Memorial Day
Weekend Hours
We will be open our
Holiday Hours of
8 – 9 am
&
4 – 5 pm
on Saturday, May 25th
Sunday, May 26th
&
Monday, May 27th
Regular Hours will
resume on Tuesday, May 28th.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Dog Quirks Explained
If you’re a dog owner, you have probably uttered the phrase “What
are you doing?!” at least a few times. Dogs exhibit many strange behaviors that
may confuse us, anger us, disgust us or just make us laugh. Here are some
strange behaviors your dog may exhibit, and why.
Digging up flower
beds or gardens: Dogs have an extremely strong sense of smell, hundreds to
a million times stronger than ours. In the spring and summer, when we’re
planting these strong smelling flowers in these rich soils, it can be really
stimulating for our dogs. The dogs could even be smelling rodents living under
the flower or garden bed. Digging is a natural behavior for dogs to explore a
scent, because it could lead to a delicious meal!
Poop Eating: Why
dogs eat poop can vary. Mothers eat their puppies' poop as a way to clean the “den.”
In the wild this served another purpose as well. Puppy poop has a distinct
smell because of all the milk they consume. Mothers would eat the poop to
prevent predators from catching a whiff, and coming to find the den. Another reason is that dogs just think it’s delicious. Dogs are scavengers and
there are undigested nutrients in feces that they don’t want to waste. Poop eating could be a sign of poor nutrition too, but if your dog is on a healthy diet, but still eat poops, you just need to accept your poop eater for who they are.
Not chewing their
food: You may wonder why your dog just seems to scarf down any food you
give them. “Did you even chew it?” may be a question you’ve asked them before.
It seems crazy to us. Chewing is an important part of human digestion. It
releases saliva that starts breaking down the food. Dog digestion works
differently. Wild canines grab and tear large chunks of meat from their prey
and swallow it whole. Digestion mostly occurs because of stomach acids. This
also leads us to our next topic.
Eating Vomit:
Sometimes your dog may throw up their food, and then eat it again. While this
is wicked gross to us, it is a normal dog behavior. As mentioned before,
digestion occurs mostly in the stomach for dogs. If there aren’t enough stomach
acids to complete digestion, your dog may vomit the food up and then eat it
again as a way to stimulate the release of more acids.
Licking Wounds: Have you ever noticed if you have a cut of
some sort, dogs seem to be drawn to it? Or if your dog has had surgery they
just want to lick their wound, even if they lick the stitches right out? This
is completely normal. Dog saliva kills bacteria. To them, this is the best way
to heal. They do not understand the concept of modern medicine and that we have
things like stitches and Neosporin to heal our wounds.
Kicking Up Grass: You
may notice your dog kicks up the grass or dirt after going to the bathroom.
This is done to kick their scent into the air as a way to mark territory. Canines
have large territories and spend a lot of time marking it. They don’t want
confrontations with other canine packs though. It’s easier if the other packs
can smell them from a far, and know not to come any closer.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
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