We live on a large lot with a stream and a beach covered with oysters.
There are plenty of dangers for dogs, particularly this time of year as
salmon disease is endemic to the area, but in particular our Scottie,
Badger, seems to frequently cut her feet on the sharp oysters. (We
watch and keep her as far from salmon as possible.) This morning she
got all balled up with a raccoon out there and cut one of her feet
again; she just does not seem to feel it when she is excited.

Luckily the raccoon managed to escape and run off, but now we have this
cut to deal with. Again. It does not seem to bother her and she is not
limping. If it isn't raccoons, it is starfish, or crabs, or other
critters. She eats crabs and barnacles like they were popcorn and they
don't seem to bother her at all. She digs through gravel and sharp
shells looking for clams. Starfish make her sick, though. She seems to
resent that and drags starfish as high up on the beach as she can so
that they will dry out in the sun.

How should I treat these cuts, which seem to be inevitable, given her
almost obsessive hunting habits? (Last night she brought in a large
dead rat and laid it on a maple leaf which she had put on the landing
on the stairs, as if the leaf was a plate -- she is nothing if not
extremely neat. She was so proud of herself. I did not even see her
pick it up because it was dark and, well, Scotties have mouths that can
hide some very large contraband. I think she grabbed it out of the ivy
while I was walking her on her leash.)

--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

C J Campbell spoke these words of wisdom in
news:2007110609053750878-christophercampbell@hotmailcom:

since your lot is large, can you put up a fence keeping your dog well away
from the beach and stream?

On 2007-11-06 09:12:06 -0800, diddy none said:

C J Campbell spoke these words of wisdom in
news:2007110609053750878-christophercampbell@hotmailcom:

since your lot is large, can you put up a fence keeping your dog well away
from the beach and stream?

Hah. I wish. The stream is a large one and meanders quite a bit. Such a
fence would basically confine the dog to a concrete patio.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

On 2007-11-06 09:12:06 -0800, diddy none said:

C J Campbell spoke these words of wisdom in
news:2007110609053750878-christophercampbell@hotmailcom:

since your lot is large, can you put up a fence keeping your dog well away
from the beach and stream?

One other thing I forgot to mention about this beach. At high tide it
comes clear up to the house. At low tide the shore may be 300 feet away.

As an oyster farmer, I consider any dog that will kill starfish to be
worth its weight in diamonds. Starfish are serious pests.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

C J Campbell spoke these words of wisdom
in news:2007110609504864440-christophercampbell@hotmailcom:

On 2007-11-06 09:12:06 -0800, diddy none said:

C J Campbell spoke these words of
wisdom in news:2007110609053750878-christophercampbell@hotmailcom:

since your lot is large, can you put up a fence keeping your dog well
away from the beach and stream?

One other thing I forgot to mention about this beach. At high tide it
comes clear up to the house. At low tide the shore may be 300 feet away.

As an oyster farmer, I consider any dog that will kill starfish to be
worth its weight in diamonds. Starfish are serious pests.

Sell them to people with salt water aquariums

On 2007-11-06 09:59:39 -0800, diddy none said:

C J Campbell spoke these words of wisdom
in news:2007110609504864440-christophercampbell@hotmailcom:

On 2007-11-06 09:12:06 -0800, diddy none said:

C J Campbell spoke these words of
wisdom in news:2007110609053750878-christophercampbell@hotmailcom:

since your lot is large, can you put up a fence keeping your dog well
away from the beach and stream?

One other thing I forgot to mention about this beach. At high tide it
comes clear up to the house. At low tide the shore may be 300 feet away.

As an oyster farmer, I consider any dog that will kill starfish to be
worth its weight in diamonds. Starfish are serious pests.

Sell them to people with salt water aquariums

That is an idea at that. :-)

You ought to see some of these starfish, though. Twenty arms and more
than three feet across. A thing like that will eat a bushel of oysters
in a day.

They could only live in cold-water aquaria with expensive refrigeration
systems, though. And keeping them fed is expensive. On the plus side,
they are brightly colored and spectacular creatures and they are very
popular with children visiting public aquariums.
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor

Please let your vet know so he/she can determine whether or not your dog
needs a rabies booster.

On 2007-11-06 15:02:19 -0800, "Sharon Too"
said:

Please let your vet know so he/she can determine whether or not your dog
needs a rabies booster.

Oh, that was easy. She got the rabies booster just last month.

Turns out she had several bites on the face that I did not see because
of that thick Scottie fur. The vet had to shave her poor little face
and give her some antibiotics.

I doubt if it will teach her to stay away from raccoons.

What is a Scottie going to do without her beard, mustache, and eyebrows?
--
Waddling Eagle
World Famous Flight Instructor