One thing I adore about owning an Amstaff is their versatility; they are wonderful in the snow, in the sun, on the beach and in the rain. Truth be told, Macy is not a big fan of rain, but she’s a trooper when she has to be. I wish we got more snow in Oregon, actually, because she really does find it intriguing and it’s a hoot to watch. I’ll look around and see if I can find the video of her I have during her first snow. Until then, I give you this one, filmed in Sweden. Enjoy!

Although this vaccination schedule is not specific to the Amstaff, I think it’s important to include because one should understand the responsibilities of dog ownership prior to entering into the commitment. Please regard this as mandatory, not optional. Please consult with your primary vet to find out what they and the state require. In further posts, we will discuss what each of these vaccines means. More to come!

Canine Distemper
First vaccination at 6 to 10 weeks of age
Second vaccination at 10 to 12 weeks of age
Third vaccination at 14 to 16 weeks of age
Re-vaccination: annually

Infectious Hepatitis (CAV-1 or CAV-2)
First vaccination at 6 to 10 weeks of age
Second vaccination at 10 to 12 weeks of age
Third vaccination at 14 to 16 weeks of age
Re-vaccination: annually

Parvovirus (Parvo Vaccine)
First vaccination at 6 to 10 weeks of age
Second vaccination at 10 to 12 weeks of age
Third vaccination at 14 to 16 weeks of age
Re-vaccination: annually

Rabies
First vaccination one year of age
(Local laws vary about age of vaccination)
Re-vaccination: annually

By law, most states required dogs to have yearly rabies vaccinations. A rabies vaccine protects your dog if he is bitten by a rabid animal. A bitten dog should be vaccinated again and quarantined to be certain he’s not infected. Additional, non-core, shots which can be given at the discretion of your vet. They are based on your pet’s risk factor and include: Leptospirosis, Lyme, Bordetella, and Para-influenza.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, dogs at low risk of disease exposure may not need to be vaccinated yearly for most diseases. However, such recommendations do vary according to the age, breed, and health issues of your dog. Consider the potential health risks your dog may face, the form of vaccine, and the geographic location.

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 3/4 ground beef
• 2 tablespoons bone meal
• 1 tablespoon fenugreek
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves, use less if dried
• 1/4 cup marigold petals
• 1 cup roughly chopped parsley leaves
• 2 apples, or 8 ounces fruit, no grapes or raisins, roughly chopped
• 1 squash, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup dandelion greens
• 1/2 pound haddock, chopped into 1-inch squares
• 1/4 pound beef heart, chopped into 1-inch squares
• 1/4 pound liver, chopped into 1-inch squares
• 1/4 pound kidney, chopped into 1-inch squares
• 1/4 pound gizzards, chopped into 1-inch squares
• 1/4 pound beef fat, chopped into 1-inch squares
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves pressed garlic
• 1/2 cup dried organic seaweed, soaked and strained to remove the salt
• 2 cups chicken or beef stock, optional

Directions

Put ground turkey and beef into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine bone meal, fenugreek, rosemary, marigold petals, and parsley, and mix well. Combine with the meat mixture. Use a food processor to grate apples, squash, and carrots. Add broccoli florets and dandelion greens and mix well. Add to the meat mixture. Combine haddock, beef heart, liver, kidney, gizzards, and beef fat and mix well. Add to the meat mixture. Combine eggs, olive oil, pressed garlic, and seaweed and mix well. Add to the meat mixture and thoroughly mix all the ingredients with your hands.

Recipe can be served as is to dogs that are accustomed to a raw diet. Otherwise make patties and poach them in chicken or beef stock.

To serve either raw or poached, put a generous helping of recipe into dog bowl, add 1 cup of high quality, meat based kibble, 1 egg, 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and supplement with super foods: digestive enzymes, probiotics, co-enzyme q10, and wild blue green algae.

Recipe can be made ahead and stored frozen in 1 week-sized containers.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray.

GRANGEVILLE – Butch, the American Staffordshire terrier who has been on doggie death row in Craigmont since September, is appealing for his life to the Idaho Supreme Court.
Butch’s owner, Pamela Thompson of Craigmont, filed an appeal Wednesday asking the high court to review actions by 2nd District Judge John H. Bradbury, remanding the case back to the Craigmont City Council. Butch has been in custody since allegations were made in August that he got out of Thompson’s trailer house while she was not at home and harassed the 3-year-old son of Craigmont’s dog catcher, Jeremiah Wynott. American Staffordshire terriers are sometimes known as pit bulls. Thompson said she checked with the child’s mother that day and was told Butch had not bitten her child. Later, however, allegations of biting and other harassment were made. Butch is accused of bad acts while he lived in Elk City with Thompson’s son, Tim. Bradbury said he could not make a decision in the case because the Craigmont City Council failed to record the hearing in which it decided Butch was a dangerous dog. Thompson’s attorney, Linda Pall of Moscow, said the council violated Thompson’s due-process rights by failing to provide her with information before the hearing and refusing to hear all of her evidence. Pall also said the city council violated Idaho’s open meeting law by making its decision about Butch’s
fate outside a public meeting. Those are the issues Pall is emphasizing in her appeal to the state’s high court.
A rehearing of the issue with the council had been scheduled for Friday, but was postponed until the Supreme Court can make a decision in the matter. So far, no hearing dates have been set. Butch remains in the custody of the Craigmont City Council.

Story originally published by the Lewiston Tribune.

Note: this is for the nylon type dog collar pictured; I’m still on the hunt for what I believe is called a “martingale” collar. I’ll keep you posted.

How to Make a Dog Collar – Dog Collar Hardware and Supplies

You will need to visit a fabric store and a hardware store to get your supplies, unless you’d like to order them online. First, measure your dog’s neck with a ribbon-style tape measure designed for sewing. Add 6-8″ to that measurement to determine the amount of webbing and ribbon to purchase.

• polypropylene or nylon webbing*
• coordinating printed ribbons or grosgrain ribbons in same or smaller width than chosen webbing. Choose something with pizzaz!
• clip-style buckle, sometimes called a “parachute buckle”**
• brass or nickel D-ring – width across the flat side should be the same as your webbing width. (find D-rings on the hardware aisle of your local home improvement store)
• small accent buttons or fancy trims to embellish collar
• coordinating thread

*Webbing – nylon webbing is softer and thicker than polypro, but can stretch when wet. If your dog swims, either remove the nylon collar before allowing them to swim, or consider polypropylene webbing. If your dog has a sensitive neck, though, nylon is less scratchy and will keep them more comfortable. Another option for sensitive skin is a cotton or hemp dog collar. These webbings are also available. Decide on a width of webbing that suits the size of your dog. This is entirely subjective, but most people like widths of 1/2″ to 1″ for tiny dogs, 1″- 2″ for medium dogs and 1″ to 2 1/2″ for Large/giant breeds. Webbing can be purchased at your local fabric store.

**Buckle – Although it is possible to find metal side clip buckles, most of the time, these are plastic. They are the same type of buckle that is found on backpacks and fanny packs, and are easily found in your local sewing notions department. The buckle size needs to match the width of webbing you are going to use. For best results, see what sizes of buckles are available before you select webbing.

Thanks to dog-paw-print.com!

Fighting dogs have been permanently banned in the canton of Zurich after the Federal Court in Lausanne dismissed an appeal from three canine associations.

They argued that not all dogs of the same breed are dangerous but the court said statistics could not be trusted and sited a similar law in the Canton of Valais which banned 12 dangerous breeds in 2007.

The law, introduced in Zurich at the start of the year after a vote in November 2008, prevents the selling and breeding of four breeds of dog including the American Pitbull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Bull Terrier.

Foreign owners of these breeds must keep their animals muzzled and on a leash when they are travelling in the canton of Zurich.

Thanks to World Radio Switzerland.