Vent!

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Sweetie's Human
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Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:19 am

Re: Vent!

Post by Sweetie's Human »

Then again, I could feel lucky that I live on a country where this happens once every year or two, and only as a training exercise :wink:
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Nettle
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Re: Vent!

Post by Nettle »

Better experienced with a dog than a horse, I can tell you! :lol: Then there were the hot air balloons.......trying to get back to the stableyard along narrow lanes while a balloonmonster snorts and whooshes across the fields towards you really tests your deodorant. :shock:
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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Sweetie's Human
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Re: Vent!

Post by Sweetie's Human »

Yep. Fair enough :lol:
JudyN
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Re: Vent!

Post by JudyN »

How to stress out a dog in one easy step... cook bolognese.

Yes, really :roll: As I'm 95% sure that being vegetarian is right, I allow myself to eat meat 5% of the time - specifically, when DS2 is offering to cook :wink: It's been simmering away for over an hour, with the cat yowling in the kitchen and Jasper in the hall behind a stairgate. They both got a spoonful of half-cooked mince, and Monty threw his up all over the kitchen floor. I did for a moment consider letting Jasper in to clean it up... :oops:

At one point DS2 stroked Jasper over the stairgate and Jasper had a snark at him - the only reason we can think of is that he was stressed by the smell of the meat. When I wanted to leave the kitchen, Jasper had such a funny look on his face I decided to go out the other way (our rooms connect in a loop). I settled down to do a bit of work for a while, and when I made a move to get up, Jasper leapt up and was barking at me, with a bit of a grumbly growl when I told him to 'down' & 'stay'.

Apart from when something upsets him, he's completely laid back around the house - this is all from being subjected to the unaccustomed smell of delicious food cooking (which doesn't say a lot for my cooking :lol: ).

Xmas lunch will be fun then :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
delladooo
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Location: Blackpool, UK

Re: Vent!

Post by delladooo »

Does anyone actually like halloween!??! :evil: This whole evening has been an activity of pure stress for both Laufey and I. Fireworks don't seem to overly bother him but people knocking on the door is something we don't like at the best of times, add to that not answering the door which he also doesn't like, meeting strangers on the street (don’t like this in the dark), hearing strange noises (scary in the dark) and meeting strange dogs (not something we do in the dark) and he's been stressed which in turn has stressed me and upped his stress.

Add to that the fact that more people + takeaways = more food on the floor and he's grabs a few things I've not spotted in the dark as well as the treats the cat got into last night, the bone he scoffed (because the cat got too close) and the bit of material he swallowed and I'm worn out worrying about poop. Nightmare of a day :evil:
JudyN
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Re: Vent!

Post by JudyN »

delladooo wrote:Does anyone actually like halloween!??! :evil:
Yup! We bought a massive box of chocolates and no one came round. Perfect! :D
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
delladooo
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Re: Vent!

Post by delladooo »

ahahahahaa if you can't tell I'm not a fan :lol: It's too late for kids now so there's no one at the door but I spoke too soon about the fireworks - they're going off very close to us and not very high so he can see the flashes and it upset him. I've tried closing the curtain but they're more for show than function so they're not very good. This is definitely the worst part about this time of year but hopefully I can convince him it's not too bad
JudyN
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Re: Vent!

Post by JudyN »

I hope he gets through it OK :( Jasper used to be fine with fireworks but he was a bit stressed last year. It might help that in the summer fireworks are set off down at the quay weekly - though we can't usually hear them from here, Jasper probably can, though they're not close enough to worry him.

I wish at least legislation could restrict them to just a couple of days, and within set hours :?
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
DianeLDL
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Re: Vent!

Post by DianeLDL »

I can relaate about the fireworks stuff. Freaks Sandy out.

He would go bonkers with doorbells and knocking on the door, especially since when he warns us of someone ar the door, Sandy gets treats. If we ever had anyone come, Sandy would be fat.

Thankfully, we never had any kids come to our house. And the last several years, we havent even been home.

Right now we are in inland and mountainous part of Pennsylvania at a motel. We are currenly making our way back to our home in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA, and will be here two nights. Great way to avoid Halloween.

Although for Sandy, he made out like a bandit at this Comfort Inn. Upon check in, we received some special gifts for Sandy. They are one if the few places we stay with really nice gifts: soft fleece blanket, Kong brand squeaky ball, metal food bowl (although too big for Sandy, homemade cheddar cheese biscuit that is so big, he will get small bits at a time. And pooh bags! Two years ago, we got a plastic water bowl that has become Sandy's travel water bowl.
So, for Sandy, this has been more like a birthday than Halloween. :D :D
And unlike so many places, the pet fee is just $10/day.

So, that is how we avoid Halloween.
Diane
Sandy, Chihuahua mix b. 12/20/09
delladooo
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Re: Vent!

Post by delladooo »

JudyN wrote:I wish at least legislation could restrict them to just a couple of days, and within set hours :?
Definitely, I don't understand what the big deal is personally. Large organised displays - especially to music - can look good but when you get everyone buying home grade ones they aren't exactly impressive and there's always casualties.
DianeLDL wrote:He would go bonkers with doorbells and knocking on the door
This is currently Laufey, I keep meaning to work on it especially because it seems to be getting worse but it's on the back burner at the minute from the rest of real life. Being in my last year of uni is making things hectic but then we've also just started raw feeding and I'm looking into maybe attempting agility with him and before I know it, I've lost another month :shock:

we received some special gifts for Sandy... And unlike so many places, the pet fee is just $10/day.
This sounds brilliant Diane, I've never tried travelling with Laufey (in fact I don't travel at all) but that definitely sounds like an excellent deal. I suppose you know a lot about good deals when travelling with a dog :lol:
DianeLDL
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Location: Maine USA

Re: Vent!

Post by DianeLDL »

JudyN wrote:
delladooo wrote:Does anyone actually like halloween!??! :evil:
Yup! We bought a massive box of chocolates and no one came round. Perfect! :D
Judy,

You just reminded me I have a bag of dark chocolate covered almonds. Time to treat myself. :D :D

Diane
Sandy, Chihuahua mix b. 12/20/09
DianeLDL
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Re: Vent!

Post by DianeLDL »

delladooo wrote:
JudyN wrote:I wish at least legislation could restrict them to just a couple of days, and within set hours :?
Definitely, I don't understand what the big deal is personally. Large organised displays - especially to music - can look good but when you get everyone buying home grade ones they aren't exactly impressive and there's always casualties.
In Albuquerque, they do have laws, but by the time the police arrive, they have hidden them. The biggest one that has helped the most is no loud noise after 10pm.
In Bangor, there doesnt seem to be any laws. Our house is across the river from Bangor, where they have theae river front concerts accompanied by fireworks. At least, Sandy wasn't able to see them as they were behind our house,mthe worst was the neighbor behind our neighbor across the street who would have fireworks any time on weekends. And the earlier it got dark, the earlier the fireworks. And these were ones that Sandy not only could hear but were low enough to see. At least they only lasted a half hour so I would tey to time our outings not to coincide. And our neighbor who was closer doesnt have a dog (he has a cat) and he hated the noise from the fireworks, too.
we received some special gifts for Sandy... And unlike so many places, the pet fee is just $10/day.
This sounds brilliant Diane, I've never tried travelling with Laufey (in fact I don't travel at all) but that definitely sounds like an excellent deal. I suppose you know a lot about good deals when travelling with a dog :lol:[/quote]

It really takes a lot of work to find places that accept dogs and have reasonable fees. We havent stayed in New York, Connecticut, or New Jersey since they call a $100-$150 refundable or non refundable "sanitation fee". And if they are refundable, you can imagine how they can make some excuse not to refund your money.

So, ot really depends. Also, some have number of pets and weight and size limits. We have had problems at places where there is no pet fee. One place in Portland, Maine, we went crazy since Sandy is still fear reactive and being a chihuahua, he feels that henowns the hotel. So, we have had problems running into other dogs. At this place, there must have been 10-15 dogs staying. We were on the 5th floor, so going down on the one elevator, we would stop on the fourth floor where someone with another dog is waiting and Sandy woukd go so ballistic, they would wait for the elevator to return. I once got off the elevator with Sandy to see a dog waiting to get in, then another going down to the front door, while I grabbed Sandy and ran out a side door. :oops: :oops:

And then, there are the places where they believe that dogs bekong in smoking rooms. When I told them I dont smoke and neither does my dog, they said that was policy. One place I told them I was allergic to smoke, and I was told that well some people are allergic to dogs. :evil:

So, it has taken a lot of homework and planning to find the right place for Sandy that works for us too. There are some websites for helping to find dog friendly hotels and motels. Often, though, there information has been incorrect. So, I usually get on the actual hotel website to get more information and often it has taken a phone call, especially when you read that certain rooms are set aside for dogs. One place, early on, I had checked the website and place looked perfect. But when we checked in, we found that dog friendky meant being in a separate, not well kept outbuilding. We were supposed to have a refrigerator, but not in these pet rooms.

So, it takes a lot of work and patience to find the right place at a good price. Those like this place where we are now, we tend to be repeat customers. They know us here and have always been very accomodating. In hot weather, they found us a room that was already clean and let us check in early. One other place where it was sweltering, we were told that to check in before 2pm, we would be charged a $10 fee. We ended up getting that waved. And for this return trip, I called and made sure the fee was waved and we will be allowed early check in. Sandy will not drink water when we are driving. So the first thing we do in a hotel or motel room is fill his water bowl which he gobbles down.

So, there are some who love dogs (many tell us about their own dogs or pets at home), and they are usually the more accomodating reception people. One place, the girl checking people in was insisting we wait until 3pm. We asked for the manager who was a retired Marine like my husband so he got a room cleaned and ready for us immediately.

Also, Sandy isn't used to cities and no place to potty except a sidewalk or the lone tree. He isnt used to lots of people walking around him. So, we havent returned to one of our favorite places in San Francisco. Although they are dog friendly, they said their dogs use indoor potties or planters on the balcony.

So, if you are thinking of traveling with Laufey, also think about what he requires. If you feed raw, you need a room with a refrigerator. We request ground floor near exit doors, we look for where they let dogs potty. Some places provide their own pooh bags. One place didnt even have any grass or even any place for dogs to potty. We carry bottled water for Sandy. One place, the water looked so bad from the tap, I wouldn't drink it.

And of course, you need to plan to stop every so many hours for him to potty. We went crazy today as we drove by two rest stops that were closed down for repairs. My husband ended up speeding to find a place not only for Sandy, but also for my husband as he drank too much coffee.

Basically, traveling with a dog takes a lot of planning and preparation.
Diane
Sandy, Chihuahua mix b. 12/20/09
delladooo
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Re: Vent!

Post by delladooo »

DianeLDL wrote:My husband ended up speeding to find a place not only for Sandy, but also for my husband as he drank too much coffee.
Sounds like me when I'm stuck in rush hour traffic :lol:

Sounds like travelling with a dog is a lot of work indeed! It's not something I've overly thought about because I've always tended to stick close to home but I have no idea what to do after I graduate so it could become in issue in the near future, although I can't imagine travelling across England to be anywhere near as difficult as travelling across the vast expanse that is the USA.

I'm tentatively toying with the idea of trying to find a job involving animals but I can't hold out much hope as my degree is in no way related to anything of the sort :roll: I think I'm just doomed to decide everything last minute :oops:
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Nettle
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Re: Vent!

Post by Nettle »

IME travelling across UK is far worse than the USA which at least has more comfort stops (unless closed!). Over here you can go untold miles without a whisper of a comfort stop and it is so stressful I no longer cover long distances.

"Dog-friendly" also has a number of interpretations. There was a big brochure in one of the dog magazines about alleged dog-friendly accommodation, both self-catering and hotel, and man! If that is "friendly" I'd hate to stay in the other sort. :evil:

A further problem is our breakdown services. Currently the two main ones won't take dogs onward with human passengers, and one of the smaller ones only might, depending on the individual driver. Not a good situation. Are we supposed to leave our dogs on the motorway? I contacted the AA and RAC and said I and many other dog owners would be prepared to pay an extra premium to be certain our dogs could travel with us, but they couldn't give a damn.
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ClareMarsh
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Re: Vent!

Post by ClareMarsh »

Nettle wrote:IME travelling across UK is far worse than the USA which at least has more comfort stops (unless closed!). Over here you can go untold miles without a whisper of a comfort stop and it is so stressful I no longer cover long distances.

"Dog-friendly" also has a number of interpretations. There was a big brochure in one of the dog magazines about alleged dog-friendly accommodation, both self-catering and hotel, and man! If that is "friendly" I'd hate to stay in the other sort. :evil:

A further problem is our breakdown services. Currently the two main ones won't take dogs onward with human passengers, and one of the smaller ones only might, depending on the individual driver. Not a good situation. Are we supposed to leave our dogs on the motorway? I contacted the AA and RAC and said I and many other dog owners would be prepared to pay an extra premium to be certain our dogs could travel with us, but they couldn't give a damn.
Given I travel a lot with just me and the dogs service stations are of no interest to me as I will NOT leave the dogs in the car whilst I nip in. Nope, I'm all about the "right lay-by" where I can nip into a field :wink: :lol:

Dog friendly mostly means we want dog owners money even though we hate dogs and are going to confine them to that show box sized area over there. It's kind of remarkable that "we" are so sidelined when the market for dog food/toys/etc etc is huge and growing. Hmmmm, maybe we need to set up a business ...
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