Okay so right off the top...I will be first to admit I'm new to the "group", and perhaps as such maybe shouldn’t be "barking" quite yet. I have always loved them...but never was I master to one... until 4 weeks ago.
I have had a slew of other pets over the years....budgies, gerbils, newts, rabbits, of course cats, and even a pet chicken. (Well chickadee). But Nova is my first pooch. She's growing like a weed, and yes there are difficult days....oh believe me, I have tried the Mexican "chhhh", as Ceaser Milan would have you believe...that’s all it takes.
I say - "bull chhh", sorry Ceaser, love your show....but that ain't working. As I'm learning it’s all apart of puppy hood, and it’s an evolving experience, as well as a rewarding one. I love Nova, but maybe I should have called her "Hoover" because she sucks up everything in sight. I cant tell you, what I have fished out of her little mouth, maybe that would explain what ends up coming out of the other end.
That’s in fact what I really wanted to blog about. What’s up with these "animal lovers" who don’t clean up after the pet. People it’s pooh, its bacteria, parasites and again POOH!! I know it’s not fun, coming from a gentle germaphobe, its one of the worst things to do. Just the thought, that there is only a micro millimeter of plastic that separates my hand from the stinky waste, was at first enough to make me hurl -BUT I STILL DO IT!!
I cant tell you how gross it is to be walking out in a nature park, enjoying the fresh air, the pitter patter of little Novas feet as she (I swear) smiles during our daily adventure...only to be surprised and halted by a huge pile of crap! I swear someone owns a mule in my neighborhood. It was a fly attracting speed bump. Gross, Gross, Gross. If you don’t want to take care of your pet then don’t have one. Attach a leash to your couch pillow and drag that around the neighborhood. We will all be happier.
If you believe that picking up crap is beneath you...then let your canine crap in your own backyard. There you can let it pile as high as you like - you can cover it with plywood, plant a tree over it, dig a hole and bury it...I don’t care....JUST DONT LEAVE OUT IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. Do you have any idea how filthy it is? Some studies suggest a single gram of dog doo, contains 23 million fecal coliform bacteria. It pollutes the ecosystem, and if your dog has worms, it infects other dogs with the parasite. In fact your consistent laziness could be the trigger to an endless cycle of worms for any and all other neighbourhood dogs who comes in contact with that pooh. That infection can potentially be transmitted to your family. How would you like it if your child contracted worms from the family dog, because someone refused to do the right thing and poop and scoop.
Wooooohhh, deep Breath, sorry to get all worked up about it.... I realize that I am specifically talking to a small "litter" of offenders...but they are ruining it for the rest of us. You do realize "they" are the reason dogless neighbours look and at times scowl at us as we walk by their house, thinking that we are the ones who left that stinky grass burning gift.
Did you know there are almost 2 dozen neighbourhood developments in the U.S that have now implemented a doggy DNA registration?. If you choose to live in these upscale complexes and own a dog you must submit a DNA of your dog. Snoopers will search the poopers and they will be charged. I don’t know if we need to go that far....yet, but then again if "poo prints" is what it takes...bring it on.
Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.
-Corey Ford
Anwar Knight anchors the news updates during Canada AM along with weather anchor duties on CTV News at Noon for CTV Toronto.
Anwar's Journey
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