Happy Halloween!

An End To Yellow Spots On Your Lawn

Photo: Dog Rocks.com

Hi Everyone!

I've been busy at work lately and have been taking time to refocus my blogs. As a result, I've decided to end the TKD Podcasts because I want to focus all of my time on writing this regular blog. It's possible that down the road, I may take up podcasting again but this time, I will be just concentrating on the written word.

This post is about a new discovery I recently encountered. It's called Dog Rocks. Never have I seen anything like this. Basically, you order a bag of rocks and put one of the rocks, in your dog's water bowl. A product like this reminds me of the old days when water bowls didn't exist and dogs like their human counterpart would drink from a creek or river. I never remember reading about all of the yellow spots during that time so there must be something to it.

What These Rocks Do!

They are a rock that is mined from a special quarry in Australia. Since they're all natural, they are environmentally safe. The concentration of nitrogen in a dog's urine depends on size of the dog, sex, type of dog and what type of food the dog eats. These rocks have the uncanny ability to filter out the nitrogen and ammonia in a dog's urine without changing the PH levels in a dog. As a result, there's no yellow spots on your lawn.

They are completely safe and will not harm the dog's system. The rock is changed out once every 2 months. For those of you who live in winter climates, one bag will last an entire year. The rocks are sold internationally and one can pick up a package in the United States for $16.99 USD.

One of the problems you may encounter is your dog may not want a rock in their water bowl. However, if you put it there eventually, the dog will get used to it. You can find these online or at pet and garden stores in your area.

Let's Discuss!

Have you ever used Dog Rocks? What are your thoughts?

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Rocktober 2012 Results

Rocktober 2012   turned out to be a smashing success! I thoroughly enjoyed having read about your favorites from popular musical artists like Blake Shelton, Pink and The Beatles to bands who have distinct followings such as Skinny Puppy and Meiko. As in past contests, I went to random.org and found our winner with this number:

It's that time. Drumroll please! Click the link below to find out! (The winner is highlighted in orange). Congratulations #9!

Find Your Number Here!

I will be in touch with the winner via email in the next couple of days! Thanks to you all for participating. I hope to have another giveaway before the end of the year. You guys rock!

Let's Discuss!

I'd love to continue hearing your comments about more favorite music below! My favorite song right now is I dreamed a dream form the new Les Miserables movie coming out this Christmas.

Michael Vick Five Years Later

Michael Vick has been reviled (with good reason) by many, including myself, for what he did to pit bulls five years ago. Recently, through a tweet of his, he had posted a picture with a box of Milk Bone dog biscuits in the background. Then, a few days later, it was revealed that he had a dog. When questioned by reporter, he wanted to keep things about football and evaded the dog question. Later, he came clean about it by issuing a statement:

"I understand the strong emotions by some people about our family's decision to care for a pet," Vick said. "As a father, it is important to make sure my children develop a healthy relationship with animals. I want to ensure that my children establish a loving bond and treat all of God's creatures with kindness and respect. Our pet is well cared for and loved as a member of our family. This is an opportunity to break the cycle. To that end, I will continue to honor my commitment to animal welfare and be an instrument of positive change."

At first, I was outraged. I was 100% convinced this could be the worst thing ever. I thought that Michael Vick would be banned from owning dogs for the rest of his life. It turns out as part of his probation, there was a time limit that expired in May, and he's now able to own dogs again.

As much as I want to, I can't vilify the guy anymore. If he was living by himself and adopted these dogs, I would find that more of a problem. In a situation as controversial as this one, you have to look at the facts as well as the opinions.

One of the facts is, the judge who sentenced him, did not ban him from having dogs for life. He was given a three-year period. There must have been a good reason that judge didn't ban him from owning dogs for life. Any backlash would fall on the judge's shoulders.

Another fact is that out of all of the dogs found that horrific day, one of the dogs was Michael Vick's pet, who was in excellent health during the Bad Newz Kennel raid. So many dogs die in shelters each day because there aren't enough people out there who can give them a safe forever home. What's worse, giving it to a man who's trying to do the right thing after making a huge error in judgement or euthanizing the dog so he'll become just another statistic?

Lastly, he has three children who are innocent. How are they supposed to understand that when a person finishes their punishment, why shouldn't they get another chance? Is that what our country is about?

Michael Vick has been lucky enough to have a life most young boys dream about. As much as he's screwed up big time, he's done good in the world too. Before his arrest, he created the Michael Vick Foundation to help at-risk kids and a scholarship foundation to help students who were part of the equally tragic West Virginia shooting.

I see a person trying to do right by his kids. He's tried to make up for what he did by working with animal groups as an advocate. If he didn't care about making things better, he wouldn't have bothered to continue his volunteer work after his probation ended. It shows that he was big enough to admit to his mistakes. Also, what does it say about us that we can't forgive? Granted, I have no desire to ever see him play football or buy one of his jerseys, but if he's going to put a dog into an abusive situation again, it will affect his children and the aftereffects will be too much to bear.

As much as I hate what he did, the truth of the matter is that he has too much to lose, if he ever does anything like this again. For his sake, I hope he only has one dog and keeps that one dog happy and healthy for a long, long time. Everyone is capable of change if they truly want their life to be different. Change isn't easy, but it appears that he's slowly learning his lesson and trying to become a better person than what he was in his dogfighting past.

When it comes down to it, it's about the dogs themselves. We can choose to focus on a criminal who adopted a dog to benefit his children or we can try to save the other dogs out there who are still being used for dog fighting, to make puppy mill owners a quick buck or being senselessly abused for no good reason. I choose the latter. It doesn't mean I've forgotten what Vick has done, but there comes a time where you have to move on. What he does now can't change what he did in the past, but one can hope that he gains wisdom and truly changes for the better as a result.

Let's Discuss!

Please feel free to agree or disagree below.

It's All Related!

Why Michael Vick Needs To Steer Clear of Dogs A Fresh Start But Has He Learned The Lost Dogs Book Review Michael Vick, Does He Deserve A Second Chance

Cookie's Conundrum

Sometimes, tasks we do on a regular basis, tend to get away from us. This was the case with my dogs Cookie and Gigi. I usually take them to the groomer every two months, but somehow, it went much longer this time.

When I picked them up today, I noticed that Gigi's tail was cropped a little more than usual. It was cut that way due to some matting. However, that's just cosmetic. Hair usually grows back.

The real problem of concern was Cookie. Up until today, she was scooting because her hair was on the long side. When a dog like Cookie goes too long between grooming, the hair covers the skin completely. As a result, the skin underneath becomes dried out.

When I went to pick up Cookie, the groomer mentioned to me that she was red and itchy in that area and that she used special oatmeal shampoo in that spot. Getting home was another story. Cookie was using her hind paw to scratch her belly. Many dogs have thinner skin below their belly.

As it turned out, Cookie was scratching so much, it became inflamed and started bleeding. Puzzled about this, I sought out similar situations on the internet. Some people were saying take the dog to the vet. Others were saying that it was a dry skin problem. Since it would be hard to see the vet on short notice, I decided to tackle this at home.

I first tried using a lotion that didn't have a strong scent. It was a gentle body lotion made by Clarins. It seemed to work at first, then Cookie would start scratching after about 20 minutes. I then tried Vaseline. That seemed to work but was a little heavy. When I read about this groomer who used certain oils, one of them was vitamin E.

I then remembered the Omega treats I had picked up in the past for Gigi, since her skin was sensitive. I headed over to PetsMart to pick up a bag for them. I picked up the largest bag available. Instead of the usual one I would give them, I upped it to three for Cookie and two for Gigi and Homer.

A Few Hours Later

The fish treats seemed to have done the trick. Cookie hasn't scratched ever since. I think I was very lucky that it was a matter of her skin getting used to her haircut, and nothing more serious like an infection. It just goes to show, when you have dogs, you can't let things slip through the cracks.

Let's Discuss!

Have you ever had a situation with dry skin on your dogs? How did you handle it?