Played fetch with Bella at the Lake this morning...

ARE GOLF BALLS GOOD DOG TOYS?

I have chucked golf balls for my retriever to fetch in the past. I think I may change my mind about this after reading the articles below!

PUPPY EATS 8 GOLF BALLS

Dog Undergoes Surgery To Remove Golf Balls

TheBostonChannel.com.

X-ray of Wally's belly - yes, those are golf balls!

BOXBORO, Mass. -- An 8-month-old puppy is recovering from surgery after eating eight golf balls. Wally's owners said the Rottweiler pup started acting weird last week. He eventually threw up three golf balls, including one that was wrapped in a sock.

But when the dog still was acting strange, Wally's owners took him to the Boxboro Animal Clinic. "Lo and behold, there was another five golf balls sitting in there," Veterinarian Stewart Bleck said. Wally underwent surgery to have the other five balls removed.

Wally's owner Julianne Bonfilio said some friends like to putt around golf balls at their home, but they never noticed that the balls were disappearing. Bleck estimated that the balls had been in the dog's system for about a week.

DOG HAS 13 GOLF BALLS REMOVED DURING OP
'He hunts them down like truffles,' says owner

Scottish Press Association

Oscar loves to eat golf balls.

A dog had to have 13 golf balls removed from his stomach after eating them on walks near a golf course. Oscar, a five-year-old black Labrador, was taken to the vet after his owner noticed a rattling noise coming from his pet.

The vet, Bob Hesketh, was stunned: "When I went into his stomach I was expecting one or two balls, but they just kept coming." One of the balls had been in Oscar's stomach so long, it had turned black. Oscar's owner, Chris Morrison, takes the dog for regular walks near Pitreavie golf course in Dunfermline, Fife. Oscar is thought to have swallowed the balls over a period of months.

Morrison said: "He normally picks up golf balls and brings them home but must have been swallowing some all along. I take him out early in the morning and late at night, normally around the areas of the ninth and 12th fairways. "He hunts them down like truffles. He finds them in all sorts of places where golfers lose them."

Oscar has recovered from his operation and is said to be in good health. His food is being watered down to help repair his digestive system and he is wearing a muzzle during walks to break his habit. Chris said: "He does get a bit frustrated now and again. He couldn't go running around straight away but he is now off the lead again."


DOG EATS 28 GOLF BALLS - AND SURVIVES
Nick Towle
Sout Manchester Reporter

April 26, 2004

WHEN German shepherd Libby went off her food her owners were at a loss. The 18-month-old pup had begun losing weight and coughing up blood. Owner Mike Wardrop, a Man United reserve player in the 1970s, knew something was seriously wrong. Just how wrong was not clear until he took Libby to the vets and discovered the real reason - she'd swallowed 28 golf balls.

Mike, 47, said: "I was absolutely gobsmacked when the vets said they had found 28. "To see all those golf balls at once was a staggering sight and they weighed over six pounds, so it was no wonder Libby wasn't feeling well. "The vets gave every ball back to me - they were slightly discoloured but otherwise in great condition, and they will be great for practice although I was upset to see there were no ProV1s amongst them!"

John Ford, a partner at the Greenbank Veterinary Clinic, said: "It was unbelievable. Never in my entire career have I seen anything even approaching 28 golf balls in an animal's stomach. "We didn't even need to x-ray her when she was brought in - she was clanking and we could feel them in her stomach. They could have been in there for several weeks." As Libby underwent a two-and-half operation to remove the golf balls, vets placed bets as to how many golf balls they would find. "The highest bet was 11 by Caroline Merry, the vet who carried out the operation, but she just kept finding more and more," said Mr Ford. "It's not unusual for dogs to eat stones and glass, but God knows what made the dog think the golf balls were a tasty morsel. Thankfully she came through the operation well and has made a good recovery."

Libby has to go back to the vets next week to have 38 stitches taken out and is still feeling a little ruff. She had been gulping the balls while her owner Mike, 47, took her for walks near the practice greens at Didsbury Golf Club, where he lives and works as the house manager.

Mike and wife Julie, 45, are now trying to steer Libby away from her favourite snack by changing her walking route and keeping her off the practise greens. Mike added: "Libby is a great guard dog as well as a family pet and is now running around again like her old self. Like any young dog, she likes playing with balls and I have often seen her with several in her mouth at a time, although I didn't think she was swallowing them!"

FOODS THAT MAY KILL YOUR DOG!

After our recent episode with Bella, I have been looking more carefully at some of the food products around that are dangerous to my dog. While dogs are closely related to us, their physiological make-up does not necessarily enable them to handle the same foods and chemicals that we can. This may be in part because the natural diet of the dog and its relatives is dominated by carnivory (they mainly eat meat), while we primates are omnivorous. Thus, they do not process the constituents of some foods in the same way. Take these foods for example, that we can consume in mass that are harmful to our canine companions:

Grapes and Raisins: Grapes are deadly to dogs… really? This is how ill-equipped Janine and I once were. We used grapes (and the occasional raisin) as a treat for our golden Ruby! In fact, I can remember giving her a handful of grapes that were too ripe for my liking, as a special offering to exhibit just how much I loved her! WHAT A MORON I WAS! I have now found some sources that say as few as seven or eight grapes could kill an adult dog! I guess, the toxicity of grapes and raisins can vary depending on the individual dog and in the case of “ole’ iron-guts” (i.e., Ruby), they didn’t make a dent! In fact, in many cases a dog that has eaten grapes or raisins will vomit – Ruby never barfed up these fruit, no matter how many she consumed.

Onions: I don’t know about you, but I am not likely to hand my dog an onion as a snack. However, there are a number of human foods that you might treat your dog too that do contain these vegetables. For example, our old Golden loved hot sauce (we would let her lick the plate after an enchilada). Of course, most good salsas contain onions. When they eat enough of these vegetables (whether fresh, cooked, dried, spoiled or unspoiled) dogs can develop hemolytic anemia – that is, red blood cells erupt with anemia resulting. It seems that a large quantity of onions/garlic are required to produce a dangerous physiological response (some suggest a whole onion would be needed to cause problems). That said, the effect of frequent eating of onions can accumulate – that is, if you feed your dog onions several days in a row, it could develop anemia. Another thing that you should be aware of, is that the negative impact caused by onions does not occur immediately. In fact, it may take three to five days before the dog exhibits ill-effects of onion ingestion (e.g., hematocrit levels are often the lowest five days after onion ingestion). To be safe, Bella will certainly not get any onions if I can help it!

Garlic: there is a lot of debate about garlic. Some say it is dangerous, at least in quantity, others say a clove every once in a while is good for your dog! Of course, the internet is full of stories from folks that say giving their dog garlic has helped with excessive scratching, coprophagy (poop-eating), de-worming, discourages flea infestations, and on and on. This may be one of those items that is OK in moderation, but I would be wary about giving my dog garlic (in fact, I wouldn’t be giving Bella any Garlic – not worth the risk). The American Veterinarian Medical Association lists garlic as toxic to dogs (but what do they know, right?). For more information on the positives of garlic feeding, check this site out. It seems like a well-researched treatise on the subject (I am still not giving Bella garlic!): http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/garlic-for-dogs.html.

Chocolate: this is a no-brainer. While no chocolate is good for your dog, semi-sweet and bakers chocolate contain more theobromine than standard chocolate. Theobromine is the ingredient, along with the caffeine, that is dangerous to dogs. Anything containing cocoa or chocolate is best avoided. I see that some people on the web insist on giving their dogs chocolate as an occasional treat – I guess these dog owners love their chocolate so much that they consider it to be a more special treat for their dog, than say, a milk-bone biscuit. What are you nuts!? Why take the risk.

Macadamia Nuts: these heavenly seeds from members of the family Proteaceae are so tasty, why in the heck would I give them to my dog!? But if you are tempted to do so, resist the urge. If your dog eats these nuts, they may suffer from macadamia nut toxicosis. Symptoms usually develop within 12 hours of eating the nuts – these include inability to stand, ataxia (walking wobbly), vomiting, muscle tremors, elevated body temperature, weakness and an elevated heart rate – in the worse cases, shock and subsequent death may result. If your dog is fortunate, the symptoms go away in 48 hours. Remember, there are cookies out there that contain macadamia nuts.

Other foods that are reported to be possibly dangerous to your dog include: coffee grounds, yeast dough, avocado (yuk!), tea, alcohol and excessive salt.

BELLA BECOMES A HUSKER!

Bella and her sisters at four weeks of age.

When we lost Ruby from our pack, we knew that we had to fill that void as quickly as possible. Janine and I were both lost without the canine element in our family. We immediately began to do some research and ended-up with the following breed short list: a Bernese Mountain Dog, Swiss Mountain Dog or another Golden Retriever. We decided to go back to a Golden as Ruby had been a wonderful dog (why fix what's not broken!) and Goldens don't reach the proportions of the other two dogs (we decided a 125-pound Berner or Swissy would be a bit too much for our 1000 square foot abode!).

Bella at around six weeks of age.

We began researching breeders and soon decided we would do something a bit different - we would go with the English Golden Retriever. We had met one in our neighborhood (Larry) - and were taken aback by his handsomeness! In our research, we also found lots of information about how the US Golden had been marred by poor breeding. Things like aggressiveness had begun to show-up in a breed that was renowned for its amiable nature. Genetic defects and disease have also become more prevalent in the US Golden. (That is not to say there are not wonderful US Goldens available, but thorough investigation is needed to ensure you find a reputable breeder.) Like so many dog breeds, when they become popular there are unscrupulous folks out there that sacrifice quality for quantity. In doing so, they harm the breed. (An interesting trend is that many breeders that are in it for the cash have turned from breeding Golden Retrievers to "Golden Doodles" as their popularity has surged!)

Bella arrives in Houston, eager to get out of her traveling confines.

English Goldens are still relatively new to the US. They are not well-known to the general public, there are few breeders and they command a higher price. As a result, there has been less non-selective breeding - although that is probably going to change as more people discover them. It soon became evident, as is the case in every breed, there are breeders that have stellar reputations and there are those who are best avoided. With the internet, it was easy to find pros and cons about various breeders.

Free from her crate, Bella enjoys hugs from her new pack leader.

We looked at three different breeders. One in Chicago, one in Nebraska and one in California. We felt that all three had great dogs and that all three really cared about their animals. Two of the three had us fill out an extensive adoption application, which included having to supply neighbor references. That was great! One breeder was reluctant to sell us a dog because we didn't have a fenced in yard (I appreciate that!). I love the fact that they care so much about their dogs that they are going to do all in their power to make sure they go to good homes. We ended up going with the breeder in California because we liked the look of her dogs (they were also more affordable than some - some breeders sell the English Goldens for up to $4000!!! YIKES!).

Bella slumbers most of the trip from Texas to Nebraska.

We did not have the time to drive out and pick up our new pack member, but the breeder provided shipping with Continental Airlines (the BEST airline to use to ship puppies!). I have worked with the airlines and live animals for many years (shipping live fish) and know how incompetent they can be! I have seen them misplace shipments of live marine fish and was not about to take a chance in having them misplace our dog (Continental is less likely to do this than other airlines as they have a special service for shipping pets). These shipping errors most often occur when there is a connection. Our new puppy would have to be shipped from Sacramento to Houston, Houston to Omaha. To avoid the possible problems associated with a connection, we decided to go pick the new pup up in Houston (this also gave us an excuse to visit family in the area!).

Still snoozing...

Everything went better than we even expected. Bella came in on time. She was beautiful and eager to get out of her temporary den. She was a great traveler, sleeping most of the 14-hours back to her new home.

Bella lounges in the sun during a brief break on her way to Nebraska.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF PRIMATE-CANINE BOND!

BELLA MEETS MEPHITIS

Does this look like a little doggy to you? photo from pdimages.com.

Last fall, there were many nights when Bella and I would go out for a late walk at a local lake. Fewer people walk their dogs in the cold and dark which enabled me to allow Bella to go off-leash and run about in this quasi-wilderness environment. As we were going back to the car, in the pitch black, Bella suddenly stopped in front of me. I squinted to see what had catalyzed her to put on the brakes. I squinted harder – I could just make out a small, black shape. “It is a small, lost dog.” I thought and proceeded to bend over and slowly move toward the little critter. (Fortunately, I had put Bella on her lease before meeting the mysterious creature as we were getting close to more populated areas.) I started talking to the little “dog” attempting to get it to approach us. Suddenly the unidentified creature abruptly turned and moved away from us, which caused Bella to bolt forward. It was at this point that I could just make out some of the creatures salient characteristics – the white stripes on its back and tail! It was the cute but odoriferous Mephitis mephitis - the striped skunk.

I immediately grabbed the cable lease (it was a retractable cable that I know can confirm are not good for larger breeds of dog – it ended up burning a deep cut in my fingers) and tried to pull Bella back, but it was too late. The skunk had adopted the squirting position and had dosed the inquisitive canine with its oily spray. I have read that they can shoot their defensive anal gland juices up to 15 feet. Fortunately, it had directed the smelly burst at Bella’s face and forequarters and I was spared a direct hit.

The skunk moved off into the darkness and Bella began “face surfing” – that is, incessantly pushing her head through the grass in an attempt to remove the nasty scent. Fortunately, it did not cause any blindness (it can apparently cause temporary blindness), but Bella certainly didn’t smell good. That said, I thought the odor would be more pungent than it was, having smelled dead skunks on the road on numerous occasions. Bella’s new mustelid perfume smelt like burnt rubber. Of course, the smell is notorious for being very difficult to get off dog, clothes, car upholstery, etc. Fortunately, I had a blanket in the trunk of my CRV and wrapped Bella in that and made her stay put on the front floor board. When we returned home, I tethered her to the front porch and ran to a local pet store to get some reagent made specifically to de-stink a dog that had been skunked! It worked well and while there was some residual smell on the dog, it was very slight.

A word about tomato juice: I found on an internet site when I was trying to find that this did not remove but only served to mask the smell, so I choose to use Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor Remover. I found that it worked very well. I talked to my friend and dog expert Kathleen Wood about this incident and she assured me that tomato juice does work. She said her bulldog had been skunked on eight occasions and that on every occasion she used tomato juice and it worked (on one occasion she said she used a spaghetti sauce, because she was out of tomato sauce, which resulted in a bulldog that didn’t smell of skunk but of garlic!).

The Dog that Fought off a Cougar

A heroic Golden named Angel. Picture: Vancouver Sun

By NICK BARNETT

Here's the story: In the yard of his home in Canada, an 11-year-old boy is saved from an attacking cougar by his one-year-old golden retriever. The dog, named Angel, hurls herself at the cougar, allowing the boy to run to safety.

Angel, though, is not safe. She battles the much tougher cougar and is caught in its jaws, bleeding and yelping, her life in danger. But the family have called the police, and a Mountie arrives. He struggles to get a clear shot at the cougar, finally managing to shoot it dead.

What of Angel? She revives long enough to check that the boy is safe, then collapses again. But with veterinary care, she's on the path to recovery.

All this happened at the weekend.

It made me think about all the many news accounts I've read of dogs that fought off intruders or other animals, or risked their lives to save people. There are several every year - do you read them too? They're some of the most inspiring things to read, though there's often also sadness.

Remember George, the fox terrier that fought a group of pig dogs in order to protect some children? George died in the process, but earned Britain's highest award for animal bravery.

There was even the story, which I blogged about last year, of an unknown dog that braved highway traffic to drag an injured dog away from danger.

Do you have your own dog bravery story? Maybe a dog has been the difference between life and death, for you or someone you know?

I know from owning two dogs (albeit small ones) how big their hearts are, how they'll go into bat for themselves or their companions even with "foes" that are much bigger. I'm certain that my 4kg dachshund Connor would bark stoutly if a cougar ever appeared from out of the shrubs of our suburban garden - though he'd be a poor match in battle.

Whether that quality is what we'd call "courage", or a more reckless instinct, I don't know, but it has served us humans very well when we've harnessed it.

I remember reading as a boy about the great St Bernard rescue dog Barry. Plainly named for such a heroic character, Barry saved 40 lives near the Swiss-Italian border in the early 19th century. That classic image of the St Bernard, rum barrel beneath its chin and looking out for avalanche survivors, is chiefly based on the true story of Barry.

Then there was Swansea Jack, the Newfoundland that saved a reported 27 people from the Tawe River in Wales in the 1930s.

And there are the frequent articles about police and rescue dogs that are trained to put themselves in harm's way to save lives, such as 9/11 hero Appollo.

But it's the acts of bravery by everyday dogs, people's pets, that are most moving because the act is the dog's own, not a reflex dinned in by trainers, and it could be any one of us, one day, who is the beneficiary.

So three cheers for golden retrievers, St Bernards, Newfoundlands and even stroppy dachshunds. Their bravery is inspiring.