Tips on Caring for Dogs

In discussing dog care for the beginner or for someone THINKING of getting a dog for the first time, there are some main points that I would like to get across. These points are things that I learned, but most of which I did not know before becoming an animal control officer.

1. Dogs are easy to take care of because of the length of time that they have been domesticated. They are MADE to live in our homes with us. They are quite hardy in makeup. Whenever you find yourself spending a lot of money on special dog foods, vitamins, minerals, glossy coat items, etc., remind yourself.......A stray dog can successfully raise a healthy litter of puppies in a junkyard, living on cheetos and other refuse. Of course, that is not ideal, but dogs are survivors, there is nothing fragile about them.

2. Dogs are a pain in the neck until they are between the ages of 1 1/2 years and 2 1/2 years, then, they are SUDDENLY ANGELS for another 10 years! So the trick is to get through those first couple of years without dropping them off at the pound. To keep problems at a minimum, you keep their mouths busy and their legs tired. (Don't go overboard with exercise, though.) This is easily verified if you note that the average age of dogs at your local pound/humane society is usually between the cute baby puppy age and the nice, calm grownup age. The only exception is the unneutered male dog, which sometimes never becomes an angel. Unneutered male dogs frequently get hit by cars because they can smell female dogs in heat from a LONG ways away.

3. Dogs are social animals. They do not feel secure when they are alone. If you are not home much, you should get two littermates to play and wear each other out. This really pays off on guilt relief when you go on vacation.

4. Dogs like to be in a pack situation, or with their families. A dog in a secure kennel cannot do anything but bark if someone intrudes upon your home. Only an indoor dog can really keep you safe. Dogs need A LOT of attention, but every bit you invest is paid back with security and affection. I live in an area where illegal aliens manage to come through by the thousands. I have seven dogs and have never even seen an illegal alien on my property. (No robberies or burglaries either.) No one I know who has dogs has been burglarized. As a matter of fact, Elizabeth Smart's cousin's kidnapping was prevented by a dog. (I read on the internet that Elizabeth Smart's family now has a dog.)

5. The 4th of July is the most dangerous holiday for all pets. At animal control, we had to staff extra officers on the 5th of July and New Year's Day and after Hot Air Balloon events because the effect of fireworks and loud noises is to shake up and redistribute all the pets in a city. Because of the great fear incurred, dogs that had never jumped fences before are able to scramble over them, leaving humans at home saying "My dog was stolen." Bottom line, dogs aren't stolen very often and people do not look for their pets if they think they were stolen. Tell them to look anyway.

6. Some breeds of dogs were raised originally to be food for humans while the vast majority were raised to help humans procure food. There is a big difference in the personalities of these dogs.

Feeding your dog;  Dogs need good dry food. If you feed them poor quality dry food, you are the one who will suffer, as they have increased gas production and increased waste production!  (By the way, I now have to eat my words!  I changed to Ol' Roy when the gas prices raised the price of dog food astronimically!) 

We feed adult dogs once a day, in the evening, and be sure to let them out before bedtime.

Most small dogs cannot make it through the night without an outside visit to relieve themselves. The bigger the dog, the longer they can hold it. Also the bigger the dog, the faster they seem to be housebroken, as they can't stand their own offensive odors.

Worms;  Even if the mother dog is worm free, the puppies can be born with worms. Checking one puppy's stool is as good as checking the whole litter's. If the mother dog had worms when SHE was a puppy, she can pass them on. The wetter the climate, the more of a problem worms are. In Arizona, many dogs never have any worms their entire life. Unlike in horses, once you kill dog worms, you should be set. You do not have to worm on a schedule. Unlike other intestinal worms, tape worms do not lay eggs, which means:

1. tests cannot detect their presence in a stool sample and

2. only one treatment will kill them all.

Hookworms are a very serious matter, left best only to a veterinarian to treat.

Vaccinations:  Shots may have no effect until the age of 4 months, so they MUST BE REPEATED periodically, according to directions. I learned this lesson the hard way, with an English Springer Spaniel puppy named Molly Brown. Dog shots can be purchased at feed stores or online but you must be sure the temperature of the shot itself does not exceed certain limits. When I buy shots at a feed store, I either bring a frozen ice pack with me or ask if they have one I can take with me. Then I go directly home with the shots and put right into the refrigerator. Otherwise, the shot may be no good. Rabies shots have no value unless they are administered by a veterinarian, legally. In most places, the first rabies shot lasts 1 year and subsequent boosters last 3 years. Rabies vaccinations to domestic pets provide a barrier from the wild animal population to humans, mainly because most humans are not tempted to chase and bite foxes and skunks. Keep your proof.

Flea and tick prevention: This has improved dramatically with the drops you apply to the back. I have found that I can buy bigger poundage than my dogs require and split the liquid into smaller poundage, for example, buying a 30 lb dosage and dividing it by three using a pipette into three (3) 10-lb dosages. I cannot recommend that, as it does not say you can do that on the package. Look online, and make sure it kills ticks, not just fleas. I keep the original packaging, writing each animal's name and the date applied in magic marker. If I sell or adopt out an animal, I give them the original vaccination or flea and tick prevention packaging, so that they can show it to their veterinarian. The drops do not work on the fur, they must be applied to the skin. I hope I do not sound condescending, I am trying to help a beginner decide if he or she can handle the responsibility of a dog!  Side note!   I once killed a beautiful Siamese cat by accidently applying dog flea and tick drops on it!

The best things about dogs are that they make you feel safe and they love you unconditionally.

Email any questions or for my opinion, but remember, I am NOT a veterinarian and I have GREAT RESPECT for their knowledge, gained by years and years of schooling and also remember that things change rapidly in any scientific or medical field. If you find something in my blurb that you disagree with, please let me know. I will reconsider it.

Nancy Casurella
July, 2003  Email us!

Grudge's Story

Grudge is our most 'maladjusted' dog. Grudge was named Grudge because, as a smart friend pointed out, we were nursing a Grudge and he was holding a Grudge. We were foster parents trying to 'socialize him'. We failed, despite cats, kids, and other dogs. He was never able to leave our home to go to another home, which is the whole point of fostering.

A home in Glendale, Arizona was found to have more than 100 dogs INSIDE the house. The human residents were carted off for mental illness. It was a big news story on TV. A number of different private humane organizations were called in to try to save the youngest, most salvageable dogs of the bunch. Grudge was only a puppy when he lived in the madhouse, and being cute and non-aggressive, he was picked by a group that I was familiar with.
The group that got Grudge also got a couple of his relatives. One broke through the screen door and ran away the first day he was adopted. I don't remember what happened to the other one, but it was something similarly tragic. But Grudge lived in the home of one of the rescuers for 2 months, the worst of the group, and the rescuer was unable to get into the SAME ROOM with him. It was like having a wild coyote in the house, she would go into the kitchen, and he would slink off into the living room, etc. So I said, "sure, we'll give him a shot" as Papillon breeders would sometimes drop off maladjusted dogs for a couple of weeks to get them used to children and other animals successfully.

She dropped him off, with a big bag of dog food. We had about 5 other dogs who, for reasons beyond human understanding, completely ignored him as if he wasn't there. (Not the way they usually act!) Not one hint of aggression was displayed!
First we tried to catch him, to hold him close to us and carry him around, he was only a 24 lb blond Benji type. At any rate, we pressured him too much to change too quickly and 3 days later Grudge decided to make a break for it, he broke out of a closed airline kennel in the kitchen (leaving a bloody trail, probably from his toenails) and out the open doggie door and then he chewed a hole into a wooden fence to escape.

We called the humane group and reported the news. "Oh, he'll be in Flagstaff by now! (300 miles away) The collar and tags won't do him any good if he can't be caught until he is hit by a car!". They were not happy with us and being animal humanitarians (is there a word for them? We called them humaniacs in a derogatory way at animal control) who had already devoted 2 months to this dog, it is not much of a stretch to understand. 

Well, the different thing about Grudge was this, 4 people could chase him around into smaller and smaller spaces and then catch him, with their hands, and he never offered so much as a growl. This puppy didn't know that chewing was for anything but eating. (I think he probably had the tar beat out of him a few times as a young pup by other dogs and had learned that fighting back didn't pay off in the long run.)

Anyway, days and days went by. Of course, we kept some water out in case he came around and the next door neighbor kept dry food out for the stray cats, so if he chanced back into the area, he would at least be able to stay alive. (In Phoenix in summer, water is the limiting factor.)

There was a little blond next door neighbor girl, Jenna, she was either 2 or 3 years old at the time, who kept saying that she had seen Grudge running around. Of course, we questioned her and she would never back down from her statements, she was SURE she had seen Grudge, and over and over again. This little girl had had an especially adult life for her age, if you know what I mean, but still, as adults, we took the words of a toddler with a grain of salt.

Then, on the 14th day, I was in the backyard watering plants, when there was a commotion in the alley, someone was walking their big dog, and the wood was being chewed from the outside of the fence, until a hole was made, and Grudge appeared, returning as he had left, chewing a hole in the wooden fence. He returned to the place where he felt safe before he left, under the kitchen table. He wasn't very active. We were able to catch him more easily than before, and put him in the bathtub right away. As we washed him, we found he was cut up all over. We took him to the veterinarian (luckily he was still officially the group's dog) and after inspection, he was put under and sutured in 17 DIFFERENT places. Of course they shaved every one of those 17 places. We guess that coyotes tried to kill him, or javelina had attacked him, as all the tearing wounds seemed to indicate things pulling on him.

It was much easier to approach him when he didn't feel great, and we made great progress towards socialization. The group called me up once and asked if he responded to his name, I said, "No, I don't think so, but he does sleep on my bed." They were greatly impressed, although I didn't add that if I sat up in the bed, he was off the bed in a split second.

We have had Grudge for many years now. I cannot catch him unless I lock him in a room without a bed to hide under. However, we moved away from Phoenix into the country and he runs free on the property whenever he wants. He is too quick for the Mammoth donkeys to stomp and he makes great playmates for all our other dogs. The cats have always set him up, one chasing him and the other waiting in ambush, but they also sleep up against him when they feel like it. He wants to be in the same room with me at all times, but I cannot reach out and touch him when I want to. He will not get into a car but will follow it if you drive slowly. He barks at the kids as if they are strangers, unless there are ACTUAL strangers at our house. We once took him kayaking to Lake Powell and he did very well, except for the time on the way in the forest north of Flagstaff when we couldn't get him to get in the car. We all finally pretended we were asleep, left a trail of animal treats on the floor of the car and door open and he eventually jumped in. Patience was at a premium!

I guess the day he chewed back through the fence to get back into our yard was the day we knew we would be stuck with him forever. I always wondered why he didn't go back to the house he lived in for 2 months, not the one he lived in for 3 days, as it was only a mile away.

Grudge is still alive and well as of 2009, he is in one picture, the blonde terrier mix on the bed with other dogs and cats.  I still can't walk directly up to him and pet him and I can't catch him unless I am in a small room like a bathroom.  But he follows me everywhere I go and seems to be very happy.  He loves all the dogs and cats.

Nancy Casurella

Originally written in 2003.

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Taking Care of Your Cat

No pet that I know of is as easy to care for as a cat. If you are new to pet-ownership, this is a great animal to start with. Check with the people that visit you often to be sure they are not allergic, and don't get one if you move from rental to rental, as many rental units do not allow pets. Do not get a cat unless you plan to keep it his entire life, which will run up to 17+ years if kept indoors. I have a bit of knowledge about cats that I can try to pass along. But remember, a veterinarian went to school for a LONG TIME to get the knowledge they have which completely eclipses my knowledge. I am a registered nurse and have worked a number of years at animal hospitals prior to becoming a nurse.

1. Cats MUST be spayed or neutered before they grow up. Male cats will begin to mark their territories by spraying your house at about 7 or 8 months of age. Even professional cat breeders do not keep their beautiful toms in the house for this reason. I am not exactly sure at what age they begin to spray because I have never waited long enough to find out! Female cats will become pregnant while you still think they are a kitten. Humane societies have pushed back the age limit on fixing animals to VERY YOUNG with no ill effects. Check with your vet. Shop around for spaying and neutering by phone and watch out for add-ons, like dissolving sutures that don't have to be removed and extra pain shots.

Also, some veterinarians have mandatory blood testing prior to surgery that will add a substantial amount to the bill. Of course, this testing is nice if you only have one pet to pay for and could prevent heartbreak. However, the likelihood of the blood tests finding a problem in a young cat are small. In my opinion, if more veterinarians would allow you to waive these tests, more people would have their cats fixed. Some veterinarians allow you to sign a waiver in order to forego tests, as long as the animal is under a certain age. I have paid as lit as little as $17.50 to have wild male cat's neutered in Phoenix and would have to add $100.00 to that where I now live! I have paid as little as $26.50 to have female wild cats spayed as recently as 2000, and just a little more than that in 2008.  (For Tucson, try ABC Spay and Neutering Clinic.)

Ask for the names of organizations that help or totally pay for spaying and neutering. Some towns offer 'free male cat neutering' every once in a while. Humane societies are a good place to get information on spaying and neutering. The advantage to adopting from the Humane Societies or from Animal Control Centers is that they usually have already been fixed or it is included in the price.

2. Cats MUST have dry cat food available. Canned food should be thought of as a treat, because it has such a high percentage of water. A cat fed only canned cat food will be malnourished. Cat food is much higher quality than dog food, as they are strictly carnivores.  By the way, canned human tuna fish does not have the vitamins and minerals that cats need. They have dry food available free choice that is kept high enough to keep dogs and ants out of it. I use a dry food dispenser and fill it up about once a week. Dogs can live on cat food but cats cannot live on dog food (nutrition-wise).

3. Cats MUST be vaccinated for respiratory diseases. A sneeze is a cat is a serious matter, while a sneeze in a dog is not. Kittens must get the shot a certain number of times to be sure it takes effect. The mother cat's immunity can be enough to block the vaccination from working but NOT enough to provide immunization from the disease until the kitten reaches a certain age. The same is true with dogs and puppies. Believe me, I learned that one the hard way. One vaccination covers all the most deadly respiratory viruses. Leukemia testing and vaccinations is controversial, at least with cat breeders. A veterinarian once told me if you had 100 cats in a house and put one with leukemia in with them, only one or two would catch it. Please email if I stand to be corrected on this.

Another tip to use at vet's offices, ASK THE EMPLOYEES if they have their cats tested and vaccinated for leukemia. The employees of animal hospitals do not get paid extraordinarily well, and they know how much of the disease they see in their area. They do not waste their money when they don't have to and they get a discount! (This is also a good question to ask regarding heartworm medication for dogs, which is expensive, but I live in dry Arizona where there are not many mosquitos. (If I lived right next to a river, I would have to use it.) A good way to find the most current information is to look up some friendly-sounding cat breeders on the internet, email them and get their opinion. Animal breeders love to talk about animals and generally do not lack opinions!

Rabies should never affect a totally indoor cat, unless maybe a bat got in. Rabies vaccinations provide a barrier between humans and wild animals, who will always keep the virus alive in wild, mountainous areas. Humans almost never chase skunks or foxes or pick up bats in their mouths, which is why most humans haven't been vaccinated. (I have, because I used to work as an animal control officer, but they are just shots in the arm now, not the stomach.) If there is any possibility your cat could ever get out, you should have him immunized for rabies for your peace of mind. Rabies is the only shot you HAVE to get at the animal hospital or it doesn't legally count. If your unvaccinated cat comes up with a positive rabies encounter, your cat is in for a LONG quarantine (like 6 months) and animal control will try to convince you to put the animal to sleep instead. What would your kitten be like if he grew up in a cage at animal control? In general, rabies is considered a one year shot if it is either the first shot ever received or in a young animal (must be 4 months or older), then after that it only needs to be given every 3 years. Keep your proof, especially in a cat, because animal hospital employees get tired of writing out those certificates and will skip it if you don't insist, as only dogs are required by law to have rabies shots in most places!

4. Look at your animal and feel him frequently. You have no idea how many cats grow up with a rubber band around their neck that the kids put on and forgot about! They don't realize it is there until it is cut and infected. Check for matts, look inside their ears. If it is black in there and the cat scratches his ears and shakes his head he probably needs some ear mite medicine. Pick them up from the time they are born, carry them around until they are comfortable with it. Never drop them from your arms, always set them gently down, so that they don't have to be 'ready' to land. Play with their toes and ears. Even if you are eventually going to let your cat out, do not let him out until he is at least 6 months old. They stay much closer and are not quite so confident outdoors. It is better to build an outdoor area that is enclosed.

The new flea drops applied to the shoulders and back work great but must make contact with the skin, not just the fur, apply BEFORE your warm season starts, if you are in a seasonal area, year round if you are not. I have found them to be inexpensive and effective at Wal-Mart and online. NOTE:  Some dog flea and tick drops will kill cats - so be careful if you have a cat that helps groom your dog!

Arm and Hammer clumping cat litter has been the most odor controlling I have used. I use a tall storage bin for a litter box, set in a closet with a stepstool to prop the door open so that they can't get litter everywhere and the dogs can't reach their feces. I use an old metal spoon with holes that I buy at a thrift store or even a wire frying basket to scoop extra quickly. The plastic scoops break easily. If your cat goes out and hunts, first of all you have the wrath of all the environmentalists and the animal protection people, secondly, your cat will pick up tape worms from catching mice.  You can buy tape worm pills at the feed store, one treatment does the trick as tape worms do not lay eggs. That is also the reason you cannot check for tapeworms by taking a stool sample to the veterinarian. They reproduce by segmentation, look for dried grains of rice near your cat's tail. If your cat goes to the bathroom in plant pots, get some big rocks from outside and cover the dirt with them.

I recommend getting two littermates or two young kittens at the same time. They will wear each other out playing, sleep together, and you will feel less guilty when you go out of town. You can therefore have a neighbor check in on them once a day to replenish their food and water. I think neutered male cats generally are a tiny bit more people-oriented than spayed females, but that is just my opinion. And remember! I am not a veterinarian and I have great respect for their knowledge!

Nancy Casurella
Benson, Arizona
July, 2003 

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