Pet talk

Years ago I was asked to put an American Staffordshire terrier puppy to sleep because he wasn’t perfect.  At 8 weeks of age, this puppy had knee problems and I advised his owner to wait and see how he developed before making such a rash decision.  But his owner was a breeder and only had the pup as payment for a stud fee and he did not want to put any more time and money into him.  So he told me to put him to his death.  I looked at that cute puppy (who fit in the palm of my hand), right in the eye, and he growled at me! Right then I knew I couldn’t put him to sleep and asked if I could keep him for myself. 

The reason I tell this story is to explain why I had a “pit bull” for 12 years.  I would not have gone out and bought one for myself because of the liability, but I now can say that that dog was the best dog I have ever owned.  Period.

He was funny, loyal, smart, athletic, and perhaps the most stoic dog I have ever met.  One summer day I took him to a tennis court to hit tennis balls for him to chase.  He loved to play fetch and balls were more like friends than toys to him.  He carried a ball in his mouth almost all the time; he loved them so much. 

It was a warm day–probably mid 80’s F and the sun had shone all day.  He was thrilled to chase the ball back and forth under the net and so happy to be able to play with us.  For about 15 minutes or so, he was a happy dog having fun.  All of a sudden he collapsed and went into a seizure!

I placed my hand on him and found out how hot he was–he was suffering from hyperthermia and luckily we had water nearby to quickly cool him off.  But while he was laying down recovering, I saw that all four of his paws were bloody as well.  I reached down and put my hand on the pavement and it was scorching hot!  The poor dog, who hadn’t limped a step, had second degree burns on his foot pads as well.

Not once did my dog wince or whimper as he stepped on the hot pavement.  Nor did he slow down when he was getting overheated.  He played until he dropped.  And that is what dogs do.  That is why we need to think for them.  I see too many people riding a bike (or rollerblading) and making the dog trot along side of them.  Most of these dogs are old, fat or panting heavily.  Unless you condition your dog and work up to a fast pace, don’t do this to your pet.

If you are out walking and you need water, your pet needs a drink as well.  If it is too hot to sit in a car with the windows rolled up–then it is too hot for your pet.  In Michigan it is illegal to ride in the back of a pick up truck because people easily fall out.  That happens with pets just as easily.  How many dogs have been killed by jumping out on to a road from the back of a pick up? 

Dogs can not think about the consequences of their actions.  We need to use common sense and think for them.  I learned my lesson early on and was lucky to have my dog for 12 wonderful years.    

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at 12:20 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.