Today''s dogs are like children...

[Mara]

There have been articles recently about how dogs these days are my generations children...that more people are forgoing kids and getting pets! Talks about how we spoil our dogs with $400 beds, $65 haircuts, and $100 cashmere sweaters. I know us Pscopers aren't that insane... are we? Well....Portia's grooming only costs $45.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/business/11769348.htm

I know we have tons of dog lovers here, just look at that Mascot thread! I thought it would be cool to have a thread where we can talk about our dogs and also everything that comes along with dog ownership like what you feed your dog or what diet they are on, what are the little things that you spoil them with, what are your fave places to shop for your dog online, what are fave toys or games, or how they pass their time etc.

So I guess I'll start!

Since I am an obsessive researcher....when we first got the puppy...I started resarching the best dry food to give her. I found this eight page article in the Whole Dog Journal where it rated dog foods and actually said why they were good or bad and told you what to look for.

Learned alot about what to give the dog...we had been feeding her Eukanuba until that point. Well, Eukanuba was nowhere on this list! The top one was Candidae for the multiple protein sources and lack of fillers such as corn and rice which tend to make dogs overweight if they don't get the right exercise (just like us with corns/starches and sugars!). So now that's what Portia gets...it's not too expensive and it's at the local dog store up the street, so I can support a local small business and get P the right nutrients.

She also is a picky eater and I looked literally for months trying different things to get her to continuously eat her food night after night. Settled finally on Merrick's canned foods which have names like Grammy's Pot Pie and Turducken Feast...they have real meats in them with juices and veggies and she adores them mixed with her kibble.

Westies can have skin and coat problems, so along with me making sure she gets the right nutrients for her bones etc, I needed to ensure that whatever I feed her also has the right oils such as safflower/sunflower/salmon etc for her coat and skin to keep the Westie allergies at bay. We get so many compliments on her fur, people say it shines a blinding white 'iridescent' in the sun!! I feel stupidly proud when they compliment her...like *I* grow the fur or something.

Fave treat is BULLY STICKS which can be expensive, they are her absolute most fave...we get them at www.bullysticks.com in bulk to cut down on costs but I still spend a pretty penny each month. Guess what...they are bull penises. No the most appealing, I know, but P absolutely loves them. I get her the 4 braided ones and she can eat a 6" 4 braided stick in ONE DAY. She is a very aggressive chewer. My little 16 pound vacuum!!

Spending money on her? Oh yes....I've got lots more to share, but I don't want to monopolize...

 

[AGBF]

Date: 6/2/2005 1:51:24 AM
Author:Mara
There have been articles recently about how dogs these days are my generations children...that more people are forgoing kids and getting pets! Talks about how we spoil our dogs with $400 beds, $65 haircuts, and $100 cashmere sweaters. I know us Pscopers aren't that insane... are we? Well....Portia's grooming only costs $45.

Of course none of *us* is that insane! We need to save our money for diamonds (and, in some of our cases, gold). It's those other guys out there who are crazy.

Also: although I am not of the generation that supposedly has substituted pets for children, my dogs have *always* been incredibly important to me. I have *never* seen them as "just animals". They ARE family members whom I love.

Deb

 

[icelady]

This will be fun sharing our dog kid''s info!!

Well, I was always a cat person, had cats for years! I have a good friend who was also a cat person, and she jumped ship getting a little Maltese puppy that is so sweet and cute. I was stunned that she would do this! However, one look at her adorable little pup and I was lost in doggy heaven!

A few years later I began my research on breeds to come up with the perfect dog for our family. I was on the internet night and day reading about different breeds and their attributes. There are some great websites for helping you narrow your search to a specific breed. I was looking for a small companion dog that did not shed. I found several that met the criteria, but one really intrigued me. The Chinese Crested Powderpuff! They are sensitive and sweet

, AND mischievious and lively

all wrapped into one toy breed dog.

We now have two of them!

It is interesting the differences in personalities! Our firstborn, Tricksey, is just a little prissy princess, doesn''t like to get dirty, loves to go to the groomer! The baby, Rolee, is just the opposite! In fact a friend of ours has nicknamed her "What a Mess"! No two hairs go the same direction, and she dreads going to the groomer! We love them so much, we don''t know how we survived without them all these years!

Mara, I have found "The Whole Dog Jounal" to be very helpful for me as I had no past experience with dogs!

 

[Erin]

My rottweiler/chow chow mix 'Jack' (no longer with us) used to Looooove car rides. He'd sit in the passenger seat and lean his fat black and burgundy head out the window. One day he went with me to Jewel grocery store in Chicago. As I got out of the car he followed quickly behind me and stood about six feet from my car. Panicky, I smiled and sweetly asked Jack to get back in the car - a command he knows well.

I could tell he was thinking about it, considering it pretty hard, but then decided instead to start running towards the grocery store. What do almost all grocery stores have? Automatic doors! I started sprinting, yelling for him to stop but there was no looking back for him. As soon as I was close the first door the 100lb dog had 'opened' the second automatic door and was 'iceskating' down the linoleum aisles. I had lost him.

Stay calm Erin. Stop, close your eyes and listen for his nails on the floor. SCREEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAMMMMM! Okay, I now know he's somewhere over there....running, calling out to him. After about (a long) three minutes a stock boy grabbed him by his collar and we went home without groceries. Jack never saw the Jewel parking lot again.

 

[moremoremore]

Well, I don''t have a dog right now (city livin'') but I certainly think having pets instead of children is a great idea!

 

[jorman]

Oh Gosh, Mara!
You''ve hit home with this one. My dog. Oh there just aren''t enough words. There are three things that make me melt when I think about them. You know, that "I love you so much I just can''t stand it" feeling where you get all warm and fuzzy and you''re smiling "out loud"?? The first is my boyfriend/future hubby, Derrick. The second is my nephew/godson, Tanner and the third is my 70 pound fluffalupagus. Boomer (short for Boomerang, and aka- Boom Doggy Doggy, woofity woof, diggity dog, sweet boy, fluffalupagus, bunny butt, etc) is the sweetest, most loveable dog I have ever had. And SMART- whew! He is so smart we have run out of tricks to teach him. He knows 30 commands and 3 signs (as of now). In addition he is just so sweet natured. We were walking him a few weeks ago and a mother was pushing a stroller with a little boy (about 18 months) and carrying her newborn in a "baby backpack". The little boy was so excited to see Boomer and kept squealing with excitement, "Puppy!!!" so we took Boomer over to say hi. He is kind of intimidating with his one blue eye and I could tell the little boy didn''t quite know what to think about him "Is he going to eat me?". Before we could stop him, Boomer had literally licked this little boy from chin to forehead. We all started laughing. He LOVES little kids.

Unfortunately, Australian Shepherds are prone to having bad hips. Boomer is almost 2, but we found out this winter that he has hip dysplasia in both hips. Genetically his hips did not form correctly. There is no real socket for the ball of his hip to fit into. In the summer his joints are more lubricated and he has much less pain, but in the winter, he hobbles and limps because he has a lot of discomfort. SO- our wonderful vet prescribed Boomer "Rimadyl". He calls it Doggy Viox minus the negative side effects. He has responded really well. We started giving him half a pill twice a day and now we are down to a quarter of pill! Yay! In addition to the Rimadyl we also give him Glucosamine that we buy in large bottles from Wal-Mart. He is much happier and feeling very frisky these days.

Aussies have really durable coats an "overcoat" and an "undercoat". The undercoat gets tangles and he sometimes gets little "dreadlocks" on his bottom and around his collar so we get him groomed pretty regularly. It only costs $35 here, but we live in a small town, so everything costs less. In the summer it gets up to 110 here at the highest so we get him a summer cut. His belly and lower chest, along with his bottom, get a very close shave to keep him cool (because gods express heat from their tummies). He always acts embarrassed right after, but then we catch him stretched out on the grass in the shade cooling his tum.

He doesn''t get anything super special for food. We have given him purina ONE since he was a little guy and he loves it. We alternate between Lamb and Rice and Chicken. He also LOVES chewies- rawhide, so we get him the knotted bones, so he won''t inhale them in one swoop.

He is pretty low maintenance for a long haired dog. All he asks is that we scratch his chest, feed him, Walk him, and share a little beer with him every now and then.

 

[ursulawrite]

Well, I have to confess that my Boston Terrier is rather mollycoddled. I'm definitely not one to carry her around in a bag or anything (at 17lbs, she's too big anyway) but there are many pluses to her living in my household.

1. She gets fed an organic fresh turkey dinner, bought from an holistic pet store in the East Village. To this we add Prozyme, a digestive enzyme; "health nuggets" (a blend of alfalfa, wheatgrass, brown rice, flax...); and a dash of olive oil.

2. She has many, many sweaters and coats. Bostons loathe the cold, you see. Wagwear is a favourite, though we do have one or two Ralph Lauren cashmere sweaters. And she has Little Lily dog boots (at $70 a pop).

3. She gets at least two hour's of exercise a day, a mixture of leash walks, time at the dog run, long games of fetch, jogging with me or romps in Central Park. Weekend trips to Fairfield County are a bonus.

4. She goes to doggie daycare twice a week. The place has indoor turf tracks where the dogs all romp around, wrestle and play fetch.

5. She has free access to the sofas and our bed.

Despite all these ridiculous perks, she is the most well-behaved Boston Terrier I've ever come across. She never chewed a single thing in the house, never barks, and dishes out kisses and love to everyone she meets. I couldn't be any more proud as a parent

 

[fire&ice]

Spoiled? Children? NO not my dogs.

Favorite treats - blue dog barkery.

Dumbest indulgence - our new gal LOVES stuffies - mostly to de-stuff. We buy her plenty of those - but she *prizes* her GOrilla. It make this wacky chuckling noise. She delights in it! They went on sale at the petsmart. We bought the whole lot. Sitting in hubby's closet is a bag full of those. When one dies, we just pull out another.

My gal is a goat dog. Nothing needed to coax her to eat. My male - I have to add a bit of shredded cheese to his food. Does the trick.

We have always fed our dogs Eukanaba. The best dog food is the dog food that works for your baby's digestive system. They are regular w/ firm stools, nice coats & trim bodies. We have tried other foods that gave them horrible gas - talk about clearing a room!

Recommended fun for anyone - AGILITY. I've semi-retired my male - and can I boast about all his trophies!

Not to mention GREAT exercise for me! It's always a plus when I can blow by a border collie

Fun thread. Also, consider having a Therapy Dog. He's retired as of this year; but, my male has been one since a year old. Though he still does do "special missions" w/ shut ins. It's quite rewarding. Dogs are happiest when they have a "job".

 

[ursulawrite]

Fire and Ice,

I don't want to get all preachy on such a nice thread, but there are some horrible and unnecessary practices undertaken on behalf of the Iams company, makers of Eukanuba. Of course it's entirely your choice what you feed your dogs, but a quick google of iamscruelty.com (sorry -- don't know how to link to a website from here) might prove to be an informative, though shocking, look at how these dog foods are tested.

Sorry to hijack the thread and hope I haven't caused offence.

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

I, for one, LOVE my babies (two poms) in everyway! I admit they are very spoiled...but I do not know any pet owners who do not spoil their pets! Our first dog was my hubby and my first ''child'', then we added a second one to the family!

One day we will add someone who can actually walk on two legs!

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 6/2/2005 11:30:32 AM
Author: ursulawrite
Fire and Ice,

I don''t want to get all preachy on such a nice thread, but there are some horrible and unnecessary practices undertaken on behalf of the Iams company, makers of Eukanuba. Of course it''s entirely your choice what you feed your dogs, but a quick google of iamscruelty.com (sorry -- don''t know how to link to a website from here) might prove to be an informative, though shocking, look at how these dog foods are tested.

Sorry to hijack the thread and hope I haven''t caused offence.

No, you haven''t caused offence. I feed my dogs the best food for them. And, I could point the animal cruelty finger at MOST organizations/corporations/etc. Iams is open season for a target.

 

[Mara]

When my friend brings her hyper Jack over to our house, she always makes envious comments like 'wow Portia has so many nice toys' (Elliott eats his, stuffing and all!)...then Elliott grabs a toy and starts mangling it and pulling fur off.

He immediately gets a 'Kong' to try to take apart while Portia is left looking silently at her mangled toy. It's hilarious how different each dog is!

Spoiling...yes that is something that goes on with abandon in our household!! Liver biscotti, frosty paws...romps in the park. We have this big open 5 acre park behind our townhouse complex bordering another complex, it's a big walking loop which I walk in the afternoons about 3-4 times a week. Portia was raised in this park so I let her off leash and she trails behind me...sniffing and rolling and then eventually catching up with me. It's a huge game for her. I set off walking, she starts sniffing at something for a good 5 minutes, lifts head to catch sight of me on the other side of the park, and she takes off like a rocket, full out running, little legs pumping, hair streaming, it's SUCH a funny sight it always makes me break into the biggest smile. When she catches up with me, she either overshoots me or stops alongside me and walks next to me for ... oh all of 5 seconds before she stops to sniff something and the whole thing repeats itself. It's the best form of exercise for her and it gives her that 'country dog' feel that she used to have in her birthplace with lots of yard and lawn...she's a surburban dog here but this large patch of grass is like heaven to her. I also did tons of training with her outside to ensure that I can reliably easily recall her (99% of the time...the other 1% I have to use her FULL NAME which always gets her attention!) to me, she knows things like 'lets go home' and half the time when we are out walking she runs into at least 3-4 of her doggie friends so she gets a good play in too.

When we come inside, it's frosty paw time or she also loves big ice cubes because they skate around the floor and 'play' with her.

Hmm what else, the list is so long! When I work from home, I have setup a 'perch' for her in my office...it has a big basket, 2 blankets and her dog bed on top so it will reach the window level, she just lays there, of course the window is open so she can sniff, and rests her head on the ledge and relaxes there for HOURS while I work. Takes naps, barks at the birds, checks out the park action (we have a view of the park from the back rooms).

Gosh, more often than not I think ... I want to be our dog!!! Even Greg has said the same thing. Tough life, Portia!!

Keep the fun stories coming, love them!!

Don't even get me started on clothes and adornments....that'll be my next post after my meeting!

 

[fire&ice]

My male doesn''t de-stuff a thing. But, he''s happy to carry around the carcuses. Come to think of it - all my dogs had "babies". They carry the stuffies around in their mouth. When we travel back and forth, Gus has to bring his "luggage". We tell him to go get his luggage and he comes back with one of his babies. The GOrilla is off limits. She has issues with him carrying that one around. It''s just as well - he''s not fond of the noise. All I have to do is set off the "chuckle" and she comes running. They also have a long snake that they play tug o'' war with. She usually wins.

 

[fire&ice]

She really loves this thing.

Nose gone. Ears gone. Paw gone. Sound still in tact. She''s happy.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 6/2/2005 11:30:32 AM
Author: ursulawrite
Fire and Ice,

I don't want to get all preachy on such a nice thread,

Then don't.

It would be nice to have ONE topic this week that stays civil.

 

[jorman]

F&I,
Your pup is so funny with that GOrilla. My mom has a dachshund named Noah that also has a baby. It is a worsted wool gingerbread man with a squeaker inside. He needs it with his paws and sucks on it like a pacifier before taking a snooze. Hilarious.

Boomer doesn''t have any stuffed toys. I think because we know he would destroy them. He does have a kong that we load with peanut butter and biscuits and he is content for hours. He also loves to play tug of war and "crazy dog" which is where we wrestle with him. He weighs more than half of me so he always wins. He also LOVES pupcorn. If you haven''t tried it-do. It is lowfat and crunchy. Boomer loves to catch ''em in his mouth and chomp to hear the noise. Then he gets that prideful, "Oh, I''m a good dog" look in his eye.

Mara,
Portia sounds like she has lots and lots of personality! I love westies. They are so funny! Does Portia ever "sing". I had a westie growing up that would "sing" to piano music (or really any music for that matter), she was a big talker!

 

[Mara]

Oh my god I love the Gorilla picture!! so cute.

Portia is not really a singer, but she''s a talker...she does the little barky howl thing with her little ''aroo aroo aroo'' if you ask her something like ''do you want to go for a walk'' or similar...everyone laughs whenever she does that. She has TONS of personality..it''s funny because as a puppy she did not have alot at all. In fact she was rather boring...but now that she is older, she is definitely mischevious. Many Westies are stubborn but she doesn''t have that streak, it''s a lower-key michevious instead, thank goodness. aka she loves to be chased...if I crouch down and come to ''get her'', she barks and runs away and loves it when I (or anyone else) chases her. She loves to grab a toy, shake it violently, and then run off around the dining table to do circles so we can''t get her.

Her fave toy right now is this rubber chicken that we got in Mendocino, it''s so hilarious, funny looking long skinny thing with a loud squeaker in the body. She just sits there with it in her mouth and works her jaws just enough to get it squeak ''eee eee eee'' constantly. Then she does the violent ''kill the rat'' head shake and runs off with it around the house squeaking it. We hide it under her bed and squeak it and she goes nuts barking and pawing at her bed to try to find it.

Total cheap entertainment...well CHEAP is a relative term I suppose...

 

[Erin]

That''s funny Jorman. My mom''s cocker spaniel would ''sing'' whenever I would practice the piano. I never got in the full 1/2 hour mom required each night because the whole family would be cracking up.

 

[jorman]

Our Westie was named "Binky". She was my first dog and I loved her! She would sing when I would play my little toy piano (like the one from Charlie Brown) and I would crack up. Sometimes she would perch on the piano as if she were a lounge singer performing. She was very funny.

Mara!
I can''t believe you gave her a rubber chicken! Ha! Boomer would shred that in seconds. You should see what he did to the bushes in the back yard!

We planted all this pretty dwarf mondo (also known as miniature monkey grass) and asiatic jasmine in the back right before we got him and every day he would pluck a new clump out of the ground and lay it on the porch as a gift. ARGH! It''s a good thing I love him so much! This year we decided to get a painful plant that he wouldn''t be so inclined to snack on. We got a sago palm (ouch) and so far so good.

 

[mrssalvo]

Well, As many of you know, I have an almost 5 old Lab mix named Zoe. I spent a lot of time training her when she was a puppy on all the basic doggie tricks. One thing she started doing all by herself was to knock on the back door when she''s ready to come back in. Seriously, she climbs up our back steps, knocks on the door 2x, and backs off the steps and sits until we come and open the door. It cracks me up.

 

[fire&ice]

Wondering if any of your pups grin? Mine smile & laugh; but, my friends dog (lab mix) grins. She''s not bearing (sp?) her teeth - she''s truly grinning. Her eyes get all scrunchy too. One of the rescue dogs did the same - I thought he was bearing teeth at first - but big GRIN instead. That dog was a lab mix also.

Oh, and I''ve mentioned this before, 101 ways to mess w/ your pups mind. We have one of those sensor "frogs" that ribit when motion comes around it. Their reaction is hilarious. My last female''s reaction was really intense - she would sneak up on it & watch it silently for several minutes. My male and my new gal tilt their head & then just go about their business - as if - crazy frog/crazy mommy.

 

[mrssalvo]

f & i, my dog does GRIN. when we go to the dog park or take her with us to a friends she runs around like a puppy and it totally looks like she is smiling. I will try and get a picture, it''s so cute. I love the pic of your puppy with the gorilla, definitely frame worthy.

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 6/2/2005 3:19:06 PM
Author: mrssalvo
Well, As many of you know, I have an almost 5 old Lab mix named Zoe. I spent a lot of time training her when she was a puppy on all the basic doggie tricks. One thing she started doing all by herself was to knock on the back door when she''s ready to come back in. Seriously, she climbs up our back steps, knocks on the door 2x, and backs off the steps and sits until we come and open the door. It cracks me up.

Funny, how well they have us trained.

She knocks. You let her in.

Good Mommy! Our old male would bang his water dish three times. We would fill it full of water. Again, Good Mommy!

I wonder if the grinning is a lab thing.

 

[jorman]

Well, Binky had a litter of westie/rat terrier puppies and we kept 2. One was named "Fuzz" and trust me this was a fitting name and she grinned. You could say "Smile Fuzz" and she would just GRIN. Everyone thought she was mean at first until we could explain, she just likes you so she''s smiling.

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 6/2/2005 3:33:42 PM
Author: jorman
Well, Binky had a litter of westie/rat terrier puppies and we kept 2. One was named 'Fuzz' and trust me this was a fitting name and she grinned. You could say 'Smile Fuzz' and she would just GRIN. Everyone thought she was mean at first until we could explain, she just likes you so she's smiling.

Funny, maybe it's not just a lab thing. Smile Fuzz ......

 

[movie zombie]

and so are cats.

my 8 cats live better than most people. they are entirely indoors and have their own ''cat run'' on the deck so they can enjoy nature without the danger of being taken out by a coyote. we have a sun room with 24 foot high [floor to ceiling] windows and they look like they''re in a fishbowl looking out at the world. the staircase has become their own personal highway to the upstairs master bedroom which they seem to think is their own personal tree house....fav place is in the window looking down at the garden outside or on the ledge at the landing looking down into the sunroom. their personalities are entirely different but they all crave affection and kitty pets from us. they know their names and harley cat sits up on his back legs to beg like a dog! but he''s not looking for food, he''s looking for special attention and more kitty pets. its pretty much a night time ritual now!

peace, movie zombie

 

[Mara]

Portia never smiles, she is very serious. The only time she looks really happy is when she is racing through the field and her hair is all streaming back and she looks like she is laughing.

However, my friend''s Jack totally smiles at you, it looks like he is baring his teeth but he''s smiling...the other day he was over and he did something bad...he never listens to my friend, but when I said ''NO Elliott'' he immediately jumped up and started smiling at me...it was sooo funny. At first you think he is baring his teeth because his mouth is all open and all you see is teeth but it''s his smile, I was dying laughing...it was like he knew he''d been bad and was trying to work his way back into my graces. Also when he greets some people he does the paw on leg thing with the smile/baring teeth, so funny to see people''s reactions.

My other friend who is convinced he knows everything about dogs and doesn''t really like Elliott says ..dogs don''t smile, he is baring his teeth and being challenging! Then 2 minutes later E did it to him and he laughed and said okay well maybe that''s a smile. Hee!

 

[Bikergirl]

Dogs totally smile!

We have two (third on the way - hopefully next week!)

We have a pom who is two. She''s hilarious! She walks around on her back legs to get attention. My friends call her a circus dog. When she wants something, she will come up and touch your leg with her nose. Then she''ll back up and sit. If she taps you a couple of times and feels that you aren''t responding soon enough, she''ll start to talk. Little erfs and rrowrfs. It''s really cute! She also does this thing when she really wants something - she stares at you and her mouth opens just a tiny bit. DH says she looks like Chewbacca (from Star Wars) and when she has that look he says she has Wookie Lips.

The other is a Jack Russell. We rescued her so we sometimes have to be careful how we treat her (so she doesn''t think she''s getting in trouble). She''s learning the nose-tap thing from our pom. She definitely smiles. We swear she has opposable thumbs and is hiding them from us. her favorite thing is a clean blanket. Somehow we can put out a neatly folded blanket and in no time flat she''ll have it unfolded and tuck herself in! It''s hilarious!

 

[Diachi]

Date: 6/2/2005 1:40:28 PM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 6/2/2005 11:30:32 AM
Author: ursulawrite
Fire and Ice,

I don''t want to get all preachy on such a nice thread,

Then don''t.

It would be nice to have ONE topic this week that stays civil.

Its funny how we are all "experts" about our pets, LOL! You stopped me RIGHT in my tracks, good job, LOL!

In all serousness though, (and I''m not trying to brag) I am a wealth of knowledge about canine nutrition, showing/grooming dogs, and now learning more about training behavior. If anyone has any questions, etc. I''d be glad to help as best I can!

PS-The Whole Dog Journal is a WONDERFUL resource but sometimes misses a point or two in their quest for "the best"...But is usually pretty good in their recommendations. Does anyone read "New York Dog" or "Bark"? I LOVE them and subscribe to BOTH-hope to get some articles submitted to them this summer!!!

 

[Mara]

Oh and F&I...we are dying to get P into some agility...or do some earth dog training.

At her birthday party recently they had all these different agility things setup, one was kind of a triangle ladder where the dogs walk up and then come down on the other side...it took alot of coaxing but we got all the dogs up there at one point or another and after they realized treats were involved, we had multiples on there running and jumping all over the place!

Then they also had a jumping hoop which we could not for the life of us get P through, she kept going around. Previously at the Westie event last Nov, they had doggie hurdles which she did 2ce and did very well at!! At first she tried to go around but I had a treat over the hurdles so she eventually learned to jump, run, jump, run.

Westies are earth dogs, they were bred to burrow for rats, so if we had an earth dog training around here, don''t know if we do, she''d be trained to sniff out the tunnel and then navigate the maze which has things like dead ends and hurdles inside to find the caged rat at the end...barking at the rat to keep it at bay until the trainer pulls her out. She has seen rats on TV and goes NUTS so we really would like to try this, think she''d be fab, but it seems more East Coast where there''s alot of land for stuff like this rather than the busy Silicon Valley....so we''ll see if we can find something somewhat locally.