A Dog Accessory, What Is It?

The word "dog accessory" is a well travelled keyword on the overture search engine, July '06 showed 4029 searches in that one month. An accessory is a subordinate or supplementary part, object, or the like, used mainly for convenience, attractiveness, safety, etc., such as a spotlight on an automobile or a lens cover on a camera. This definition was taken from dictionary.com.

Definitions are important because I find many people have different meanings of words than I do. Take the world "selfish" for example. The dictionary (again from dictionary.com) says that selfish means devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others. My in-laws called me selfish to my husband because they weren't getting their own way when it came to my wedding. Last time I checked, the wedding was about me and THEIR SON. It wasn't about them. So obviously they do not understand the meaning of the word and perhaps they should look up the words they call people in the dictionary. Separate rant, I should get on with it. :)

I have a sneaking suspicion that many people looking up "dog accessory" aren't quite sure what they're looking for. The lil cutesy blings and fru fru doo dads are dog accessories on many sites, but those aren't necessary things. At asankadogs.com I'm concerned with convenience (meaning a dog accessory is filling a very real need), attractiveness (meaning it looks darn neat or cute, objects that make you poke the person next to you to say "oooooh, looky at that!"), and safety. Actually, I'm stepping into the realm of the unsafe with a cross between skijoring/bikjoring, but that'll be a post for the future and has little to do with what I'm selling.

So, if my sneaking suspicion is correct, that dog accessory searchers aren't sure what they're looking for, that is something for me as a retailer to take note of. And I have. I'm watching those stats closely, comparing them to my own log information. The answers will definately affect my inventory purchases. Interesting information and possible conclusions. Very interesting.

Curb Your Dog Sign

A lot of people have been ordering the curb your dog sign lately. The reason I carry them is because we've had some Rhodesian Ridgeback problems, ok, stupid other dog owner problems. It's not Lucky's fault that other people are allowing their dogs to try to attack MY dog through HIS window.

One of the two said dogs has been put down for attacking his owner (I wish I could feel badly, but she was a nut who deserved what she got, and her husband had to eat crow when he told the complex office about putting the dog down, the dog deserved better). The other dog has moved. Both dogs had stupid woman owners (I'm a woman and can tell you that smart women that are self-aware and have common sense are NOT like this)who had some serious judgement problems. The dog that got put down broke my window twice and that woman and I had choice words for each other. She blamed ME for what SHE allowed her dog to do. I wish I'd known about curb your dog signs prior to these altercations.

There are other issues with dogs that might require these signs. Well manicured lawns wouldn't appreciate dogs venturing off the sidewalk and making deposits. A sleeping baby wouldn't appreciate the loud commotion of the family dog going nuts at an alien dog on property. In addition, some people just don't like dogs and wish the owners wouldn't just let their dogs loose. This is a way to nicely let people know that their actions are out of line. That doesn't mean the situation can't still get ugly, but at least the offending people have been warned prior to further action being taken.

Elevated Dog Feeder

I sell the elevated dog feeders I sell for a reason. That reason is simple. I lit the plastic one with storage I had on fire. I hated it that much. I don't like messing with the water or having the liquid tip while I try to get the dog food out. Then I found QT Dog's elevated diners and I *loved* them. The simplicity! The elegance! And they weren't $300.00 like the other ones I looked at. I've got a picture of the wrought iron diners at the top of this entry, but not the wooden ones. Let me remedy that.



With a family and other people's dogs in and out, I really need diners that are low maintenance. Also, since I feed raw, my dogs don't get fed every day. Visiting dogs though need a lot of water, so all the diner bowls get filled with water which saves my poor slave, ummmm, I mean daughter from having to constantly refill them. Bless her little heart, she loves to help with the dogs.

There are many benefits in having an elevated dog feeder for your dog. They are mandatory if you choose to rescue a Great Dane in many rescue societies. They *are* that important, most especially for the bigger dogs!

Lupine Dog Collar

What is a Lupine dog collar? A Lupine dog collar, (actually the whole line also contains martingale collars, harnesses, and leashes), is from a company named Lupine who's motto is "guaranteed, even if chewed." That's a pretty hefty guarantee! What I like about the collars and leashes is the fact I can throw them in the washer when they get dirty, and they do get very dirty with such active dogs. There is no fraying after being washed in the washer multiple times. When I wash the dogs (and this requires a collar or harness due to the fact they keep trying to jump out of the tub) I don't have to worry about their dog gear looky ratty.

The patterns are also really neat too. On the three dogs in my family that wear Lupine, we have the patterns Muddy Paws, Hold 'Em, and Moose X-ing. Each pattern goes great with the dog wearing it. If I get tired of it I can always buy a different pattern. Lupine comes out with enough of them!

Because my dogs are "medium to large" they have the choice of the 3/4 inch and 1 inch widths. Double the selection, I love it.

If you're ever looking for a dog collar, leash, or harness brand to be loyal to, Lupine would be it.

Pet Blinkers?

What is a Pet Blinker? They are fun lil gadgets for those that like to play with LED lights and dogs at the same time , and for those who don't want to get run over by cars. It's safer to be seen than not, especially when cars are whizzing past you going faster than the speed limit on a residential street.

I'm currently trying something new, something I call "urban" skijoring. Skijoring is essentially dogs pulling you on ski's, I get pulled on my new toy called a trikke. More about that in the future. When I'm out with the dogs and teaching them to mush with our new toy, usually at night due to heat issues, the blinkers really help in keeping us safe. Cars that WERE going faster than the speed limit slow down. Pet Blinkers worked so well for the dogs that I started putting them on the kids too when we went for our evening walks. We love them.

Why Greenies Are Dangerous For Your Dog--Part I

How Greenies came to be
In the late 1990’s, Dr. Joe and Judy Roetheli weren’t overly fond of their Samoyed’s dog breath and devised a dog treat to be an effective alternative to brushing a dog’s teeth. In 1998, the dog treat, Greenies, was introduced and gave their competitors a run for their money with 325 million treats being sold around the world last year alone, overtaking the #1 dog treat spot by a landslide. Greenies are manufactured by a Missouri-based company called S&M NuTec.

A lawsuit
A rescued Miniature Dachshund, “Burt”, died July 25, 2005 at the age of 4. A Greenie was found obstructing his intestines. Burt died 48 hours after the obstruction was surgically removed. Burt’s family filed a lawsuit against S&M NuTec on November 30, 2005.

Common sense
In my non-professional opinion; Greenies pose a danger to every dog due to the biological digestive process of the animal. Asking owners, as the manufacturer does in the fine print, to make sure their dogs don’t gulp the dog treat known as “doggie crack” is ludicrous. It goes against the dog’s own nature and may not be a possibility. Part I of Why Greenies Are Dangerous for Your Dog is dedicated to canine digestion, intestinal blockage, and the lack of common sense of the manufacturers. I urge my readers to take my conclusions seriously and ask your vets for a professional opinion.

Digestion—a quick lesson
Canine digestion is very different than human digestion. Wolves eat their food quickly in an attempt to protect it from being stolen. They do not use their jaw muscles and teeth for chewing; instead they rip off large sections of meat and swallow them whole. The function of canine teeth is to cut, much like a knife. Wolf digestion is quite efficient for its purpose, objects not broken down become encased in undigested fur, and thus the intestines are protected from injury.

Wolves and dogs, as almost-true carnivores, do not have salivary amylase, an enzyme that exists in human saliva and begins the digestive process. Salivary amylase is an enzyme, a “biological catalyst” increasing the rate of a chemical reaction. From what I understand, dogs, unlike humans, will digest any starches/carbohydrates they eat in the small intestine where amylase and other enzymes *are* found and produced by the pancreas.

A dog’s saliva creates an efficient lubricant that glazes food and helps with swallowing quickly. No chemical breakdown is occurring; the digestive chemical process has not begun. This is how dogs can gulp down their food. They are biologically made to do so.In the stomach, digestive enzymes are added to the consumed food, proteins are beginning to break down in the high acid ph of the stomach. The mucus that lubricated the food now protects the lining of the stomach wall from being digested by the enzymes. The food that is primarily protein should now be a thick milky liquid and will pass into the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. The main site for digestion of carbohydrates is in the small intestine (the workhorse of the digestive system) and enzymes, such as amylase, are added. The broken down nutrients are then absorbed across the wall of the intestine and into the blood stream.

Lack of common sense
Greenies manufacturer, S&M NuTec, says that the most popular dog treat is recommended for dogs over 6months of age and 5 pounds of weight and consumption should be followed with water. In addition, there is a caution. “As with any edible product, monitor your dog to ensure the treat is adequately chewed. Gulping any item can be harmful or even fatal to a dog.” Unfortunately for dogs and their owners, favored treats will be consumed like a ravenous wolf at a kill, quickly with minimal chewing. It’s simple biology.

What is an intestinal blockage?
An intestinal blockage occurs when the intestinal contents cannot move because the intestinal walls are not contracting normally. A dog that vomits can indicate an obstruction located high in the intestinal canal. Obstructions found in the lower areas of the small intestine or in the large intestine are not able to be dislodged by vomiting. When a lower obstruction occurs, the intestine expands from swallowed air and accumulated debris creates pressure that causes a loss of blood supply. The loss of blood supply results in cell and tissue death, called necrosis. In surgery, necrotic tissue must be removed. The walls of the intestines may then become more porous than it already is, allowing toxins into the bloodstream. A highly dangerous situation, many dogs do not survive.

Conclusion
Burt isn’t the only dog to have suffered such a digestive Greenie catastrophe. The newswires are currently burning with news of other dogs and families that are suffering from similar problems associated with the dog treat. CNN reports that their investigation discovered that there have been 40 occurrences of Greenie extractions. Unfortunately 13 of those cases will await their owners at the Rainbow Bridge. The CNN story can be found here. http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/14/dangerous.dogtreat/index.html

Jessica Tighe
www.asankadogs.com
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