This weeks newsletter is going to be a sappy one, but at the end it will still have good Doberman Holiday tips so if you want to skip the sappy stuff I won’t be offended J

You know I am sitting here reflecting on how awful it is that I need a special holiday to express my gratitude once a year, when I know I should do it every day. Truly we have so much to be grateful for that we often just take for granted. This entitlement mindset that plagues society today gets us off the mark by a long ways. It has been a very trying year for us at FamilyDobes as I am sure it has been for some of you. Some of you have shared your stories and heartbreaks with us, and likewise we have shared with many of you. It was another year filled with adversity of every kind and it leaves one sitting in a very low and humble position where it is easy to see the things that we should be grateful for. In some ways I guess that makes me grateful even for this perspective that comes from being knocked down. I have seen this year true friendship extended to me from so many people I counted on, and even some I had no idea would stand up beside me when I needed it. I am grateful for the wonderful people I meet through raising these wonderful dogs, I am grateful for the stories we hear back from all of you, and how they change your lives as well. Some of these great dogs have even gone as far as to save lives in several different ways. I am grateful that they did their jobs. I truly am grateful to share my life with these great dogs who teach me more about unconditional love and friendship every day than I would have ever thought possible. I am grateful for the many great people who work with me in training and other capacities who make all of this possible. Grateful to those of you who push me to try harder and reach higher and hold on just a little bit longer. I am grateful for the opportunity to do what I am passionate about and to share that passion with so many of you. There are hard times ahead for all of us, we are all going to need that unconditional love and companionship that these magnificent dogs bring, and perhaps we can survive the coming storms. We hope you are all going to have a very happy Thanksgiving and hoping you can see all that you have to be thankful for.

So on to the Holiday tips. It seems like a no brainer, but some people may not know how dangerous a Turkey carcass can be to our dogs. Some of you may even have TOFURKEY around which I think is just dangerous anyway J But even if you know the turkey bones are bad for our dogs, you may not know just how sneaky they can be about getting to it. I recommend you pull the meat and get the bones in a secure trash can right away. Don’t take a chance even for  a minute. Raw feeders often feed chicken/turkey backs and necks to dogs, but it is different when it is truly raw and not cooked. The heat makes poultry bones brittle and that is what causes the problems. Also with Turkey meat there is the risk of Botulism. I have never died from it, and I have always been one of those that cooks the bird and leaves it out all day to pick off of. But safe food handling techniques tell us to take it from the heat source, serve it and straight to the fridge to avoid botulism. Also as always there are goodies around during the Holidays, watch out for candy, and candy wrappers. Remember sugar substitutes can be poisonous to dogs, We have a list on our blogs and forums of the toxic things we know about. If you are have questions, the Animal Poison Control number is 800-213-6680 and www.petpoisonhelpline.com If you are a home again microchip owner your call may even be free. Also a lot of strange people come around during the Holidays and that can cause problems with dogs in all stages. Add holiday festivities and people get even stranger still. It is safest to give your Dog a room off limits to the proceedings where they can be safe and undisturbed. Remember many of you are coming into cold weather, ours is finally tolerable so I forget to warn people about exposure times, frostbite etc, but it is the time of year to be thinking about that in most places. Here we can finally stay out all day and enjoy it! So some basic winter tips are Dry pets stay warmer, cropped ears get cold faster because of less circulation and are prone to frostbite, they have special ear warmers that work nicely although they look silly J Also I like the neoprene vests from Cabellas for keeping the dogs warm in the snow. I never found a good pair of Dog boots I liked, just don’t stay out in the cold that long J Also try petsafe Ice melt, or move to a warmer climate LOL!

Steve Parsons

480-993-9797

http://www.familydobes.com

http://www.dobetalk.com