During the boat ride, Murphee’s Mom holds him and kisses him, helping him to feel safe on the boat.  Then when they stop for the swim, Mom gets in the water first before she encourages Murphee to join her for a swim.  Murphee feels a bit reluctant at first even though there is hardly any distance between the jump off area and the water.  After pacing a couple of times, Murphee gathers up his courage, then leap into the water.  Mom scoops him into her arms immediately and lets him stay there, praising him, helping him savor his first dive.  What a nice introduction to swimming.

Do all Golden Retrievers swim?

So do all Golden Retrievers swim?  I read some articles on this topic.  It seems the majority of Goldies do, but a small percentage are not that eager.  Some puppies would not swim, but as they grow older, they somehow develop the interest.

According to Pedigree, Golden Retrievers have a water repellant coat that allows them to be in cold water.  If your Goldie is a water person, and he is swimming in the ocean, bring fresh water along so he doesn’t get dehydrated while he’s playing in the water.  And if he is swimming with children in a pool or in a lake, remind your children not to pull on his collar.  He can swim better than most children, but he can get pulled under if they hold on to his collar.

Enjoy this warm video of Murphee being introduced to swimming by Mom.  If you like this video, here is another video filled with clips of Retrievers having fun.

Article source: Pedigree

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What is puppuccino made of?

Puppuccino is not officially on the menu of Starbucks.  It’s just whip cream in a small espresso cup as a treat for doggie friends.  It seems to “put a smile” on the dogs’ face to have their own cup of something when they drive through.  They seem to feel included.

How one volunteer helps a dog shelter on her coffee break

In fact, I remember reading about a volunteer who works at a shelter who uses this Starbucks moment to brighten the day of a different shelter dog whenever she goes on her coffee run.  It helps dogs at a shelter to socialize in public places so they get used to new faces, new sights, new smells, new situations. 

Coffee Shop helps to promote dogs for adoption

Dogs enjoy social interactions just as we do.  And when this volunteer takes a dog there, they would have the dog wear something to identify them as available for adoption.  The coffee shop helps her cause by posting flyers of dogs available for adoption at the shelter so there is more exposure for these dogs. 

Shelter volunteer gives out dogs business cards

When people stop to interact with the dog, they would inevitably ask about the available for adoption sign, and now more people are aware of the shelter and who needs a new home.  She might have even have extra flyers about the dog she is taking out to give to anyone who stops by and ask about the available for adoption sign.  Maybe even business card with the dog’s shelter ID and photo, name, so people can take the information home to discuss with their family.  What that volunteer does probably inspires other shelter volunteers to do the same to help more dogs get adopted.

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A heart-warming video of a dog connecting 2 families

The next scene was the family rejoicing in their home that Chobo was found.  Then one family member discovered a decoration on Chobo’s collar–one that the kind man put on Chobo’s collar.  The family called the kind man and invited him over to their home.   

In the next scene, they were having Christmas dinner together, laughing, talking like old friends.   The kind man had a good time.  Next scene shows the mantel of the kind man, displaying family photos of his children.  Of course Chobo’s photo was there.  And the last photo shown was a photo with his new friends–the family of Chobo.   

And this is the sweet story of how a lost dog connected a kind man with his family.  Random kindness springs into so much more.   This is a very credible story.  How many have given a warm home to a lost dog without a collar or a chip?   And who wouldn’t have gotten attached to a furry friend?  Imagine the emotions of seeing a “lost dog poster” and knowing that the new friend needs to return to his own family.   I hope every family that goes through this temporary “adoption” would become long-lasting friends with the family of the dog, just like this beautiful video shows us.

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Should we let our dog sleep with our baby?

It is obvious that the dogs in this video adore their babies, and have the intention of being close to them or taking care of them.   In fact, one of the clips shows a puppy that was so vigilant in watching the baby that even though he was nodding off, he kept waking himself to do his job.  Finally, he figures out how he can get some shut-eye AND care for his baby.  This is just one of the many benefits of having loving dogs in our homes.  One more person to love us and our babies.

There is a variety of opinions on the topic of letting pets sleep with babies, according to Dr. Patty Khuly in Pet MD.    She sited that almost 79% of pet owners allow pets in the beds of family members. She noted that there is very little evidence of infectious disease transmission from healthy pets that are well cared for by the family.

Veterinarians may advocate not sharing beds with pets for behavioral reasons.  Puppies that may have a predisposition to aggression or dominance may develop these behavior when they are allowed to sleep with humans.  Also, it is more conducive to housebreak a puppy in their crate than when they are sleeping in our beds.  These behaviorists feel that if we were to share beds with pets, wait until they are completely trained, and they are socially mature.

On the other hand, there’ve been studies that show people with insomnia sleep more deeply when a pet sleeps with them.  You can read more about this topic here.   Enjoy watching the love that these puppies bestow on their human babies.  If you enjoy videos with puppies and babies, here’s another one you might also like.

Article source:  Dr. Patty Khuly on Pet MD

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