well.

I hate to admit but I forgot this boys name. He is 8 months old and a possible lab mix. (In person he looks possibly pit/pointer cross) Obviously in need of a neuter.

They are all available for adoption at our local shelter: http://humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org/

Yesterday I headed to Wal-Mart after a client in search of paper for my son. When I got there I saw something very similar to this.

On an 80 plus degree day squarely in the sun, tied to a bench was an older pit female waiting for her person to come get her. Now there are a few things I find wrong with this situation. One is the fact that she was directly in the sun on a hot day without water or shade. The other is that anyone had access to her at any time. Disturbing to me because we have some people in our area that aren't nice to animals and aren't totally stable. To ME tying a dog out and leaving it in this situation is a very bad idea for the safety of the dog. What if someone hurts the dog and it reacts by biting? What if someone lies and says the dog tried to bite them? Why put your dog in that situation if you don't need to?

So I stood there, using my body to provide some shade for the poor girl until her owner returned, over 30 minutes later. Somehow I managed to speak calmly to her and explained that it was to hot to leave a dog out in the sun for that long. Her reply was that it was better than in the car. My response to that was that while that was true she could have tied her on the other side where there was shade available. That is IF she was insistent on leaving her dog unattended where it's safety was in question. I told her I wouldn't trust everyone in this area to that degree. To her credit she calmly said thank you for the advise and said to have a good day. Hopefully she reconsiders this option next time even if she found me to be a meddling b***h. The dog was a very sweet older girl who's name I found out was Bella. I took a photo of her with my phone camera but have no idea how to download those on the computer.

Check out the new toy from the Loyal Biscuit. It is supposed to be a favorite with pugs and other small dogs. I figured Jenny and Missy would be pleased.

Jack and Jenny would disagree and say they are a favorite with ALL size dogs.

It is a good thing for Jenny that Jack doesn't mind sharing. Missy waited til they were both done then stole it and tucked it away in her crate with all the other hoarded toys.

Poor Jacks hotspot area is healing unevenly. To the point where I think it is time for a thyroid test. Thyroid issues are very common in akitas so it is something I recommend you do with your akita even if they don't show physical signs. It is also something I recommend for any dog with aggression issues to rule it out as a possible cause or exacerbation of an issue. (FYI Tufts university does a full thyroid panel on ALL dogs brought in for behavior consults dealing with aggression.)

Missy relaxing in her crate after I claimed all the toys back. (How can that be comfortable?)