November 6, 2009
A Cat from Iowa has the first confirmed case of H1N1
It’s scary, but true. Our beloved dogs, cats and other pets can catch this nasty flu virus going around too. We just spotted this story on CTV and wanted to pass it along.
The first reported case of H1N1 has been confirmed in a domestic pat: a kitty in Iowa. Two of the cat’s family members had recently suffered from a flu-like sickness before the cat became ill. Thankfully the cat (and his human friends) have recovered and are doing well.
We had heard of a ‘canine’ version of the flu, but didn’t realize that our dogs can catch this H1N1 strain too. But don’t worry to much, apparently it is still uncommon for flu viruses to jump between humans and their pets.
To protect our beloved pets, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association advises that you should wash your hands often, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and if you do have the flu, it’s a good idea to minimize contact with your pet.
They also recommend monitoring your pet’s health and if he’s showing any signs of illness, contact your vet. Symptoms of the flu include: not eating or drinking, less playing than usual, coughing or sneezing, or fever. For more info on H1N1 and our pets, check out this article on Vet Medicine.
There is another type of flu that may be more dangerous to our pets than the H1N1, We found this article on the Canine version of the flu. The article states that the H3N8 is the flu to really watch out for, and it spreads among dogs only (read more…)
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November 4, 2009
According to this story on Msnbc, the average dog may have the mental capabilities of a 2 year-old-child!
Results of a language test show the average pooch can learn up to 165 words, about the same as the average toddler.
And really smart dog breeds such as the Border Collie may be able to learn up to 250 words!
You’ve likely come across Stanley Coren’s ‘Intelligence of Dogs’ and his list of the most intelligent breeds. Border collies, Poodles, and German shepherds are at the top of the list. Stanley Coren believes these dogs have a similar mental capability of a 2 and a half year old toddler….
Read the full story here on msn
November 2, 2009
Well we didn’t get too many Halloween photos to share this year unfortunately. Many of our clients and friends told us they weren’t able to get their dog into a costume, or if they did, getting a photo of them sitting still (or even sitting) proved to be an impossible feat.
We’ll definately announce our Halloween fun earlier next year so you have time to convince your dog it’s actually a lot of fun! So go grab your pal and show him these clever costumed canines we found over the interweb. Maybe he’ll get inspired for next year… 
Our Top 10 Favourite Halloween Costumes for Dogs
10. Darth Doggie: Luke, I am your father!
You don't know the power of the Dark side! The force is strong with this one...
Star Wars fans will love this Darth Vader costume to dress up their beloved pals. Just as long as they don’t go over to the dark side while they’re wearing it….
9. Holy Costume Batman! Ka Bom! Pow!
Man, I hope this isn't going to be a "Bark Night!"
Let your pooch save the day while pretending he’s Batman for the night. Gotham city will definately sleep better with this guy on the loose!
8. Baked Potato (and sour cream?) Hot Dog
Wow it feels like a sauna in here. Wonder why there's butter on my back?
Let your hot dog sizzle (served with sour cream and a pat of butter)
See the next 7 doggies in costume! Read more….
Keep reading →
October 31, 2009
Halloween is fun for the whole family, and your dog probably wants to be included in all that spooky fun too!
Whether your pooch is helping you greet the trick-or- treaters at the door or joining you to host a Halloween party, here are a few hazards that we’d like to remind everyone about to help keep all our furry pals safe on Halloween Night.
1. Tricks but NO treats! Chocolate and Sugar-Free gum & candy are Dangerous to Dogs
As a dog owner, you probably already know chocolate can be fatal to dogs. Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine which is toxic to dogs. A dog can become extremely ill or even die from ingesting chocolate, so it’s important to keep it away from your dog.
The amount of chocolate that can be harmful depends on the type of chocolate ingested and your dog’s weight. Baking chocolate, cocoa beans, cocoa powder and dark chocolate have a higher amount of theobromine, whereas white chocolate has the least amount. Check out this list on Pets.ca to see the amounts of theobromine in different types of chocolate.
Even though darker chocolate is slightly more dangerous, those little milk chocolate bars we give out at Halloween can still contain enough theobromine to be harmful to your dog. Don’t take a chance, keep all types of chocolate out of your dog’s reach at all times.
Another toxic Halloween treat is artificially-sweetened candy or gum. These often contain xylitol, a sugar substitute which has been shown to be fatal to dogs. Even a couple pieces of gum or candy is enough to harm your dog. Ingesting xylitol can cause seizures, or your dog can develop internal hemorrhaging or liver failure….(read more)
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October 30, 2009
Zoey the hula girl last Halloween
It’s that time of year where all our cute canine friends dress up in scary (or not so scary) costumes for Halloween.
We will be doing a Halloween Photo Shoot here on our blog so if you dress up your dog, we’ve love to include your pooch. It’s not a contest, but a fun gallery of doggies dressed up for Halloween. Just send us your dog’s photo by Nov 1st and we’ll add it to our Spooky Halloween Photo Shoot. Send us your pics to: topdog@happydoggie.ca
We asked our dogs Mittan & Zoey what they’re going to dress up as this year, but they won’t share it with us. We suspect it may be something exciting though, given how secretive they’re being 
And for some more Halloween fun! Liz at the Ottawa Dog Blog has once again partnered with Bark & Fitz for their ‘Dogs in Disguise’ online Halloween Contest.
Voting has begun so head on over to her site to Vote for your favourite costumed canines. You can vote in 4 categories: Best Small, Best Medium, Best Large and Best Master & Dog. Voting ends Oct 31st, 2009 at noon.
Don’t forget to go back to the blog on Nov 1 st to see the winners! Good luck to all the fantastic disguised pooches in the running…
October 28, 2009
A few of our first clients at the park in 1999
A whole decade, what a milestone! Today we are celebrating 10 years of running our dogwalking business in Ottawa, Canada. It wasn’t always called Happy Doggie though, as Al started the business in 1999 as Zippy Dog Expeditions.
I (Dana) jumped on board to help Al out a couple years later when we launched the dog bakery and expanded our pet sitting services. We then changed the name to Happy Doggie. We still bake treats for our clients & friends and pet sit for our dogwalking clients, but we’ve gone back to focusing on dogwalking as we’re just so busy.
Our original name & logo!
Many of our wonderful clients have now been with us for at least half of this time…the bulk have been walking with us for 5-6 years! A few of our ‘human’ clients have been with us since the early years when we started. While some of their previous dogs had passed away from old age, etc, many called us again when they got a new dog.
Our first pug Ellie, 1999
As an amusing example, one of our long-time original clients, Nicola, hired us to walk her little Pug Ellie in early 2000. Unfortunately Ellie passed away but she then got another dog (a Great Dane!) so she called us again a few years later. While most people do tend to get a similar breed of dog, we thought it was amusing that Nicola had a small pug and then got a gigantic dog like a Great Dane, what a difference! (although interestingly, both breeds tend to be mellow indoors). We loved both of her dogs and we were pleased to hear from her again after several years.
Al with his early friends in the park several years ago
We recently ran into one of our first clients, Tracy, at Conroy park who Al hadn’t seen for many years so it was great to reconnect. Al walked her dogs Bear and Zoey in 1999-2001 and we continue to display the wonderful letter that she wrote to Al on our Testimonials page. Here is what she had to say about Al: (read more…)
Keep reading →
October 24, 2009
Enjoy taking your dog out for a late evening stroll but sometimes have a hard time cleaning up after him when it’s dark?
We just saw this new product on Zoom Room which will help dog owners clean up after their pooches during evening walks in the park.
‘Let there be Poop’ is a non-toxic food additive for dogs created from a bioluminescent tree fungus which is native to China. It’s similar to what which we often refer to as ’foxfire’ here in North America. Foxfire is a term for the bioulminescene created by fungi that decay wood. If a dog eats this food additive, it essentially creates ‘glow in the dark’ doggie doo.
‘Let there be Poop’ was created in China where it is available to dog owners , but it hasn’t hit North America yet. Zhang Han, spokesman of The Hang-Tze Chemical Industrial Trading Concern in China, explains a bit about the reason for this product:
“In Beijing, there are many dog owners who stay indoors at night out of fear. They are terrified to set foot outside and remain prisoners of their own home for fear of encountering filth. Our product is seeking to remedy this fecal plague that has so scarred our beloved landscape.”
We tried to find more info on this but couldn’t find much. The article on Zoom Room says that this product has been approved by the ‘FDA version’ in China. With all the recent scares dog food recalls of late, however, we suspect it might have a hard time getting approved in the US and Canada.
There may already be other similar products out there already, let us know if you’ve heard of any!
October 22, 2009
Danger the Superstar! Training as a Search and Rescue Dog
Allison Otto from Small Dogs on the Go sent us this great short film she did for Outside Magazine’s Dog Blog ‘Outside K9′
She created this 4 minute film ”In the Face of Danger‘ along with the Serac Adventure Film School and Grayson Schaffer, senior editor at Outside Magazine.
Danger, who is Grayson’s dog, is an adorable chocolate Lab and this film is about his training to become a search and rescue dog for the Mountain Canine Corps in New Mexico.
Check out Allison’s post on her experience filming Danger too, it’s quite interesting. She mentions that this was her first time using a ‘lipstick-sized’ camera, which was attached to Danger’s harness so that they could get his perspective while he ran around the mountain tracking scents.
It definately sounds like a fun and interesting experience for everyone involved. And Danger seemed to be having a great time doing mock searches to practice for the real thing.
Check out this film, it’s really inspiring and great to see these loveable animals, such as Danger, training to help those in need. Please share this story and film with all your dog-loving friends, family, and neighbours. Thanks!
October 20, 2009
Halloween is just around the corner and with all the pumpkins on display in your farmer’s market or grocery store, you may be starting to think about decorating your porch for the big scary night!
Why not let all your neighbours know your favourite dog breed (if they don’t know your pooch already) with a fun design of his/her breed carved into your Jack o’ Lantern.
Check out these neat Halloween pumpkin-carving stencils on the Better Homes and Gardens website, inspired by the American Kennel Club’s list of top breeds. They’ve got most of the popular breeds including: Beagles, German Shepherd, Terriers, Poodles, Golden Retrievers, Pugs, Dachshunds, Boxers and many more.
Just download the stencil of your choice, clean out your pumpkin, and you’re all set to start carving your pooch’s breed. We’re quite partial to the Golden Retriever one and we’re pretty sure our golden Zoey is itching to have her very own ’scary’ Jack o’ Lantern for Halloween Night. Not that a carving of Golden Retriever will scary any one away from the porch
Source: SuperCoolPets
October 16, 2009
Many dogs love the sweet taste of that delicious fruit we enjoy putting in our salads or favourite spaghetti sauce recipe. Some dog treat companies have even created a tomato or pizza-flavoured dog treat for our furry pals!
But are tomatoes actually safe for dogs? We did some research as we have heard from some sources that they are fine for dogs, while others put tomatoes in the ‘human foods that are dangerous to dogs’ group.
After doing a bit of research, it seems the consensus is that if you give your dog tomatoes, don’t give him too much at once and make sure they are ripe. Tomatoes that are green or unripe, and the leaves and stems of the tomato plant, are all toxic to our canine friends.
Tomatoes contain ‘tomatine’, which is an alkaloid related to solanine. As a tomato ripens, this chemical is metabolized so it’s less likely to be problematic. Green tomatoes contain atropine, which may lead to heart arrhythmias and other related problems…(read more)
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