When I was a kid, I had a lot of fun dressing up our family dog.  I’ve got pictures of her in my brothers pajamas complete with winter jacket and hat.  I also remember how she would do the slow-motion high-step when I’d put socks on her paws, acting like she was walking through syrup.  Of course this was followed by tons of hugs and praise for her patience!  I’m sure a lot of you have memories of doing the same thing or have seen your kids attempting the same feat.

This past week I had the chance to put this dress-up knowledge to good use.  We experienced record cold temperatures in our part of the county, and this made the the required potty trips outside very difficult for our dogs.  Since our dogs are older and don’t like to spend much time outside in the winter, we don’t own any doggy booties.  I haven’t found any that fit them and I didn’t want to pay big bucks for something I’d use once or twice a year.  But with the recent cold snap, they could only get about 10 feet into the snow before it would freeze to their paws and they wouldn’t move.  They wouldn’t “go” and we would have to carry them back inside.  Of course this is at night after all the stores are closed.  Hmm, time to get creative…

I have two young boys, which means I have a bunch of little sport socks that used to be white, which are now relegated to a “wear around the house only” pile.  You guessed it, I put a sock on each paw, secured it with a rubber band, and out into the snow we went.  It worked great!  They not only were able to do their “business”, but they ran around and played in the snow for a while.  When we came inside I just slipped the socks off, shook the snow out and let them dry by the heating vent.  If they get dirty, I can just toss them in the wash.  I felt great being able to find a use for these old socks!

I hope you find this quick and easy idea for your furry friends helpful.  Just remember, this may not be the best idea if you’re going out for a walk in icy conditions, as they may need more traction for safety.  Also, if you don’t have little ones, a 6-pair bag of these sport socks costs about $6 at Target.  From experience, I recommend colored socks which makes it easier to find a missing one in the snow.

As I mentioned in Part I to this post, our decision to get a dog turned out to me more complicated than we thought, but it was a lot of fun. We drove out in the country to a great breeder we had researched, and there he was (much to my Rooster’s chagrin): Dancer, the tiny toy poodle. My Rooster immediately started humming the Elton John song Tiny Dancer in his head, while the chicks nervously but joyously said hello. Dancer was excited, cute and irresistible, so of course we committed to taking him home. This started Phase 2 of the great dog commitment. We didn’t have ANY supplies yet, so when we got back to town, we hit the local pet superstore to gear up and go home to get Dancer settled in. Here are the top five things we learned from the experience:

1. Get supplies before you get the dog, or as soon as possible afterward. Make sure you have an appropriate kennel, a place in your house for your dog, food, leashes, dishes and toys so you are not scrambling for supplies while trying to integrate the dog into your home. Routine is important to help both you and your dog settle in, so having the supplies available right away with help with a smooth transition.

2. Take it to the vet as soon as possible. Make sure it is healthy and gets any upfront care it needs. It will save time, money and heartache going forward.

3. Don’t forget the pup WILL go potty, often, and it could be on your floor or in your neighbor’s yard, so be prepared to do house training. And don’t forget to take a bag with you on a walk. Occasionally, I send my Rooster out with Dancer and that is a particularly nice way to handle the messes! Let me tell you, he REALLY classes up the neighborhood when he heads out at night and in the morning in his pajamas with a bright blue doggy bag.

4. Buy a book or use credible online resources for tips on training your dog. Taking the time and setting boundaries upfront will help keep you sane and ultimately enhance everyone’s enjoyment.

5. Have Fun! We all love our dog and it is a great addition to the home. Sure, there are a few accidents and upsets here and there, but overall, we have a lot of fun with Dancer. He is excited to see us all the time, we take it on fun family walks, and play outside while the sun is shining.

Dancer has been a great addition to our family, and with a little effort upfront, we have all had a chance to have fun and enjoy the excitement he brings to our house. How about you? Any tips for caring for, training or integrating a dog into the home? We’d love to hear your stories.

Almost every child’s holiday wish list includes a cute little puppy. Who doesn’t love the image of a cute puppy popping out of a box with a big bow on its head? If you are considering getting a family dog, take some time to plan and prepare.

For years, we resisted adding a family dog to the Healthy Hen house. Eventually, with the chicks’ clamoring for a dog, coupled with images of walks in the sunshine, running and giggling in the yard, and a buddy who is always excited to see us when we get home, we decided we were ready. After all, our dog would never need the vet, never go potty in the neighbors yard, wouldn’t eat or need grooming, right? So we made the decision, and talked about it with the kids. We thought that was the hard part, but then we started talking about what kind, when, and from where, and quickly realized this was going to take a lot of planning and preparation. Our talks went a little something like this:

1. What kind – at least two of us have allergies, so what breeds are hypoallergenic? Holy cow, there are a lot of options!

2. How big – should it be large so it can be a running mate, or small, cute and easy to travel with, as the chicks wanted? Not an easy issue to sort through, and apparently size really does matter!

3. Where – do we try to get one from the pound, a cardboard box in front of a grocery store, or purebred from a breeder? If a breeder, which are good and which aren’t? And how much would this all cost?

4. When – when would be a “good” time to add a dog to the family? Uh, good luck with that one!

5. Male or female? If you have boys and girls helping to pick your dog, good luck navigating this issue!

None of these were easy decisions, turned all of them into a fun and educational activity. We looked at breeds online, located and researched a breeder, daydreamed about what the dog would need and what we could do with it. Finally, we decided on a small dog, from a breeder, and once we located one, she just happened to have one little six month old puppy. We drove about three hours to “look” at it. Who knows why we thought we were really just “looking.” There is no such thing, at least not with the chicks involved. Once you “look,” it will be impossible to ignore your smiling kids, who so sweetly ask: “Are we going to get it?”

If you have thoughts and ideas for how to decide on the right dog for our readers’ families, please share them. And up next in Part II? Tips and ideas on supplies and how to integrate your new dog into its new home.

When we won the goldfish Goldyloks (daughter’s spelling) she was put into a sandwich bag. We had dinner guests coming that night, but when I inquired about the temporary availability of one of the many small fishbowls used as party decorations I was told “Just put it in a cereal bowl on your counter. It will be fine.”

Um, no.

I know very little about keeping fish, so I went door to door soliciting advice from neighbors. I was told that our water is fine, so we don’t have to treat it for chlorine. Great- one less thing to worry about. So off we dashed to the pet store. $20 later and we had a bowl, food, rocks, just the basics. While we were gone, a friend whose son had also won a fish called to let us know that his fish had died. The poor little guy was so grief stricken they had to have a funeral, pray over the fish and bury it- all for a fish he had for four hours. Our friend thought the fish had died from chlorine, so I was up half the night wishing I’d coughed up $4 for the darn water treatment. But our fish had a nice home and was alive and swimming the next morning.

Did you know that, because goldfish are filthy and produce more waste than other fish, a bowl- a GOLDFISH BOWL- is the worst place for them? I didn’t, but after Goldyloks started looking a little lethargic, I did some late night research and learned some things. Turns out you need a BIG FAT TANK for just a couple of fish. After doing almost hourly water changes in the bowl (not as much fun as it sounds) we decided we had to do right by Goldyloks and get her a better home. A few minutes on Craigslist and a drive across town and we had the perfect 29 gallon set up. Normally when you set up a tank you are supposed to let it run for a month before you put any fish into it, but Goldylocks wasn’t doing well so we only waited a day. Again, I was up most of the night worrying.

For a day or so, she perked right up, swam all around and seemed to love her new home. Then it started again- the sinking to the bottom, not eating, etc. So, off to the specialty fish store we went! After talking to an expert for about an hour, we left with an armload of aquarium salts, fish medicine, de-chlorinator and other first aid products. But when we got home, we thought Goldyloks was dead, just lying on the bottom of the tank on her side. I told my husband to get her out of the tank before the kids saw her (and because, by this time, I was pretty invested in this little fish!) but he couldn’t find her. Then we found her “dead” in another part of the tank. After watching for a while, we saw her swim a little bit, so we went into ER mode! Salt was mixed up and added to the tank, blue drops went in, water was changed faster than you’ve ever seen, frozen peas were fed- and it worked! She was the happiest, healthiest goldfish you ever saw!

For about 2 days. This time, when she went downhill we tried it all again but nothing worked. No amount of late night goldfish research seemed to matter. She croaked. I was a mess! After all that, she had the nerve to just die?!? I dreaded telling my daughter, but when she got up I broke the news. She teared up a bit, told me she was sad, then quickly asked “Can I get another one?”

Nope, never again sweetheart. Free fish. $100 worth of stuff. Anybody need a nice tank?