K9Kamp Week Two: Play with Your...um...Balls!...

Mindy never cared much for balls, so when we adopted Paige she inherited a fair number of them: tennis balls in various colors, hollow rubber balls that squeaked, a hard rubber ball that sounds like a turkey call when rolled or bounced (dubbed the "gobble" ball), balls on ropes, even a ball that looked like a relief map of the earth complete with blue oceans and green continents. Within a few minutes of being given each one, however, Paige had reduced most of them to unrecognizable shreds! She acted more like a puppy than a three-year-old dog. Never having had toys to play with, she didn't have a clue what to do but to chew!

Part of Paige's ball collection.

So, in addition to the three balls that survived (the gobble ball, a puzzle ball that holds treats, and a fuzzy, squeaky one that looks like an over-sized softball with a rope through it), we bought her a Kong ball (virtually indestructible) and a squeaky soccer ball.

Paige pauses to gobble a treat from
her puzzle ball.

Paige's favorite is the puzzle ball. Mindy never felt the amount of effort required was worth such a tiny reward, but Paige LOVES it! In no time, she had figured out how to roll the ball upside down to get the treats. She spends about twenty minutes rolling it all over the house, pausing to gobble its delicious contents (the liver-flavored treats are her favorites), before pawing the ball, or nosing it across the floor, and resuming the game. If it rolls under a table or chair, she will retrieve it and carry it in her mouth to her dog bed (home base), and the game begins again. We now use the puzzle ball twice a week as part of a meal.

Paige carries the puzzle ball
back to  her bed.

I was a little nervous about giving her the soccer ball because it's hollow, and I figured she'd have it demolished in no time. But she seems to have learned that if she wants to be able to keep playing with it, she has to leave it intact. She loves the loud squeak, chases after it, skidding to a halt (or into the wall or door, if inside), then bounds back proudly bearing her prize. 

Game called on account of rain?
No way!

Paige thinks the best part of the game is playing "Keep Away" when I try to retrieve the ball from her so I can throw it again, so I got a lot of exercise this week, too. When I say, "Paige, give," she will--but not until I actually have my hand on the ball. Until then, she'll bob and weave, duck and run, until she thinks I've had a good workout. Talk about a tough personal trainer!

Paige runs to score a goal!

In spite of a week filled with doctor appointments, thunderstorms, and farewell activities for our daughter Sarah and her family, who are moving out of state, Paige and I were able to do between ten to twenty minutes a day of ball play. By the end of the week another three pounds had vanished!

What do you like to do with your dog? Does she have a favorite toy? Does he love to exercise, or is he a couch potato? There's still lots of K9Kamp left, so why not join us--have some fun, shape up for summer, and enjoy special time with your furry best friend! For more information, just click a link below:


Kol's Notes


Peggy's Pet Place

Welcome to "PetWise Online"!

For twenty years, I have been writing a "PetWise" column about pets and pet issues as part of the newsletter for the largest housing complex in Vermont. Our population is the equivalent of some of the small towns in Vermont (and larger than a few); and our pet policy, which I helped to write, has been used as the model for other housing complexes here and in other areas of the country. Now, it feels like the time is right to launch an online version of "PetWise."

I am pleased to present author Nadine M. Rosin as my guest for this first issue of "PetWise Online." Nadine is the author of The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood, a heart-warming book about her journey from new pet parent, through her dog Buttons' cancer diagnosis at age eight, to an outcome that astounded her veterinarian when Buttons not only survived, but lived until the week before her nineteenth birthday. I've read her book, and it is a testament to the wonderful human-animal bond, and the lengths to which we are willing to go to do the best for those we love--whether they have two legs or four. I want to thank Nadine for being my guest. Her article and book exemplify the theme of the month--love--in its truest sense. ~ Donna B. Russell

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"Love is in the Air" by Nadine M. Rosin

It's February, and love is in the air! Can you FEEL it? If you've ever watched a cat lolling in the sun, or seen a dog with its head out the window of a moving car, then you know that for our pets, love is ALWAYS in the air. And not just on Valentine's Day or during the Christmas season, but every day of the year--24/7.

Their mantras are ones of enjoyment, play, adoration, and as they embody the best of our humanity--often better than we ourselves do--I believe we have much to learn from them. Unlike most of us, our four-legged apostles remember that beyond the actions of others or outside circumstances, regardless of the state of the economy or worldly events, life is supposed to be fun, and savored, and appreciated--it is supposed to be lived with delight in this very moment wherever we are.

I have had the honor of living with several dogs throughout my life. Two of them, I consider my heart dogs; our souls connected beyond space and time and physical death.

They continue to teach me every day the lessons of joy, living in the Now, and appreciating whatever is. All I have to do is think of them to consider that, in any relationship, how I treat other people is far more important than how anything (like my hair or my house) looks. I keep them alive--those furry bodhisattvas* of mine--by remembering that a smile from the heart can go almost as far as an enthusiastic tail wag.

My second heart-dog, Buttons, is the subject of my book, The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood. It is the story of how we saved each other's lives. In short--I helped her body heal itself of cancer. She helped my heart heal itself of fear. Both of us used an entirely holistic approach.

February is Buttons' birthday month. It is also the anniversary of her body's death. I will always miss her physical presence, but her love can never die. I am so deeply appreciative to continue Buttons' healing legacy by helping other pet parents, through my personal consultations, prevent their own pets from developing cancer or other degenerative diseases.

I want every pet parent and their animals to have at least as many happy and healthy years together as Buttons and I did (one week shy of nineteen) and will continue helping that happen at every opportunity. In the meantime, I encourage you to please take a cue from your pets and have a VERY happy Valentine's Day--EVERY day.

[This article © 2011 Nadine M. Rosin and printed here on "PetWise Online" with written permission from the author.]

*bodhisattva: a compassionate being who refrains from entering paradise in order to help others.

Nadine M. Rosin is the author of The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood (available Amazon.com), the true story of how she helped her 8-year old dog heal from cancer holistically and go on to thrive cancer-free for an additional eleven years to the age of nineteen.

Nadine is now a certified holistic pets, toxic-free lifestyle 

consultant who, through one-on-one phone consultations, helps pet parents stack the odds against their pets ever developing a degenerative disease like cancer. Information on both and her blog at http://www.TheHealingArtOfPetParenthood.com

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Website of the Month

If you enjoyed the featured article by author Nadine M. Rosin, you might enjoy stopping by her website, listed at the end of the article, or by her blog: http://petparenthood.blogspot.com/). If you do, tell her you heard about her through "PetWise Online." Enjoy!

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February Safety Tip

With winter upon us, here's a reminder that antifreeze, with its enticing sweet taste, can be harmful, even deadly, to both animals and young children. But did you know there is a safer alternative? Antifreeze made with propylene glycol is reported to be three times LESS toxic than antifreeze made with ethylene glycol. While this may be a safer alternative, the ASPCA cautions that it is still toxic if ingested in large quantities. So, the next time you buy antifreeze, read the label opt for the safer alternative, and be sure to keep it securely stored where children and pets won't have access to it.