Last week Katina and I decided to do something more civilized – ha. We took the dogs to Barrel Oak Winery (BOW) in Delaplane, Virginia.
We went after work on a Friday and unfortunately rain was heading our way so we didn’t really get any playtime with the dogs outside before going in for our tasting. However, on the “heels” (pun intended) of Katina’s last “tune-up” post, we were in the mindset of having the dogs be well-behaved guests.
The winery prides itself on being both dog and family friendly and they are! They are also content if you bring your own snacks though they do offer cheese plates and other goodies that go well with their varied selection of wines.
Katina and I belied up to the wine bar for our tastings as the dogs greeted everyone that would look their way. The tasting was a mix of BOW wines and other wines from both near and far. Because the owners are such dog fans, their bottles have photos of their dogs and their dessert wine – which I bought – is named “Chocolate Lab.”
The atmosphere was really great - complete with wonderful live music after 6p – and after the tasting we sat down to chat over a glass of wine as the dogs practiced behaving and calmly saying hello to all who came their way. It was both a good socializing exercise for the dogs and a lovely evening for us!
We were told that on nice days there are dozens of dogs roaming off leash on the property and they welcome any dog that plays well with others! We look forward to going back soon and highly recommend it!
On a recent camping trip, while trying to untangle the dogs’, I unclipped Cannon’s leash and watched him run off and around the campground like a total maniac!!! While still in our campsite, I reached over to grab his collar and rein him back in when he got a mischievous glint in his eye and proceeded to run through the brush and into a nearby site. I called and called but he wouldn’t even look up at me. I had to resort to shaking a bag of treats to get my unruly Ridgeback to come back to me. Ugh… this was not his finest hour. It’s times like these when we realize that our sidekick requires a much needed tune-up.
The summer months are great for Cannon since we spend so much time outside, hiking and camping. What I discovered though is that this year we took no trips into town to mingle with all the passersby – resulting in some antisocial behavior on the trail; I didn’t work on sit and down or enforce them with consistency – resulting in Cannon’s long thoughtful consideration of whether or not he would do what I was telling him; he spent a lot of time on leash and so recalls didn’t happen much either – which resulted in an impromptu romp through the campground.
As winter approaches, so does more hours indoors. This makes fall the perfect time to do some extra work with your pup, especially if you’re like me and slacked over the summer. The cool days make pushing those walks a little further an easy task. Walks can be for exercise and to practice getting your dog to heel properly at your side (I prefer the “turn-around” method). Time in your backyard, at a dog park or even in the house can be dedicated to making a game out of practicing recalls, sit-stays, down-stays and wait. With all the fall festivals, pumpkin patches and wine festivals you should get that leash out and practice walking through the busy crowds and interacting with strangers (remember! it’s okay to say “no” if someone asks to pet your pup while you’re training or just not in the mood).
I’ve taken my own advice and I’ve gotten Cannon back on track. After just a few days of re-training my husband even remarked about what a good boy he’s been on his walks. Now I can enjoy my pack being back in order.
Last week my husband (Dan), my Ridgeback (Cannon) and I took a drive from Virginia to upstate New York to celebrate the wedding of some friends of ours. Originally we were going to board Cannon, so we wouldn’t have to worry about walks and things while we were busy with the rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception. We’d stay one night with my in-laws and the next night at the hotel where the wedding would take place. After a bit of discussion we decided to put Cannon in the backseat of the car and take him along with us. My brother-in-law agreed to doggy-sit while we were out having fun and we knew our nieces would give him a lot of love in our place.
So off we went, our happy little family. About 3 hours into the trip I cracked the window a bit to let Cannon get a good sniff outside and to get some fresh air in the car. It wasn’t more than an hour after that, that my husband asked me if it looked like Cannon had some bumps on his muzzle. I was driving and took a peek back at Cannon and while he did appear to have some strange puffiness around his mouth it didn’t seem like anything to worry about. An hour after that I looked back and noticed Cannon’s eye half swollen shut. Still two-hours from our destination (yes, it’s a very long drive!) we were approaching a bigger town where we knew there’d be a vet clinic.
Dan checked for local vets on his Blackberry and gave them a ring. He explained that Cannon had had his head out the window and may have been stung by something, that his face was swelling. They advised us to stop and get some Benadryl. Simple enough and not as urgent as I was anticipating. We dialed our home-town vet to confirm the instructions and checked the dosage for Cannon, since he’s much more familiar with our pup – 1mg for each pound of weight was prescribed. Our vet also let us know that though the hives might look bad the things we needed to worry about was if they didn’t go away over time or if he was having trouble swallowing, indicating swelling of the throat, in which case Cannon would need to see a vet ASAP.
We stopped at the first gas station we saw, put the Benadryl in with a bit of kibble and let him gobble them up. We were all relieved that over the next couple hours Cannon’s mumps and bumps went away. When we got the in-laws’ they couldn’t even tell anything had been wrong with him in the first place. Wonderful! Dan and I were able to change quickly and off to the rehearsal dinner we went.
It wouldn’t be as interesting if the story ended there though. We got back to our family’s place sometime around or after midnight and we were greeted by Cannon and the new display of hives, which were not only on his face and head but also down his back and some on his legs and ears. Poor dog. Dan took me by the shoulders and instructed me not to cry. I didn’t. We dispensed some more Benadryl and headed for bed. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep well. Cannon slept next to me and I kept a hand on his side, so when I woke up I could pet him to see if the hives had come or gone.
The next morning there were only the remnants of a few hives. I took care of Cannon’s potty walk. He met a kitten that he decided was a terrifying creature. He had a nice breakfast. And that’s when the hives started breaking out again. What I thought were leftovers from the night before were really the first to appear for the next day. I kept an eye on him and over the next 20-30 minutes I was witnessing a full body outbreak. And this time they were itching him.
My 10-year old niece and I were the only ones awake. She let me log onto the family computer with her password. She gave me the name of the vet they use for their animals. I was able to look up the number and give them a ring. No appointments open for the day (Saturday) and the emergency vet they recommended me to was an hour away. Next. I called another vet and was in luck. They had an appointment open in a couple hours. I locked that in and gave Cannon another dose of Benadryl. Worried that it would kick in before we made it to the vet I made sure to take plenty of pictures with my digital camera, just in case.
This story does have a happy ending! We made it to the vet with only a mild scattering of hives. The vet looked Cannon all over, as well as the photo’s I’d taken. He explained that the reason the hives seemed to be coming back was because the Benadryl was wearing off before the allergen (hystimine) was out of his system. He told us there’s no telling exactly what it was that caused the allergic reaction but that it’s not uncommon for owners to have to administer Benadryl or the like for a week or even two – depending on how bad the allergy attack is. He also gave us some education on what type of injuries can occur from letting your dog stick his head out the window. The most frequent cases he sees involved tears to the cornea (eye). There’s a lot flying around in the air outside the car and getting kicked up by other vehicles that there’s any number of injuries that can occur from flying objects. Besides that, stopping quick or getting in an accident can be fatal to your canine friend. Dan and I agreed, there will be no more windows down for Cannon.
That afternoon we kept up with more consistent doses of the Benadryl. Checked Cannon into the hotel with us, for the extra fee, to keep an eye on him. And within 24-hours he was drug and hive free. It was an exhausting weekend, which left Dan and I wishing we would have boarded him instead of carting him 800+ miles total and exposing him to whatever it was that “got him”.
So, start your engines. Windows up. On we go 
