August 9, 2009

This has not been a good week. We are very, very sad because Ivar, one of my CCI classmates, died after eating something he shouldn't have.

Ivar was a year-old black Lab-Golden Retriever cross. He was smart, sweet and happy. He loved learning his commands and meeting new people. His puppy raiser is devastated and inconsolable. The other puppy raisers are mouring his loss as well.

I am loathe to admit it, but sometimes dogs, and perhaps Labradors in particular, are Very Bad Dogs. It's our basic nature. We think anything and everything is edible. We even sneak things off counters and tables and other places, knowing we're not supposed to, but oh-so-tempted by something that might be tasty. For example, Marianne said Hudson once ate a bar of Irish Spring soap from the tray in the bathtub.

The good news is that Hudson was lucky; it wasn't fatal or even serious. Marianne called the vet immediately, and Dr. Vicksman told her to watch him closely and bring him in right away if he exhibited certain symptoms (which I won't go into, in case you have a sensitive stomach). Fortunately, Hudson only suffered some ..uh...minor dietary distress for 24 hours. I'm sure the advertisers of Irish Spring didn't have dogs in mind when they coined the phrase "Fresh and clean as a whistle."

But back to more serious things.

Marianne, like all the puppy raisers, is always on the alert for things that I might try to eat. She is constantly telling me to not eat things off the ground, making me spit things out that I've picked up, and even reaching in and fishing something out of my mouth when I've decided I don't want to spit it out, which annoys me. "Drop!" is the command I seem to hear most often.

But now I understand why she does that. Now it makes sense.

Some things really and truly are deadly. Many things that are fine for humans are lethal to dogs. My friend Ivar snagged a bottle off the counter and ate a vitamin supplement that proved to be toxic to dogs. Sadly, the vet wasn't able to save him.

Marianne keeps hugging me with big tears in her eyes, saying "Ross, PLEASE promise me you won't eat anything unless it's in your dish or an approved training treat." She's warned Meryl and Mina, too. Meryl has an affinity for shoes and Mina likes things out of the trash. Marianne is making extra sure that anything and everything we might taste, chew or gulp down is out of reach, out of sight, or both.

We get it, we really do.

Give your pups a hug today and tell them not to eat stuff that's not approved for doggies. And please take the time to look around your house and make sure it is 100% dog-proof. Do it in memory of my friend Ivar.

Chow for now!

Ross

Questions or comments for Ross? Send him an e-mail!

Would you like more information about Canine Companions for Independence or perhaps be a puppy raiser? Call 1-800-572-BARK or go to CCI for details.