Is your dog your child?

Many individuals are having a dog instead of having children. 

Some are calling their dog their child? Is your dog your child?

It has been found that the relationship between dogs and their owners is very similiar to those of a parent and child. Parent is the caregiver in both situations. Also the researchers found that the same hormone,oxytocin, spikes in both human and canine brains when a dog is gazing at its owner. So both dog owner and your dog benefit of living together.

But dog and child are treated different. My dog, Charlie is treated like a dog. Yes he does get our love and attention but he is still a dog. We put a leash on him when we go for a walk. He eats from a bowl on the floor, not on the table. Charlie is a important member of our family. He is involved in most of our daily activities but we all know he is not our child so he is treated as our pet.

As you can seen in the photo above Charlie is a happy, content dog :)

Dogs go into the snow with their snowsuits already on!

Most dogs like the snow. Check out Charlie, you can see he is loving it!

Even though your dog loves the snow make sure his ears don't freeze, especially if they are small or pointed. Also all that salt on the sidewalk and roads can irritate your dogs paws. If your dog licks his salty paws he could get sick. Try washing your dogs paws with some warm water when he comes in the house.

(Keeps your house cleaner too)

Dogs regulate their body temperature in part through their paws, so make sure your dog isn't exposed to the ice and snow more than a few hours at a time. Always keep an eye on your dog. Not all dogs are the same.

Charlie Tests Out Hammock Camping

A Hammock Adventure!

Testing out the new camping hammock and Charlie did not want to be left out of the fun. 

Charlie was so happy when he got up and got to be apart of the hammock fun!

Charlie contemplating camping, hammocks, and all the sticks surrounding him.

Dogs hears things that you don't.

A dog hears a frequency range of 40 to 60,000 Hz while a human range is between 20 and 20,000 Hz. Most dogs can hear sounds approximately four times further away than humans.  

Due to this your dog may have a difficult time with many different and loud noises that you find acceptable. 

Instant Meditation

What's happening Man!  Charlie taking a Instant Meditation break.

According to www.nowhealing.com/instant-meditation, you too can do Instant Meditation like Charlie.                                                                                                                                                      
"Now, for two seconds, get in touch with your mental/emotional center – a place of peace. (Don’t feel into it, or try to experience it – just find it and connect to it, at the speed of light. That’s sufficient!)

"Find your spiritual center – your soul  – and connect with it, for two seconds.
And finally, sense your energetic center with its meridians, chakras and auric field.

Now bring them all together: sense your vertical Center, and say the command: “Center.” Stay in your Center, while bringing your focus up, up, up… above your head. Now move your focus up and outward, towards infinity, for a few seconds – at light-speed.

You’ve just made instant, multi-dimensional connection to wholeness. Compare that to how you feel after meditation. Different – yet instantly whole. Check out the full article at https://www.nowhealing.com/instant-meditation/

Who's got who?

Hope Mom buys treats for me when she is in the grocery store.

I don't want to go home!

In the dog world this is called a "Sit down Strike" or "The stop and drop phenomenon" But before you scold your dog check to see how your dog is feeling. Make sure your dog has no sprains or pulled muscles. Also check your dogs paws. Look for ice, cracked pads of feet or foreign object wedged between paws.

The laying down behavior could also be that your dog is overwhelmed, scared and shutting down.

Or your dog is just being silly and having fun! Like Charlie is :)

A great winter day!

The snow, the sun and a good stick. It doesn't get any better.

Charlie wants to join the skiers.

Not messing with this guy!

Charlie at Wag's....A Posh shop for spoiled Pets

Great place to take your dog after a long walk in Windsor Park.

Charlie enjoyed his visit to Wag's while his pet parents had a coffee. Coffee was good! 

You can also buy dog treats and dog supplies at Wags. There is seating in the front of store for you and your dog or you can join others and their dogs in the corral in the back of the store.  As you can see Charlie enjoyed his time here.  If you want to visit Wag's it is located at 1071 Bank St, Ottawa. Open every day except Sunday 8am to 8 pm, open Sundays 8 am to 6 pm. 

A Walk with Lights

Charlie went for a long walk to look at all the Christmas lights in Britannia. This was one of his favorites.

So many nice Christmas lights!

Charlie likes this house, but is confused why there is a tree inside the house! Trees belong outside!

How much sleep does a dog need?

The average amount of sleep for adult dogs is 12–14 hours per day.

Charlie loves to sleep. He can sleep anywhere but usually sleeps in the room I'm in. So now while I write this he is in the office/bedroom on the floor. When I leave the room he will follow me. 

Dogs sleep in short and long stretches throughout the day and night. Dogs almost spend half their life sleeping. It is important to teach children and guests to not approach your dog while its sleeping. A dog that is startled can jump or bite.

Why is Charlie so darn cute?

Lots of dogs are cute but why?

Humans find dogs cute because of their soft and furry coat and the sad puppy eyes that you can't help falling in love with. Just look at Charlie. You can't help yourself saying "awww-how cute".

Many say we like to be a surrogate mother to our dogs forming long loving friendship. But being cute can be a bad thing too. Many dogs get adopted because their cuteness and later brought back to the dog shelter. So before you adopt a dog do your research. Find the right dog for you, looking at temperament, how much exercise it needs, how big will it get. Does everyone in the family want a dog? Getting a dog is a big commitment.

Dogs can be cute but they can also be destructive, aggressive, dangerous, high-strung, fearful, shy, hyper-active, temperament and dominant to name a few.