Jersey’s visit with the Ontario SPCA

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Posted on 10th February 2011 by Aubrie in Ontario SPCA

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While the winter can be fun for many people, Jersey has THE MOST fun in the wintertime. Her love of snow is matched only by her love of bacon bits. She will run, jump, play, roll in and dig in the snow for hours if we let her. One of her favourite activities is mass destruction of any winter sculptures that may have cropped up while we are playing outside (this includes but is not limited to: snowmen, snow forts, snow tunnels).  If you turn your back for even one minute, all you will see when you look back is her digging frantically at whatever you have built, after which she runs gleefully in circles around the mound of destruction. (She has an odd sense of humour.)

Nordic breeds love playing in the snow!

Nevertheless, her love of snow is what earned us a visit from the Ontario SPCA a few winters ago. What happens is after a large snowfall, she will play in the snow, dig herself a little den and then curl up into her “husky ball” (as we call it) and go to sleep. The only way to get her inside is to bribe her with bacon bits or physically remove her from her den, which she is not a fan of. Typically, when she’s ready to come inside she will come to the door and that’s that.

On this particular day, it had recently snowed and there were lots of dog walkers and pedestrians passing by our house on the beautiful snowy trails there. According to my husband, Jersey had been outside for roughly 45 minutes when he heard the doorbell ring. When he opened the door, it was an agent who had been dispatched from the Ontario SPCA. The agent explained that they had been contacted regarding a dog that was outside in the cold, so they came to investigate.

My husband invited the agent inside, so she would get a chance to see Jersey and make sure that Jersey was okay. Having heard the car in the driveway (which is a pretty exciting event for Jersey), she had already run from the side of the house to the back door, ready to come inside. The agent had a quick list of things they were looking for, but ultimately just wanted to make sure Jersey was not cold/wet/shivering/in any kind of distress.

After seeing that Jersey was a husky-type of breed, the agent confirmed that Jersey was in great shape and clearly had been enjoying the snow. It was evident in our house that Jersey lived indoors with the plethora of dog toys, comfortable bed and access to water/food.  The agent asked my husband a few more questions but was ultimately satisfied with the standards of care she was receiving. Afterwards, she thanked my husband for his time and left.

To learn more about the Ontario SPCA’s Standards of Care, visit OntarioSPCA.ca.

Brrrr… The Winter is Coming!

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Posted on 15th December 2010 by Aubrie in Interesting

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All wrapped up for the day, I was sitting by the fireplace and enjoying a good book when I heard the familiar noise of Jersey wanting to go outside. I put my book down, walked into the kitchen and let her outside. I had just settled in and continued reading, when about five minutes later I heard Jersey wanting to come inside. Getting up, I walked back into the kitchen to let her inside and dry off her paws. Back to my book I went, blissfully snuggled under the blankets by the fireplace.

Ten minutes later a noise broke my concentration. It was Jersey wanting to go out again. Getting up, I repeated the earlier process, and she did as well. In the span of two hours, she insisted she wanted to go outside (and then be let back in) every 10 minutes. Finally I gave up on my book, let her outside one last time and then we went to bed, although I was left scratching my head about her behavior.

What gives?

Any housebroken pet will have a “system” in which they alert you when they need to be let outside. Some dogs also try to beat the system, particularly when treats are involved during the enter/exit part of their bathroom break.

I chalked up Jersey’s unusual behavior to the changes in temperature. I went through a checklist to see if any of these factors could be contributing to her actions.

  • Temperature in the house. Some pet owners have a habit of raising the heat to combat the cold weather. While raising the temperature is normal, try not to excessively raise the heat at it could adversely affect your pet. This is especially true for long-haired pets.
  • Water consumption. During extremely cold and warm temperatures, your pet can become easily dehydrated. Be sure to offer plenty of fresh, clean water at all times. Your pet may also eat snow to rehydrate themselves.
  • Frigid temperatures. While many outdoorsy pets like Jersey can withstand exceptional temperatures over their short-coated friends, even the furriest pets will feel the bite of winter chill. Do not leave your pet outside for extended periods of time in frigid temperatures, particularly during winter storm warnings, unless they have access to proper shelter.
  • Change in routine. If your dog spends lots of time outside during the other seasons, be sure to give them lots of mental activity if the weather prevents typical exercise. Special chew toys, games of fetch, or “brain games” for your pet will keep them mentally busy.

For now, I am resigned to letting Jersey in and out until I find the proper amount of entertainment and exercise to keep her busy until the weather lets up. The next time a family member points out that Jersey is not very well-trained, I will beg to differ because she has done an excellent job of training me, her personal concierge!