Hi Everyone--
I'm new here, but I had an experience today that I wanted to share because it might one day make a difference for someone here.
If you're like me, when your dog was young and prone to chewing everything in sight, you spent a good amount of time "puppy proofing" your house. You hid your valuables, strappy sandals, computer cords and anything else you didn't want to see get chewed.
But then, your puppy became a dog. The chewing phase became, thankfully, a distant memory, and your shoes and furniture were safe again. So you stopped worrying.
But even though you no longer may feel the need to hide your shoes, you don't ever want to forget basic safety stuff.
The other day, I'd just started vacuuming when my sister dropped over. So I left the vaccuum where it was and we went to the stores. Later, I stopped home and wanted to check e-mail, but my laptop battery was low, so I had to plug it in. Fortunately, only one of the sockets works, so I had to unplug the vaccuum to use the computer.
I ran out again, and when I came home and decided to actually vaccum, I discovered that Jessie had chewed the vaccuum cord into two pieces!
After my intial shock and annoyance (she hasn't chewed anything but her bones in YEARS and now she's gonna break pattern and destroy a practically brand new vaccuum?) and trying to figure out whether there's any way I can convince Sears that this should be covered under the warranty as "ordinary wear and tear" (yeah, right!), it hit me...if it had still been plugged in, my dog could be dead right now! (Or at the very least, wearing a bad poodle perm!)
And for a minute or two, I actually had trouble breathing. Because my precious, beloved dog could have died. A single stupid, careless thing, like leaving a plugged in cord lying out there...could end up with your dog suffering serious harm, or even death.
When Jessie was a puppy, I hid all the cords to everything, tucked them away or taped them to the baseboard. Because she stopped chewing stuff years ago, I stopped checking this stuff.
Even when they're not puppies anymore, dogs are still dogs, and every now and then, they're tempted to do something bad...like chew up something they shouldn't. Or go into a cabinet or garbage or someplace they never go, but can get to if they really want to
Today, I got really lucky. But if you haven't checked your home lately for doggie safety hazards, it might not be a bad idea to do so.
Are you lamp cords tucked out of reach? If you use Advil or other medications, are the bottles well out of reach of little (or not so little) paws that might knock them over? If you keep medication in your pocketbook, do you make sure your pocketbook is kept out of reach, or do you occasionally drop it on the floor when you walk in and forget about it? Is there anything in your garbage that could poison your dog if he or she decided to go on an unexpected garbage rampage?
Are your cabinets latched with safety locks if your dog can open them? What about your windows -- do they have safety glass, or do they have the old fashioned glass that breaks into a million razor sharp shards when hit by a large object...like a dog charging the window the protect your house against the evil UPS guy?
And don't think this couldn't happen to you -- I had a prowler last year trying to peer through my living room window in the early morning hours, and my dog took a flying leap at him and went through two panes of glass...during which a shard pierced her artery. She almost needed a blood transfusion, and the window guy told me this kind of glass should be illegal for anyone with pets or kids, except no one knows they have it until it's too late (my new window is made of double-thick plexi-glass).
Seriously, double check your home for dog safety hazards. It'll take you ten minutes, and it might just save your dog's life.
Jan