Why aren't dogs treated the same in the USA s they are in Europe?

I was going to start off ranting about the comments I have been deleting from the blog in the last few days, still more people signing their comments with "best weight loss pill" or other such nonsense. I was going to do that until I saw something. I am sitting outside a Burger King, using their free wifi to blog about what I just saw. A dog left out side tied to a post while the owner pops into the store to get something. Dogs are not allowed in many places here in the USA and some states, cities and counties are even stricter about where a dog is allowed. It seems that the USA has a love hate relationship going on with the dog. They are admired in movies, people turn on their TV's to watch the Westminster Dog Show and yet they will not rent homes to dog owners or allow them into some parks, even if they are on a leash.

In Europe on the other hand dogs are given more rights and privileges.  Anyone want to chime in on this? What do you think?

The dog that destroyed the house

The title should read, "The dog that destroyed part of the living room, a section of the kitchen and dug up part of the backyard, in less than 3 hours," but the title would have been too long.

Yes it happened, to my neighbor a few days ago. He is single and has a full time job. Normally his high energy border collie is dropped at his sister's house for the day while he works. The dog plays with her dog and has several acres to roam around on. A few days ago his sister told him that her dog had to into the vet's and they would be gone most of the morning. He thought that would be fine, he would just leave his dog in the house for a few hours while he did a half a day at work.

When he got home at lunch time he found the following:

• His Ethan Allen couch was destroyed
• His box of Padron cigars was shredded all over the place (I told him he should have quit smoking) 
• Several plants had been either knocked over or mashed into the carpet
• The refrigerator door was open but thankfully nothing disturbed
• The window above the kitchen sink had scratches on it like the dog had tried to get out
• 3 dishes in the sink were broken
• The backdoor was opened (he is at a loss as to how the dog did that one) and the screen door closed but now there was a hole in it where the dog got out into the backyard
• There were several dug holes in the backyard

He was astounded as to why his dog did that and he thinks he found out. His backyard borders a field that normally grows hay. That morning the farmer put a small herd of beef cattle in the field and the mooing might have excited the dog into wanting out.....out to the field of cows.

I only wish he had gotten photos or video of the result of his dog's destruction, I would have loved to see what the dog did.

Taking care of an older dog

Dogs have fairly short lives compared to humans and other animals. For example, horses live to about 20 to 25 years and often older. Dogs on the other hand have a life expectancy of  9 to 16 years. The larger the breed of the dog, the shorter the life span. So giant dog breeds like the Great Dane will only live to about 9 or 10 years old max.

The average dog will start to hit middle age when the hairs on their muzzle start to turn gray. For most breeds that will be at the age of 7 years. A few years later the dog will start to slow down and not be as active as before. At that time their joints will begin to stiffen and it will hurt them more to move about. It is at that stage most people start giving their dogs joint supplements, but what they should have done was to start giving them supplements a few years before the damage to their joints was done. I have found that the best joint supplement for dogs contains yucca, which is an anti-inflammatory.

Older dogs might also have bladder problems so an older dog must be allowed access to a place where they can pee at a moments notice. Older dogs are more intolerant of temperature changes so they will need to be kept warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Keeping those things in mind, there is no reason that your dog cannot live a long an comfortable life.

The Fox Terrier, coats and colors

The dog breed, the Fox Terrier, is often mistaken for 2 different breeds. The smooth coated Fox Terrier (pictured above) is often mistaken for the Jack Russell Terrier. The wire haired Fox Terrier (pictured below) is often called a small Airedale, even though the Airedale is a much larger breed and only has a brown and black coat.

The Fox Terrier comes in a varied color patterns. The smooth coated one pictured at the top of this post is a black and white one. The head of the Fox Terrier must be of a solid color other than white. I have often seen a Fox Terrier with a solid blackhead and an all white body. The wire haired Fox Terrier in the photo above is a tri colored dog. The colors are limited to white, black and brown and must be distinct from each other. Brindle colored dogs are not allowed in the registry at this time. Also all one color dogs are not allowed, such as an all white or all black.