Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

I just received an interesting article about whether pet insurance is worth the cost. I know that I would not go without it, particularly for a big dog. My Luna, who was my original dog park dog, made good use of it. Unfortunately, I lost Luna to bloat. Her nephew, Draco, is a perfect dog park dog, but he has had a few expensive injuries and illnesses during his life. Pet insurance was a great investment, and we have made good use of it. When you have a big dog, you will have big bills. My recommendation is to obtain pet insurance for your dog, as soon as your dog is eligible. The following article provides great information about the value of pet insurance.

https://yourdogadvisor.com/pet-insurance/

Spraying weed killer at Lloyd Farm, just above dog park

I received the following message regarding spraying of weed killer at Lloyd Farm, which will run downhill into the dog park:

“I believe that the developer who purchased the Lloyd Farm, Harry Miller, who owns County Propane in Downingtown, is spraying weed killer on the grass land that is the property on the side of Copeland Run Learning center and behind it.  It has been mowed for 42 years.  This year, a spray thing arrived and two days later it was gone and the grass was brown.  This is not good.  That field drains down into the Lloyd Park AND into the Dog Park and then into Copeland Run Creek that is the one in the Lloyd Park.  I can’t prove this without records and as you can see, this is astonishing nearly impossible.  It was done once.  I expect it to be done at least one more time, maybe even a couple more times.  

 For all of your dogs who spend their time sloshing around in that mud and drinking that water this is not good.  

 Just thought you should all know and maybe you can spread the word and get people to call Miller and complain.  Or call Caln Township and complain.  Nothing will get done without that.  Nothing will get done possibly even with that.

 They sprayed the same poison the corn field as well.  Also not good but at least a little further away and not sloping down to the creek.

 Regards,

 Cheryl

 Cheryl C. Spaulding ccspaulding@verizon.net

 From: CCspaulding [mailto:ccspaulding@verizon.net] 
Sent: Monday, June 10, 2019 4:07 PM
To: Chuck Kramer; George Chambers; Jennifer Breton; John Contento; Josh Young; Lorraine Tindaro
Subject: Lloyd Farm Weed Killing

 I called:

CC Health Dept.:  Not their problem

DEP Services :  Haven’t heard back

Downingtown Municipal Water Authority:  Haven’t heard back.  Considering that the Copeland Run Creek runs into the Brandywine, where Downingtown draws their drinking water, one would think this would be of interest to them.

Brandywine Conservancy:  Haven’t heard back

Penn State Extension CC:  Not their problem

And finally, 

 PA Dept. of Agriculture whose issue it IS.  According to them:

Now you can be prepared to be astonished.  I was.  If you are spraying poison, you ARE required to obtain a PA Pesticide Certification License.  BUT, there is no filing of where you spray, or what you spray, or how often you spray, nothing.  You are only required to keep internal records inside your company.  There are no requirements that anything be filed with the State, or County.  And so long as you are utilizing the product in “accordance with the directions for application,” there are no other requirements.

 Sometimes I learn things that I really don’t want to know.  So, THIS is why we are slowly being poisoned to death in this country.  Our food supply and our water supplies are contaminated and THIS is why.  The ramifications of this are now right in our face.  That field, with all of this rain, is already turning green.  Foot high grass is not easily killed even with weed killer.  So, in order to actually get rid of the grass, it will be necessary to spray again.  Maybe even more than one time.

The man from PA Dept. of Agriculture suggested I ask the owner who the spraying company was and then ask them what and how much they are spraying.  He thought they would as a courtesy be happy to give me this information.  I will now email Harry Miller’s attorney.  Want to take bets of what kind of reply we get?

 If any of you see that truck out in that field.  Please stop, and find out who it is.  They are supposed to have their name on the truck.

George Chambers…at least I am NOT drinking the poisoned water coming off that field because you and your family probably ARE.  To my knowledge, there is no removal of pesticides from drinking water.  Be interested to hear from you how you personally feel about this.  You can be sure that the runoff from those fields are making it’s way into the Copeland Run Creek and thence into the Brandywine and being sucked up by the Downingtown Municipal Water Authority.”  

 Cheryl

 Cheryl C. Spaulding

ccspaulding@verizon.net

Balls! (and other favorite toys.)

What remains of a tennis ball after a few minutes with Luna

Balls! I have very mixed feelings about people bringing balls or other toys to the dog park. I understand that they want to play with their dogs, but balls and toys can spark disputes between dogs. Luna, for example is a notorious ball thief.   Luna doesn't want her own ball, she has to steal a ball from another dog. It took ages for Luna to learn the concept of "leave it." Trying to take a ball from the mouth of a Neapolitan Mastiff that doesn't want to give it up is certainly a slobbery challenge. Give Luna five minutes with a tennis ball and she chews it like gum into an unidentifiable mess.  Remember, a dog possessive of a favorite toy could easily become aggressive if another dog tries to take the toy. Once, Luna picked up a stuffed toy that another dog brought to the park. She did not want to give it up, even in exchange for a treat. I offered to give the owner $20.00 to buy a replacement. The owner told me that it was his dogs favorite toy, was a gift from a friend and it was irreplaceable.  I finally was able to get it from Luna and return it to the owner. However, I do question the wisdom of bringing an "irreplaceable" toy to the dog park. Fortunately, now that Luna is older, she will return the toy when told to "leave it."

In my perfect world, there would not be toys or balls allowed at the dog park. Of course, it is not my perfect world.  What do you think about bringing balls or toys to the dog park?

Can changing dog parks change dog's behavior?

I just heard from dog park friends that I have not seen in a while. I asked whether everything was OK. They own an English Bulldog, Bowser, who loved my Luna, and did well in our little group, but always made a lot of growling noises that frightened other dogs. They started to go to another dog park.  They say that Bowser is a lot more relaxed, and behaves better, at the other off leash park. I asked what they thought the difference was between the parks, and why the behavior might have changed. They think the difference is they keep moving along the trail. Bowser doesn't get a chance to "claim" any territory.  I'm told that Bowser still tackles other dogs that approach him at speed, but Bowser's attitude is overall much improved.  I found it interesting that the change to another park could produce such a change in Bowser's behavior. I guess that a dog that may not be a "dog park" dog at one park, could be perfectly fine at another.  Our dog park group misses Bowser and his people, but it sounds as if it is for the best.

Has anyone else had this experience?  Does your dog behave differently at different  dog parks?

Bowser is now happier at another park

Learn to read dog body language

If you are taking your dog to a dog park, it is a very good idea to learn how to "read" dog body language.  You should learn the difference between a friendly puppy "play bow," which is an invitation to play, and a behavior that could mean that trouble is on the way.  Knowing the body language of dogs can give you a "heads up" to potential problems, as well as potential playmates.  There are any number of web sites with detailed descriptions of dog body language.  The video below is a great example of a variety of common dog body language behaviors.  Thanks to Catherine Wyatt for granting permission to link to this video.

Every child is not a dog park child!

I do not believe that small children should ever be taken to a dog park.  I have seen people carrying small children on their shoulders.  I worry about the danger to the child, should a large dog knock down the person carrying the child.  A child, falling from that height, is at risk of head injury or even death.  I have seen people take toddlers, who are afraid of dogs to the dog park.  I have seen a father taking a child to the park, knowing that the child was afraid of dogs.  He thought that exposure to a lot of dogs would “de-sensitize” the child to dogs.  Instead, the child was simply terrorized and was crying hysterically.

With very small children, carried high above the dogs, many dogs become curious.  When a child makes noises, sounding much like a squeaky toy or terrorized prey, some dogs become even more interested in the child.  Dogs may jump and try to bite at the child.  

Ive seen infants being brought into the park in strollers.  There is certainly a risk that every dog at the park is not familiar with, or comfortable being around strollers.  The results are certainly unpredictable.

I have seen small children being placed on the grass a the dog park, or left to walk barefoot.  Great idea!  Let your child be exposed to any number of parasites from canine fecal matter.  Assume that every park user is diligent about picking up dog poop.  Even with all dog poop picked up, there are remnants in the grass.

I have seen adults knocked over by dogs, who are playing, running and simply not watching where they are going.  I have been knocked over by dogs.  I have seen adults suffer knee injuries from being knocked over.  A small child doesn’t stand a chance against a running dog, and the child could be seriously injured.

Women who are in a late term pregnancy should also avoid dog parks.  At the off leash dog park, just after I entered the with my Neapolitan Mastiff, a late term pregnant woman, with a toddler, maybe about two years old, and their dog arrived.  I immediately put my dog on her leash.  The woman told me that it wasn’t necessary, because her son “loved dogs.”  Although my dog loves people, other dogs and children, I told her that my dog weighs 150+ pounds, and might accidentally bump into one of them, knock them down, causing an injury.  She assured me that she was fine and there was no need for me to put my dog on the leash.  (I thought, “yes there is, because you have no sense.”  I walked my dog to an isolated area of the park to remove myself and my dog from the situation.  I looked up and saw the pregnant woman, her two year old, their dog, and another friend, who was pushing an infant in a three wheeled stroller. Again, I put my dog on her leash and went to another area of the park. It astounds me that people would take a small child, or infant to an off leash dog park, let alone a pregnant woman. There are lots of dogs of all sizes running loose, and sometimes they run into people while playing. Every dog at the dog park may not be as nice as my dog, or may react badly to an infant in a stroller, if they are not familiar with strollers. 

Every dog is not a dog park dog!

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                                                                                                                    Not a dog park dog!

Although dog parks can be great fun for dogs, some dogs should not ever be taken to a dog park.  The dog in the above photo is an example.  In speaking with the owner, he indicated that his dog was fear aggressive to other dogs.  His dog had attacked other dogs.  He seemed to think that putting a muzzle on his dog protected the other dogs, while his dog could become more comfortable around other dogs.  Unfortunately, bringing a dog who is fearful of other dogs around dogs is a really bad idea.  First, it does nothing to help the fearful dogs adjust to other dogs. Second, he has placed his own dog at great risk of injury.  If another dog approaches his dog, and his dog reacts, the other dog could easily grab his dogs muzzle, causing injury.  The only way to deal with a dog that is fear aggressive is to work with a qualified trainer, who can figure out the best strategy to gradually expose the dog to other dogs in a controlled setting. I once owned a dog who was a fear biter.  She was enrolled in a highly structured behavioral training program.  We would sit with the dog, giving her a favorite treat, while an assistant walked a dog at some distance from our dog.  When the dog appeared, our dog would be given a treat and praised for not reacting.  There was a slow process of gradually decreasing the distance between our dog and the assistant's dog, using treats and positive feedback to keep our dog calm.  Eventually, our dog was able to be close to other dogs without reacting.  Even then, I would never have considered taking her to a dog park and letting her run loose.  Aggressive dogs, or dogs who are afraid of other dogs or people, are not dog park dogs.

Then there are the people who may be bringing a newly rescued dog to the park, just to see how they will react. Which is another bad idea, if you don't know the dog, and know that it is well behaved, don't take it to the dog park. This is to say nothing of a person who once came to the dog park with her five rescue dogs and some sort of parrot type bird on her shoulder. The bird made noises like a squeaky toy. Her dogs may be used to the bird, but another dog may try to catch it and kill it. There should be a sign at the entrance to every dog park: "Common Sense Required to Enter Park."