July 5, 2008, just two weeks after Shadow crossed over the
Rainbow Bridge, we adopted Oreo. We didn’t
plan this at all…it just happened. There
was a family; mom, dad and eight pups up for adoption at PetSmart. Why do I keep going into that store because
it seems I always come out with another dog.
This time my husband was with me, so I can’t be the only one to blame We couldn’t resist all the shelter
dogs. I felt so sorry for all of them, but
when we saw this “family”, my eyes filled with tears. Dad was a Saint Bernard and mom was an Australian
Cattle Dog. They were all dumped in the
desert and were found by a woman who heard their cries. Oreo was the one my husband fell in love with. As he held him, the Oreo just wagged and
wagged his tail. He was so soft and cuddly, and the puppy breath!!! Nothing can compare to puppy breath. We brought him home to meet Hogan and Shorty,
and again the older dogs had to get used to being around a puppy again. They didn’t seem to mind Oreo. He was playful and mischievous. We had several names picked out for him, but
Oreo seemed to fit the best because of his black and white color. He was so
small at the time that his favorite place to sleep was curled up behind one of
the food bowls. Little did we know he
would be a very food-oriented dog…if
there was food, he was there. If there
wasn’t food, he would find some. One
day, when he was about three months old, I couldn’t find him. I looked all over the house until I heard a
noise from the spare room. I looked
inside, and there was Oreo in a forty pound bag of dog food. He chewed his way through and his little legs
and tail were the only things sticking out.
I knew he was going to be trouble. To this day he is fixated on food. Just recently my husband made cookies and put
them out on the patio table to cool off.
I looked out and saw Oreo slowly putting his lips up on the cookie pan
and off he ran. I went out to yell at him, and then saw that
he had been taking cookies the whole time.
Most of them were gone. The top
of our refrigerator is piled with stuff….things I know he will get into. He will steal food off of counters and tables
if left alone. Even though he can be
destructive, I wouldn’t give him up for the world. He’s a big scaredy-bear at heart, and would
welcome you into our home with some licks and barks.
I learn that chocolate, onions, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, and avocado are not good for dogs, but watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, unsalted sunflower seeds, peanut butter, Apple, Berries, carrots, and cashews are healthy for your pet. Feeding your dog the wrong types of food can cause high blood pressure, CNS disruption, breathing problems, depression, and even kidney failure. Some dog owner are very strict and do not feed any human food. Still others feed human food to their K-9’s only on special occasions and holidays. Have you ever experienced any problems and if you have, how did you handle it? You can take a pet to the doctor, but are there any home remedies to handle minor problems that you’ve ever tried, before taking them to the Veterinarian?
ReplyDeletehttp://dogs.thefuntimesguide.com/2006/02/homemade_dog_foods.php
Yes I have read all about the different foods that can be dangerous to animals in general. Ours are strictly on dry Blue Buffalo food, but about 3 times a weeks I also give them a combination of raw diet. We do not give them human food, or in Oreo's cased if he finds food he'll eat it. We are very adamant about putting food away so that he doesn't have that opportunity. As he's gotten older, he's been better about getting into things. Maybe because he's technically out of his "teenage" years. We have experienced health issues with Shorty, and we had to keep him on a diet of rice, chicken, and green beans. It seemed to work, but we had to watch him closely to make sure his stools were as normal as they could be for him.
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about dogs or cats for that matter but I hope to get one when I have a house. So the information about tricks animals can pull are of great value to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Please excuse this comment as it has nothing at all to do with dogs, but your dog's name reminded me of the oreo-cookie cows I first saw last summer when I was in Ohio. One of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. http://homestead.org/VictoriaVarga/BeltedGallowayCattle.htm
ReplyDeleteOh my....I've never heard of these cows before. And it's funny because we call him "cow dog". Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete