Shoreline Dog of the Week - Dunadan

Dunadan

Name: Dunadan
Nickname: Dune
Age:  1.5 years
Breed: Mountain Dog/Rottweiler mix
Hometown:  Old Lyme, CT
Favorite Place: Great Brook Sports, Groton
Favorite Dog Food:  Blue Mountain Lamb
Favorite People Food: Chili
Favorite Toy:  His younger sibling, "Gandalf the Cat" (see photo)
Favorite Activity:  Going to work to see his best friend Bruin (see photo)
Most Annoying Habit: He likes to wake up at 3am to go sleep outside.  The colder the better!

Dune and Gandalf

Bruin and Dune

Shoreline Dog of the Week - Luna

Luna

Age: 5 years

Breed: Black English Labrador

Luna at Turtle Creek

Hometown: Old Saybrook, CT

Nickname: Luna Belle

Favorite Place: Turtle Creek

Favorite Dog Food: Chicken

Favorite People Food: Pizza

Favorite Toy: Yellow Rubber Monkey

Favorite Activities: Hiking and swimming

Most Annoying Habit: Bed Hog

Luna loves to swim!

Great Brook Sports

I love the dogs in this video!  To see Bruin, the star of this ad, as Shoreline Dog of the Week, click here.  Check out Great Brooks Sports at greatbrooksports.com.

Dog Days Adoption Event

Help homeless dogs in need at the Dog Days Adoption Event! It takes place this Saturday and Sunday at 11am in Salem.  Shoreline Dog will be attending and posting stories about the adoptions!  To learn more about this event,  click here.

This week, Sweet Luna's is donating 20% of all profits and 100% of all tips to the Dog Days Adoption Event!  Sweet Luna's is a fun, dog-friendly frozen yogurt shop in Old Saybrook.  To learn more about Sweet Luna's, click on the image to the right. It's a great place to have a delicious treat and some fun with your pooch!

Shoreline Dog of the Week - Max

Max

Age: 13 years

Breed: Boston Terrier

Hometown: Old Lyme, CT

Nicknames: Maxie, Max-amillion, Ralphie

Favorite Place: Snuggling in is bed at home

Favorite Dog Food:  California Natural

Favorite People Food: Pizza Crusts

Favorite Toy: Blue Panda

Favorite Activities: Playing outside with kids, sleeping

Most Annoying Habit: Begging for food

Autumn Lists

The summer is almost over!  Where will you take your dog when the warm weather and the cloudless days are gone? Most swimming holes will close, the sunny skies will be behind us, the water will turn cold and the air will become chilly..... Never fear, Shoreline Dog is here!  Warm weather isn't the only thing you need to take your dog swimming, hiking, and other activities your pooch adores.  Autumn is a chance to explore new places, try new things, and adventure further into the realm of nature with your beloved hound.  No, the weather may not be as warm, but... the weather won't be as boiling HOT as it is in the summer, right?  This provides an opportunity to do more active outdoor activities without overheating (especially for your pup, I mean just think about wearing those thick fuzzy coats all summer).  So, we came up with places to go, activities to do, and more suggestions that will make this Autumn the best Autumn ever for you and your pooch.  With our brand new, (temporary) tab, Autumn Lists, you can access these references anytime you want.  Have a great rest of the summer, and an even better Autumn!!

Heads up! -Every season comes with different surprises - and different safety hazards.  To avoid this season's dangers for your pet, read our Autumn Safety Hazards List, listed on the new Autumn Lists Page.

Good To Know #14

Good To Know #14 - Don't waste time and money on breath freshening mist and bones! Instead, use apple slices, which help to clean residue off a dog's teeth and freshen their breath.  Apples are also a good source of vitamin A, fiber, and vitamin C. But to avoid chooking hazards, be sure to remove the seeds and core before feeding to your pooch. There's no need for bad tasting, minty breath fresheners for your pup when instead they can enjoy a healthy - and yummy - snack!

Be sure to cut into slices or cut out stem, core, and seeds

Tip: Put some peanut butter on an apple and give it to your dogs as a yummy toy!

Good To Know #13

Good To Know #13 - It's a myth that a dog's dry nose means a fever.  For starters, most of the time a dog will lick continually lick his nose, and, as a result, his nose is almost always wet.  But, when dogs aren't feeling 100% (this could mean exhaustion, thirst, hunger, etc) they tend not to lick their noses, and therefore the noses become dry.  If your dog's nose is constantly dry, talk to your vet, but otherwise don't worry too much.

Changing Your New Dog's Name

You just brought your new dog home! Yay!! You love him - his personality, looks - but not his name. But don't worry - this is a very common situation, especially when adopting older dogs.  A dog of any age can learn a completely different name within days.  If you want to change you new dog's name, follow these easy steps and before you know it, Fluffy will respond to Rover.

• Decide on a new name for your pet.  It can be totally dissimilar, anything will work. But, once you start training your dog with that name, there's no going back.  Changing a dog's name once is easy, but twice is another story.
• While you are spending time with your new pooch, carry a few training treats with you - Not those crazy unhealthy jumbo-peanut-chicken-pork-chunky-chewy-yummy-bones!  Use small ones, that can fit easily in your pocket.  Chances are, you'll be feeding your pup many of them in the next few days, and you don't want to have to give him one of those big beauties every time he does something good.
• Call out the new name to your dog, and then smile and give him lots of praise, along with a training treat. Do this even if he barely blinks at the new name.

Once you do this enough, he will begin to learn that hearing this word means a treat and praise, and will respond to it.  Soon, he will recognize the name as his own!

Good To Know #12

Good To Know #12  - Dogs chase their tail for a variety of reasons: exercise, anxiety, curiosity, and predatory instinct.  Sometimes, watching your dog chase his tail is hilarious!  However, if your dog is chasing his tail excessively, he might have fleas.  If you notice your pooch acting strange and always chasing his tail, talk to your vet.  Fleas are NOT fun - for you or your pet.

Fleas cause a LOT of itching!

Birthdays

It's your pooch's birthday!  You give him a bone, maybe buy a new toy... but now you can bake him a cake!  Here are some  drool-worthy birthday cake recipe for hounds on their special day:

For a peanut flavored cake with a darker, richer taste:

Carob Chip Bundt Cake:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey (optional)
• 1 egg
• *1/2 cup carob chips

Directions:

Mix the flour and the baking soda together.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix quickly.  Bake in a greased ring mold a 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Melt the carob chips and drizzle over the cake when cooled.  *Carob is a chocolate substitute.  If you cannot find carob chips, do NOT use chocolate chips! See Good To Know #7.  You do NOT have to put carob chips in this recipe, as it is included mostly for decoration purposes.  This recipe serves 16-20 dogs, so I would recommend dividing up the recipe if you aren't expecting a party of more than 10 hungry hounds.

Favorite Pics

Got a great photo of your pooch?  Send it to Lily@shorelinedog.com!

Good To Know #11

Good To Know #11 - Salmon is great for dogs!  It's a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, which keep your pup's coat healthy and shiny, as well as supporting your dog's immune system.  To add these great vitamins into your pooch's diet, put a little salmon oil in his food bowl, give him your leftovers or unwanted fish skins, or even simply feed him salmon.

Shoreline Dog of the Week - Ginger

Ginger

Age: 5 1/2
Breed: Dachshund / Beagle mix
Home Town: Old Lyme, CT
Favorite Dog Food: IAMS Healthy Naturals
Favorite People Food: Steak & Chicken
Favorite Toy: Stuffed turtle
Favorite Activities: Chasing geese, taking walks
Nicknames: Roo Roo, Scooby
Favorite Place: Home
Most Annoying Habit: None 

Shoreline Dog of the Week - Grace

Breed: Weimaraner
Age: 8

Hometown: Old Lyme

Nickname:  Gracie, Gray, Rooster and Goosie

Favorite place: sunning in a window or in the yard

Favorite dog food: Victory Pet Food Raw Food

Favorite People food: Pumpkin, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Vanilla Ice Cream

Favorite toy: baby blankets 

Favorite activity:   runs on the beach 

Most annoying habit:  being rude to other doggies (barks like crazy)

Good To Know #10

Good To Know #10 - Don't scold your puppy for something he has done a few minutes or more ago, no matter how terrible the action.  Dogs have no sense of "time," so they won't understand why you are punishing them.  This leads to confusion and, if it happens to much, they can become afraid and anxious around you.

Shoreline Dog of the Week - Barrett

Age:  1 1/2  years

Breed:  Golden Doodle

Home Town:  Old Lyme, CT

Nickname:  Linus

Favorite Place:  wherever his family is

Favorite Dog Food:  still deciding....

Favorite People Foods:  ice cubes  (see  Top 5 Doggy Diversions)

Favorite Toy:  his blanket

Favorite Activities:  toss-up between snuggling and playing

Most Annoying Habit: none yet!

Barrett - and his sidekick, Sailor

Barrett loves his blanket!

Good To Know #9

Good To Know #9 - It's a total myth that dogs are color blind!  They can see color, but not as vividly as humans can.  A dog's vision is like our vision at dusk.  Maybe what we see compared to what they see is something like this...

Good To Know #8

Good To Know #8 - Most dogs love to swim! This is why you always have to make sure you dry your pup off with a towel after he swims.  If you don't, their wet fur in the air temperature can lead to hotspots.  Also, they love being rubbed with a fluffy towel.  It's like a doggy massage!

Tonka and Trout, two Chesapeake Bay retrievers,
love to splash around (even in chilly Maine water)!

Good To Know #7

Good To Know #7 - More than just chocolate can hurt your dog!  Macadamia nuts, raisins, grapes, cooked onions, apple seeds, pear seeds, anything with caffeine, and of course, chocolate, can harm your pooch.  Even a little bit of any of these can cause renal failure and other fatal problems.  Sorry pup, you're out of luck!