Dogs in the order from back to front… Nani, Ricochete, Dozer and Toby - photo by Dale Porter

My good buddy and awesome photographer Dale Porter joined Dozer and his surf buddies for a photo shoot this past weekend. Dozer and his buddies are surfing to raise money for the Helen Woodward Animal Center.Dale captured this ride on camera… what a photo! It is so refreshing to work with Dale, he has such the right attitude.

Dozer is surfing to save furry lives… so if you want to help him in his efforts visit his support page. Thanks for the consideration.

Dozer Donation Page

I am sure that many are already aware of the awesome work that Freedom Dogs do for our returning soldiers. Since I just recently became aware, I thought that others also might not yet know about these amazing dogs, trainers and volunteers who transform the life of many suffering soldiers. Freedom Dogs Help Marines Combat PTSD: Troops returning from duty in Afghanistan and Iraq are often still forced to battle emotional and physical issues. Freedom Dogs helps Marines reclaim normalcy in their lives through dogs.

View the story and you will see why I had to pass it on.

This organization needs our support!

From the Freedom Dogs Website:

Freedom Dogs teams Specialty Service Dogs with troops returning from war with PTSD and physical limitations. The dogs must go through two years of custom training to become a Freedom Dog. The wounded warriors may participate in one of two programs offered by Freedom Dogs, the Partner Program that pairs a wounded warrior with a Specialty Service dog and their trainer on a short term, intermittent status, or the Partner for Life Program which permanently places the Specialty Service Dog with the wounded warrior. Both of these programs are offered at no cost to the military personnel.

As a totally volunteer organization, no members or trainers receive compensation for their work in this program. Visit the website http://www.freedomdogs.org

These “Overlooked” heroes move in during a crisis, and their stories are amazing! When tragedy strikes and human life needs to be rescued or recovered, our canine companions are invaluable for finding the missing lives.

It’s hard to describe in words how much SAR teams gives to our communities, sometimes risking their own lives and their dogs’ lives for others in trouble. When someone is lost, hurt or missing, it’s comforting to know we have SAR dogs ready to help. .

SAR Dogs are such a vital aspect of successful search and rescue operations but many “non-dog people” are not aware of this amazing canine component. So a local filmmaker is putting search and rescue dogs in the spotlight.

The film, “Trackers - Every Life is Important”, is only the beginning. I believe that the dog loving community needs to help spread the word about these lovable heroic dogs.

Here is the short film.

Trackers - Every Life is Important

The film makers are planning to make a series on search dogs. They have entered an important contest that could lead them to that goal. I would love to see a series like that and I am sure you would to. We can help by voting vote for the short film “Trackers – Every Life is Important” by September 4th.

For more information and instructions on how to VOTE for "Trackers - Every Life is Important" …click here

Sgt. Chris Duke, a National Guardsman, and his fellow troops made good friends with a few of the stray dogs while serving in Afghanistan. The soldiers named the dogs Sasha, Target, and Rufus. Like all dogs these canine companions were very loyal. When the three dogs were confronted with a chance to defend the soldiers, they rose to the occasion.

Back in February during the night, an insurgent covered in explosives tried to enter the soldiers’ quarters to kill the 50 men inside. Before the suicide bomber had a chance to detonate his bomb, the three dogs began assaulted the suicide bomber, to keep him from harming the people inside. When the bomb went off, the bomber was killed, but all of the American troops remained safe – woof!

Sadly, one of the dogs, Sasha, was severely injured by the bomb, and had to be euthanized. Both Rufus and Target survived the assault, and were celebrated as heroes by the soldiers they had saved.

When Sgt. Chris Duke finished his tour of duty and returned home the following month, he wanted to bring his loyal friend Rufus along—but he encountered some problems, military regulations wouldn’t allow it.

Watch the video to see the happy reunion.

Posted: 2010-08-17

FX has a new show coming called Terriers. The show has nothing to do with dogs at all. Terriers is a comedic drama starring Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James. It centers on "Hank Dolworth" (Logue), an ex-cop who partners with his best friend "Britt Pollack" (Raymond-James) to launch an unlicensed private investigation business. As Hank and Britt struggle with maturity issues, the duo solves crimes while avoiding professional dangers and personal responsibilities. Even though the show has nothing to do with dogs I like their promos, here are a couple.

Microchip helps San Diego dog find his way home five years after disappearance

Beat the Heat

As you may know one of Dozer’s favorite ways to beat the heat is hitting the surf. Taking our dogs to beach for a cool down is a great remedy to beat the heat! The trip to the ocean provides plenty of fun for both canines and humans alike. If your pooch is like dozer he will be “toes to the nose” for some soul surfing. We need to keep in mind that an increase in exercise will always cause water loss in our dogs even while they are in the water!

Very important to remember…

This loss of bodily fluid will cause our dogs to become even thirstier. Our dogs need lots of fresh water while at the beach. If they are not provided with plenty of fresh water, they will drink the salt water. If I do not make sure Dozer gets plenty of fresh water, he will start lapping up the ocean like a kid with a cherry slurpy – remember how refreshing that was as kid?

As you may know, drinking salt water can cause dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea, all of which is not healthy for your dog, I don’t much like it either, reminds me of a surf trip to Mexico, I digress…

I went to the internet and here is what I learned happens when Dozer drinking salt water.

Salt water pulls liquid into our dog’s intestines, causing an osmotic effect. Often, this will cause diarrhea, which will only worsen the dehydration. Vomiting may also occur, especially if your dog drinks salt water quickly.

I keep an eye on Dozer and prevent him from drinking from the ocean as soon as I see him trying to do so. Here is something to keep in mind, even if your dog does not actually drink the salt water, he/she may ingest small amounts while playing and swimming in the water. If your dog swallows any sand with the salt water, it will worsen the effects of the salt water and hurt the intestines. If your dog ingests any algae, bacteria, or toxins while at the beach, he can become sick later on. You will want to obey those infamous orange warning signs.

So as we hit the beach with our pooches let’s all remember to bring lots of water and plan many breaks from the beach playtime so they can drink, relax and hydrate. Ensuring our dogs drink lots of fresh water is the only way to prevent our dogs from lapping up some of the ocean.

On a similar topic… Here is a tip I ran across in terms of heat stroke.

If your dog displays symptoms of heatstroke such as: panting, dehydration, warm dry skin, failure to respond to commands; rapid heartbeat and collapse. You should immediately move our dog to a cool place and offer them plenty of cool water.

Do not soak your dog or immerse them in cold water because their body temperature can plummet and they could develop severe hypothermia.

Dr Tim Hackett, Critical Care Unit at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

So sometimes a company will send me a product for Dozer to try out for a product review. This was the case with Dog Collar Boutique. They kindly sent me a Sparky’s water proof collar. Now I have to admit I have been looking for a collar for Dozer to wear to the beach when he goes surfing. Most of the collars that I have seen I did not like so I did not buy one. I just continued to use his good looking “non beach” collar. Mostly because my girl friend Gigi is a fashion diva and she did not like the looks of the other water proof collars.

Well this collar passed the Gigi “fashion test“ approval. It’s a good looking collar but beyond that it is sturdy and functional. The collar is made of incredibly strong coated polyester. This durable material is easy to clean and does not absorb odors like the one Dozer used to wear to the beach. It has a quick, good looking, deployment buckle. It also has a solid welded steel dee ring. The smooth capped rivets make for easy adjustments for size and add a cool industrial look to the collar. This collar won me over and is now Dozer’s beach collar. Thanks Sparky’s for sending us the collar.

If you want a great beach collar for you dog go to

http://www.dogcollarsboutique.com/Sparkys-Choice-Waterproof-Dog-Collar-7-collars-available-p-262.html and check out their cool color selections.

WIN A FREE COLLAR

If you are feeling lucky you can win one… click here to entry our for your chance to win.

Click to enter the free collar contest

LittleDfa came out to our Singles, Canine & Cocktails event. He was having a great time meeting all the human and canine guests. He was most thrilled to meet the girls from FOCAS. He understands that FOCAS helps to find homes for homeless dogs in San Diego. He was "tail wagging" thrilled to know that we were there to help raise money to support the good work of FOCAS. LittleDfa encourages you to continue to support with your donations of money and time. LittleDfa thanks everyone who attended and supported the event.

click to view pics LittleDfa mingling at the event

What a great weekend… surfing with the dogs on Saturday and raising money to help save animals on Sunday. Dogtown teamed up with Three Dog Bakery, Pawtopia Dog Training and Coastal Pet Care to host a Yappy Hour to raise money for the Face Foundation. FACE provides financial grants to animal owners who are unable to partially or fully cover the cost of their pet's emergency or critical care. http://www.face4pets.org/

We had a great turnout and we met some really wonderful dog loving people! We poured wine and enjoyed delicious human treats from Pacifica Del Mar and Il Fornaio. Obviously the dogs enjoyed delicious treats from Three Dog Bakery, Dozer’s favorite place on earth! http://www.threedogsd.com/

Photographer Dana Greene took photos of our dogs and helped us raise money. Her photos are amazing, check em out http://www.danagreene.com/

Colleen from Pawtopia gave brief casual training talks to the guests. Gigi got a training pep talk, thank you Colleen! http://www.pawtopiatraining.com/

This was the first event that I had a chance to work with Staci at Costal Pet Care. She was a blast to work with and I hope to do some more fund raising with her and her great friends in the future. Check out her website http://www.coastalpetcare.com/

Because of those who came out to support, we raised $600 for FACE. I want to thank all those who bought raffle tickets and made donations. Your generosity will financially assist a family provide the medical treatment their pet desperately needs.

Next Yappy Hour will benefit FOCAS join us in July.