Buddy (AKA, the Best Dog in the World) became the victim of poor ownership last night. Because of the storms, I delayed taking the trash to the curb until late last night. I then went up to bed and I assumed Buddy was spending another night in the living room on his bed.

Around 2:00 my phone rang. I didn’t get to it in time, so I wrote it off as either a wrong number (I get those a lot for Beto’s) or a prank because I didn’t recognize the Caller ID number. Approximately 10 minutes later, the same number rang my home and again, I missed the call. Not wanting to hear my phone ring all night, I called the number back to inform the caller that he or she had the wrong number when my friend Laurie informed me it was her and she had Buddy.

Evidently, while I was taking the trash out, Buddy had followed me, escaping my notice. After some time had passed, Buddy must have given up on me and travelled down the sidewalk to Laurie’s house where she heard him whining outside of her window. Laurie and I often swap dog watching duties when one of us goes away, so Buddy knew right where to go. That’s a smart dog!

So, between the storms, which frightened him terribly, and being locked out, Buddy was a little shook up by the time we got home and didn’t leave me side, this time following me right up to bed. My poor dog!

Though he hates the rain, he loves the snow

 The first of the 16 day models are in and we are seeing the first of what will be a flipping and flopping of forecasts, but…it does call for a Christmas Eve /Day snowstorm in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic!!!!

You may have seen the commercial for the “Peticure” or it’s knock-off “Pedipaws“. 

After going through several clippers on my dog, usually the blade(s) ruined after only one or two uses, I decided to check around the web for reviews of the product I had seen on the commercial, “Pedipaws”.  Both Pedipaws and the Peticure promote filing down animal nails as opposed to trimming them.  Trimming is difficult with dark nailed dogs because you cannot see the quick.  I have yet to meet an owner of a dog with dark nails that has not hit the quick and thus turned nail trimming into torture for the pet and the owner.  Trimming also leads to cracked and even broken nails.  The only alternative is to take the dog to a groomer or vet, which adds up in cost quickly.  I first researched Pedipaws, because it was nearly half the price.  Pedipaws seemed to get consistently bad reviews from owners with comments about the item being cheap and  breaking easily.  After reading those reviews, I narrowed my choices down to a traditional Dremel tool or the Peticure. I chose the Peticure and placed my order. 

Ordering and Shipping

Because the company who makes Peticure is small and the product is in demand, I had to wait several weeks for the product.  I was advised that it would take 4-6 weeks for delivery.  Truthfully, I didn’t count, but it was somewhere in that ballpark.  I was not charged for the product until it shipped.

Introducing the Peticure

The Peticure website recommended a slow introduction period for the Peticure before a full grooming session.  I found that Buddy was not intimidated by it remotely.  This may be a result of giving him pieces of smoked pulled pork as a reward during the introduction period.  The company website included an excellent instructional video for introducing the product, as well as other very good instructional videos concerning using the product.

Grooming with the Peticure

I am amazed at how easy it is to use the Peticure and what a difference it has already made.  Based on the videos, I thought it might take a few weeks to notice a difference, but after this morning’s session, I already noticed a difference (3rd time with the Peticure).  There was noticeably less of the “clicking” sound that Buddy’s nails make against the hardwood flooring.  He even fell asleep while I was doing grooming his nails this morning.  He used to run and cower when I pulled out the clippers.  It will take some time, but the quick will continue to recede and soon he will have beautiful, healthy nails that will no longer crack or break and my floors will be safe.

Warning – this post is a bit of a ramble and most will not likely be interested in it.

It has been a rough couple of weeks for the best dog in the world. He came down with a nasty case of ear mites. They really bothered his big, soft, floppy ears. They went away quickly after treating him with Frontline, but the mites tend to cause yeast infections in dogs with long, floppy ears, marked by ear sensitivity (not fingernail sensitivity) and a rank smell emanating from the ears. Not wanting to spend $100 on a trip to the vet, I did a little googling and my suspicions were correct, a vinegar rinse would do the trick. It only took one vingegar treatment and a second bath in 2 weeks for Buddy to return to his normal sweet-smelling (actually chamomile and lavender thanks to J & J)self.

He has not been thrilled with the ear treatments, Frontline, or baths so I am not his favorite person right now. I have given up trimming his nails for a week or so just to give him a chance to recover from the trauma. Nail trimming brings its own set of trauma for the poor pooch. I have however, after reading almost all positive review, ordered the “Peticure” in hopes of reducing the nail care drama that comes with owning a dog with black nails (hard to see the quick). The tool is basically a Dremel with an attachment for the dog’s nail. Professional groomers have used Dremels on dog’s nails for year. I will let you know how it all works out. It seems a little silly, but if you have ever trimmed a dog’s nails and hit the quick, you know how difficult it is to care for a dog’s nails.

To most people, the picture above looks like an ordinary Diet Cherry Coke spill, but to those who know Buddy, you realize this is merely symptomatic of a dangerous condition: Restless Tail Syndrome.

Buddy has an unusual strong tail with a high wags per minute rate and this can result in property damage and injury.  Please use caution when near Buddy’s tail.