Goodbye Josie

Yesterday we had to let sweet Josie go. She had gone downhill rapidly over the last week, wouldn't play with her friends or chew her toys, and seemed to be in increasing amounts of pain. She had begun having occasional incidents of bladder incontinence, and was reluctant to stand up. I decided to finish her life on a good note, before the bad days began to outnumber the good.

We began Josie's perfect day with breakfast, and then headed to the beach for a slow amble through the sand. She enjoyed sniffing the piles of seaweed left by the tide. We stopped at In-N-Out for lunch, Josie had a cheese burger and fries. Her sensitive stomach had always meant she wasn't allowed to have new foods or special treats, but on her perfect day it didn't bother her at all.

Our next stop was the Wise Tails pet boutique, where Josie happily explored and visited with the proprietor. They had quite a few products I had never seen before. Josie enjoyed the crunchy dried cod skins. After that we visited a local park for more ambling and sniffing.

Josie rode happily in the back seat of my car from place to place, smiling contentedly, or snoozing peacefully. She was always happiest when she was close to me. Josie had always been nervous at the vet, but on her perfect day there were so many treats and so much love that she didn't even notice where she was. She fell asleep with her nose in a bowl of treats, while I scratched that special spot on her neck.

Josie was only with use for three months, but she was a big part of our lives. She loved going to daycare with me. When she arrived, she was at least 15-lbs underweight and used to spending all of her time alone and inactive. We never expected her to be with us for so long, at the time it seemed like she had at least two paws in the grave. She dragged her back feet terribly, didn't really engage with people, and seemed perpetually confused.

While she was here, I switched Josie to a higher-calorie diet and got her up to a healthy weight. She developed enough muscle in front to compensate for her degenerating back end and barely dragged her feet. I was delighted the first time I returned from a break at work and she came running to greet me. She got regular baths and the occasional fancy spa treatment to keep her clean and fluffy in spite of her incontinence.

Josie joined Brisbane and I at an agility trial and lurecoursing event. She wasn't particularly interested in participating, but she thoroughly enjoyed the chaos of the trial environment. On days we didn't go to work or have some other outing, she was restless and full of energy. These were the days she ate her meals out of puzzle toys. Nothing made her happier than having her leash snapped on and the front gate opened so we could go on an adventure.

Because Josie still dragged her feet at least some of the time, we walked exclusively on non-paved surfaces. The dog beach was a favorite destination because she could roam off-leash, sniffing at her own pace and greeting new friends. She didn't reliably come when called, but she mostly stuck close, and I could outrun her when she occasionally decided to charge down the beach after horses. At first she followed wherever I went, over difficult rocks and into the water. As her cognition got better, she eventually began picking her way around and finding the easiest path.

As Josie's mind healed, her body deteriorated. Hikes that we finished together in February ended with me carrying her by mid-March. She lost interest in her rawhides and bully sticks, once prized shoplifting targets. Puzzle toys ceased to fascinate her with their hidden treats. I didn't want her last days to be filled with pain. She was a treasure, a dog for whom I had no training goals and no plans other than to love her and fill her life with wonderful things.

Josie spent three months being spoiled rotten, and the end of her life was filled with peace and contentment.

How to Keep a Dog from Slipping on Hardwood

Josie has a lot of trouble keeping her balance, she has severe spinal degeneration affecting all four of her legs at this point. She drags her feet, stumbles, and trips very easily. We have hardwood floors, and through routine grooming I have been able to prevent her from slipping as she stumbles around the house.

Hairy toes are slippery toes.

1. Cut those nails!
Long toenails can change the way a dog carries their weight. The more surface area they have contacting the floor, the more traction they have. Paw pads have much better grip on slick surfaces than toenails, but if the nails touch the ground they take some of the weight off the pad.

If the nails are touching the floor when the dog is standing, they are too long. When I hear Josie's nails clicking on the hardwood, I know it's time for a trim. Josie is extremely cooperative for nail trims, but Brisbane is not. I often must enlist the help of a professional groomer, or even my veterinarian, to get his nails cut.


2. Trim that toefur!

Less toe fur, more grip!

The top picture shows one of Josie's feet before trimming. There is a lot of fur growing out from between her toes. Ideally this would provide her some protection for the delicate skin between her toes, but at her age it's mostly just getting in the way.

Every week or two, I take a very sharp pair of hair scissors and carefully trim as much fur as I can from between Josie's toes. This helps keep her grippy paw pads in contact with the floor. The toe floof is cute, but she slips on it.

These measures have been enough to keep Josie cruising comfortably on my hardwood floors. If I felt she needed any more grip, I might try getting the waterproof socks to stay on better, or I might get Josie some dog boots that actually fit.

Product Review: PMP Waterproof Outdoor Socks

Made by Protect Me for Pets, these socks are partically coated in waterproof rubber to help keep feet dry and warm in any weather conditions.

I hadn't heard of this company before, apparently they are brand new and sell dog clothes including some really cute jackets that match these socks. I'm having a lot of trouble finding information about the company though, they don't seem to have an online presence. The same entitiy holds the trademark for North Paw dog apparel.

I liked the concept of these socks. They seemed to be a nice compromise between fabric booties and serious dog shoes.

Josie doesn't usually drag her feet badly enough to damage them, but she does slide around quite a bit on my hardwood floors. In addition to keeping her nails trimmed and cutting all the fur out from between her toes, these could potentially give her a little more grip.They could also help keep her feet warm and dry on cold and wet days. I have tried socks for Ru in the past, but stopped using them partly because they stopped keeping him warm as soon as they got wet.

The other reason I stopped putting socks on Ru was that they wouldn't stay on. The PMP socks are also going to be sitting in a drawer because they fall off. After ten minutes of ambling around on grass, Josie was already missing two socks. She does drag all of her feet, so they might be a good option for a more able-bodied dog. They would also be good for Josie if we lived somewhere with real weather and I needed to worry about keeping her warm.

The waterproof outdoor socks only come in sizes, X-Small, Small, and Medium. Josie is wearing the Medium socks, but I could probably manage to stuff her various claws and toes into the next size down and get a better fit. If I was madly in love with this product I could also probably find a way to make it stay on, via vetwrap, duct tape, or my guerilla sewing skills. I could also do what I've done with all of Brisbane's shoes, and use fabric paint to write my phone number on them in case one gets lost on an adventure. (Josie enjoys adventures but occasionally needs to be carried back to the car.

Pros: A worthwhile concept, and unique enough that they some people will probably find them helpful.

Cons: Limited range of sizes means getting a good fit is difficult. Socks fall off easily.

Bottom Line: Not bad for $5 in the clearance bin at Petco, but not something I will be using on a regular basis.

Product Review: Neo-Paws Summer Reinforced Energy Orthopaedic Shoes

Neo-Paws Summer Reinforced Energy Orthopaedic Shoes are protective dog boots designed for active dogs in hot weather. These are used for police and military dogs, search and rescue, agility, hiking, and anything involving water.

Photo by Erin Koski

These are unlike any dog boots I have seen before, and they are sure to perform better as well. Neo-Paws makes a number of different types of boots, and these are their top-of-the-line summer model. Made from breathable fabric, the boots dry quickly and help keep the dog from overheating. They are reinforced with leather in the most vulnerable parts of the uppers, and have reinforced toe caps as well. These shoes are made from the same materials as human running shoes.

Neo-Paws boots go on a little differently from other boots I've tried. Most have a zipper, velcro strap, or both. The Neo-Paws have a long, skinny strip of velcro that acts almost like a shoelace. The result is a custom fit for every dog. These boots can be fitted to avoid the carpal pads, to keep pressure off a sore spot, and to conform to the exact shape of the dog's foot and leg. Other dog shoes don't have this option, if the strap is too low or too high it can put pressure on the dewclaw, cause sores, or just slip off easily.



Brisbane tears up his carpal pads whenever he plays ball on grass. He likes to catch the ball and then skid to an abrupt stop, shredding the pads on the backs of his front legs in the process. I ended up buying him some skid boots to protect his legs from the grass, because his Ruffwear boots and Epiks wouldn't stay on. These are the first boots I've seen that look like they would protect that part of his legs and maybe stay on through his crazed ball-catching antics.

I actually bought these at a thrift store for $5 in brand new condition. They are a size XL, and I was hoping to use them for Josie because she drags both back feet and also one of her front paws. Unfortunately they are too big, so I passed them along to a coworker for her dog Guinness. He paces a lot, and his front pads can't handle the wear and tear. After reading the instructions on how to put them on just right, the Neo-Paws stayed on just fine.

The trick is to pull the inside of the flap up and tight against the dog's leg, and then pull the outside flap down and around the first flap. After that the velcro can be wrapped however works best for the individual dog.

Guiness didn't do any damage to his feet while wearing the Neo-Paws boots. Of course, he was also much less active in them. Something about wearing shoes makes a lot of dogs mopey.



Pros: Custom fitting with unique velcro wrap design, Tall boot design protects more of the leg. Breathable mesh dries quickly. Sold in pairs to allow for different sizes to be ordered for front and back feet.

Cons: These are only sold in pairs, so they are among the most expensive dog shoes out there. Putting them on is slightly more complicated than boots of a simpler design.

Bottom Line: These are pretty amazing, and I will probably get Brisbane a pair for his front feet instead of replacing his holey skid boots.

Product Review: Kurgo Go-Tech Adventure Harness

The Go-Tech Adventure Harness by Kurgo is a nylon harness with back leash ring, a front leash ring, and a handle on the back. It comes in three colors and has a unique style of buckle. Each harness comes with a car tether strap.

This is intended to be a safety harness for active dogs, but I primarily use it as a mobility harness for Josie due to that convenient handle on the back. It's not quite as effective as the Ruffwear Webmaster harness at lifting the entire dog, but it's a lot cheaper. I found it in the clearance bin at Petco for $15.

The harness helps me hoist Josie's front end into the car, lets me haul her up to join me on the furniture, and works a lot better at steering her than grabbing her collar. It seems to be very comfortable for her to wear 24/7, and doesn't bother her fur or rub marks on her anywhere. The part of the harness that goes down her chest between her front legs is very wide, so it distributes the weight well. All three of my dogs have very long backs though, and if I could change this harness design slightly I would make it longer with the handle further back.

Something I particularly like about this harness is the metal nesting buckles. I've had several plastic buckles fail and ruin an otherwise beloved piece of equipment. These are elegant in their simplicity, just slide the small plate through the slot in the big plate, and then the small plate just rotates and sits flat on top of the big plate. It sounds too simple, but Josie has been wearing it nonstop for weeks, rolling around on the ground, wrestling with other dogs, and it has yet to come undone. Buckling and unbuckling doesn't require squeezing anything, which is really nice when my hands hurt. Josie has a large harness, and Brisbane has a medium that has slightly smaller buckles. The medium fits Briz well, and he has an unusually wide chest that can make him difficult to fit with harnesses that have few adjustment options.

I like that this is a quiet harness, even though the buckles are metal-on-metal, they don't jingle. There is a front ring where I could attach tags, or a leash if I had a dog that needed a front-clip harness. (Little-known fact: You can clip a leash to any harness with a front ring, most standard Roman harnesses had that option way before front-clip harnesses were a thing.) It's also worth mentioning that I've seen a dog wearing one of these with the front ring ripped out. I don't know the exact circumstances behind the damage, whether it was chewed or broke under strain, but it gives me some slight nagging doubts about the attachment of that particular piece of hardware.

Kurgo advertises this as a vehicle-safety harness, but it's important to know that it only prevents driver distraction by keeping your dog tethered. The Go-Tech Adventure Harness it NOT a crash-protection harness. Check out the Center for Pet Safety's harness testing to see what happens to distraction-prevention harnesses during a collision. Most seat belt harnesses on the market would fail miserably in an actual crash, and some can do more harm than good. If you're looking for something to use as a crash-protection device, this isn't it.

Pros: Sturdy, easy to put on, all metal hardware, possibly arthritis-friendly buckles. Nice big rings for easy leash attachment. Comes in three colors and five sizes, and has a handle on the back. Comfortable for extended wear, and fits my weird-shaped dog ok. Makes a decent mobility harness for a large elderly dog.

Cons: Hardware may be tricky for those who aren't familiar with the nesting buckles, or have squirmy dogs. Only adjustment is around the chest strap which could cause fitting issues for some dogs. The wide chest area could rub the insides of a dog's legs if the fit was bad. Does not provide crash protection but claims to be a vehicle safety harness.

Bottom Line: It's sturdy enough and different enough to be worth trying even if you have other styles of harness. If your dog has a long back, it's only good for lifting the front end of them.

Product Review: Boots and Barkley Waterproof Dog Bed Cover

This is a zippered rectangular waterproof cover for a dog bed, part of Target's Boots and Barkley line of modular dog bed components. You can purchase interchangeable bed forms and covers, and the waterproof cover is another accessory intended to go over the pillow form and under the decorative fabric cover. It is made from polyester and the zipper appears to be covered in something rubbery, maybe silicon.

This plain and unassuming object is the single most useful thing to enter the house after the incontinent dog. Originally I had two fleecy fabric covers to go over the washable cover, when one was soiled I would swap it for the other. This often led to me washing bed covers 3-4 times per day. When Josie first arrived, she had some digestive upset. Let me tell you, nothing is as distressing as tummy trouble in a dog that has no idea when she poops. Most of the time it happens while she is sleeping. She is finally digesting nicely now, and I can tell you that I have never been so concerned with dog poop ever before. It's a bit disturbing.

The bed cover is truly waterproof, and wipes clean effortlessly, no matter what horrors it has seen. Even direct hits on the zipper do not soil the pillow inside. I had thought it would be less comfortable than the crib mattress covered with fuzzy blankets that is Josie's other bed, but she mostly prefers to lay on this one.

Once a week I toss it in the washer and run it through a normal cycle on cold water with some bleach, and then hang it out to dry. It always comes back odorless and fresh.

So far the cover on Josie's bed has held up well to her digging and pawing. I originally got two of them, one for Josie and one for Brisbane's bed in the livingroom. Briz likes to drag his puzzle toys, frozen Kongs, and pilfered prizes back to his lair. I am constantly washing his bed and trying to eliminate whatever odor it has picked up this time. Briz also thoroughly enjoys digging in his bed, but he also has toenails like daggers and quickly shredded not only the decorative fleece cover but also the waterproof cover underneath. I was not shocked, it's a waterproof barrier and not Kevlar armor.

<---Josie also enjoys lurking in Brisbane's lair.

Pros: Does exactly what it claims and works very well at keeping the hard-to-wash bed pillow clean. Comes in a variety of sizes and fits a variety of beds including those super-cheap giant Costco beds.

Cons: Only protects the bed from substances that come out of your dog, and not from the actual dog itself. Less durable than a super-cheap Costco bed. Will not hold up to unusually pointy dogs.

Bottom Line: Best thing ever for an incontinent dog, also makes a great outdoor bed and might work well to cover a bed in a dog house. Before I found this thing I used to lament that no such thing existed.

Those Other Dogs.

While everything really is all about Brisbane, I actually have a second dog and often have a foster or two, or three. My house also contains three cats, over a dozen small birds, several box turtles, a leopard tortoise, and an extraordinarily tolerant husband. The unloved second dog is Ru, a poorly-bred chihuahua we brought home as a souvenir from a family reunion.

He was approximately four months old at the time, and has topped out at a whopping 6.5 pounds. Owning Ru has also been an education, but mostly about the differences between chihuahuas and 'real dogs'. Prior to acquiring the little rodent, I had truly believed that a chihuahua would act like a normal dog if it was treated as a normal dog. I was wrong. Ru is motivated by heat more than anything else in the world, and appears to be at least partially reptilian. He learns slower than super-intelligent Brisbane, which makes training him less rewarding for me. I blame the ADHD for that. Ru also has a terrible work ethic, and is only willing to play/train on his own schedule. He doesn't understand human body language at all, and at four years old still isn't quite totally housetrained.

Due to his tendency toward hypothermia and our coastal location, Ru is dressed pretty much all the time. His back is about twice as long as it would be if he had been bred by someone who knew or cared how a chihuahua should be shaped. When we brought him home in July, the pet stores didn't have dog sweaters in stock and I ended up making him sweaters out of fuzzy slipper socks. During sweater season I rapidly discovered that his length and general tinyness made him difficult to fit.

Most store-bought sweaters are either too big around the neck and chest, or too short in the back to fit His Tinyness properly. Fortunately, I enjoy sewing. I also learned how to knit for the sole purpose of making him sweaters.

It's worth mentioning that I really wanted another dog at the point in which Ru pranced into our lives. I was planning to get another cattledog or mix thereof, and I desperately wanted it to be a girl so she could wear pink and dress up and generally be a fashionista. I had discovered the world of dog clothes shortly before losing my cocker spaniel, Oakley, and Brisbane had (and continues to) steadfastly refused to wear anything resembling 'clothing'. As he is already a chihuahua, and was neutered shortly after coming home with us, we decided that Ru couldn't possibly be emasculated any more than he already was. That is how he became our girl dog. He doesn't seem to mind the nail polish and jewelry, and he prances ridiculously when he is wearing a pretty dress. I cheerfully challenge gender norms and proudly state that boys can wear dresses too!

This past December did bring a genuinely female dog into my life, but not one small enough to wear adorable dresses and sweaters. Josie is a German Shepherd Dog, 12-14 years old, with severe spinal degeneration and bowel incontinence. She is a hospice foster and is here for the rest of her life. We can't be sure whether she has Degenerative Myelopathy, Wobbler's Syndrome/Cervical Vertebrate Instability, or some other type of spinal problem. We do know that she has bowel incontinence, can't move her tail, drags her back feet, and has recently begun dragging a front foot as well. An exact diagnosis would involve extensive imaging and tell us if surgery would fix her issues, but we don't feel she would be a good surgical candidate so we are content to let her live out her life. Josie does see a veterinarian regularly, and has been prescribed Gabapentin to help keep her as mobile as possible. She has given me a chance to experience the world of senior dogs again, and I am enjoying the lack of training goals and chance to fill her life with joy with very few limitations.