Isn’t that a silly title? As if your dog is a car and needs a tune up or an oil change. Seriously, though, have you given thought to your springtime dog maintenance?
What’s that, you say? What on earth does that mean?
Most of us probably do this without thinking about it as springtime dog maintenance. Here are a few things we do as we step our dogs into summer:
- Baths – granted, many of us are bathing our dogs more frequently than we’d like simply because the spring rains bring spring mud, which brings filthy dogs who have spent stolen moments rolling in puddles
- Grooming (brushing) – spring is the prime time for dogs who shed to blow their coats and you’ll see it show up all over your floor if you don’t start brushing early enough – I highly recommend a cheap undercoat rake and daily brushing outside in spring and fall
- Flea and tick prevention – some areas of the country (the deep south, for example) need this care all year long, but many of us only need flea and tick prevention in the late spring, summer and fall, due to freezes and dead parasites in winter (woohoo for freezes and dead parasites!)
- Vet time! – For that matter, have you scheduled your own annual physical? As much as we hate it, and as much as many dogs dislike the vet, shots and checkups need to happen for both of us – I have a difficult time holding to this one, as I usually take the fur babies to the feed store for rabies shots and am done – we won’t talk about my own lack of scheduled physicals 🙁
- Layer o’flab – yeah, it’s getting personal, as I sit here on my comfy couch, typing around my layer of winter insulation, I know that the dogs haven’t had the outdoor time they’re accustomed to this winter, and that their waistlines aren’t as visible as they once were, especially now that they’re past middle age *sigh* – time to hit the walking trail at the local park
- Allergens – ACHOO! AROOOO! Some of you have dogs which are allergic to spring pollens, just like people, and I found an article on, of all places, the Weather Channel, discussing how to know dog allergies and what to do
- Last but not least, stock up on yummy treats – you’ll be taking more walks, working on things like Stay and Heel, as well as meeting other dogs on the trail, or in your neighborhood, so why not have a pocketful of Jones taffy? This list has to have something yummy and fun on it, after all 😉
Are you ready for spring? Is your dog? Are your chickens?
My chickens are not ready for spring, but they will be soon. We got chicks too early, I think. There are ten five-week-old chicks in a large dog crate in my garage, all clamoring to go outside. We’ll be building them their own coop this weekend, which will be the ducks’ coop once the chicks are big enough to integrate into the hen house without getting beaten up. There’s always a project when one has animals, yes?
Have a great weekend, y’all!
Until I write again …
Flea
