I'm bummed

lyndausvi · May 2013

So after thinking about this for a while I finally decided to sign Chef D up to become a therapy dog. He loves people and people love him. Perfect as far as I'm concerned.

Then in very small print I see that he can't be considered because we feed him raw foods. Raw is not his primary form of food, but we do feed it to him a lot. Including a new marrow bone weekly, which he loves. He can be considered if we stop feeding him, but I'm not sure I want to stop.

First world problems I know. I would "vent" to DH because him and Chef D are snoring away. Plus I wanted to test the new options.

QueerFemme · May 2013

what the hell is going on iwth your font!? LOL

that sucks about the raw food. What could possibly be their concern about that?

MoonlightSilver · May 2013

A bone counts as raw food?

Peaseblossom55 · May 2013

Wow for a big font. I'd like to know why they won't allow dogs that eat raw foods. Can you call and get more info about that?

lyndausvi · May 2013

You can change your font, size and color now.

Here is the reason:

Articles in the American Journal of Infection Control, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and other sources document that animals fed raw protein diets (including BARF or other raw protein diets) shed significantly higher amounts of pathogenic bacteria than those fed cooked proteins. Indications are that this may put some people at risk, as compared to pets being fed commercially prepared or cooked, home-made diets.
I understand, just bummed.

AddieCake · May 2013

Awww, poor Chef!

lyndausvi · May 2013

@MoonlightSilver - we buy soup bones at the butcher for him. So yes they are considered raw.

MoonlightSilver · May 2013

lyndausvi said:

MoonlightSilver - we buy soup bones at the butcher for him. So yes they are considered raw.

Ah, that makes sense.

lyndausvi · May 2013

He would be taken to either nursing homes, hospitals or even schools. That kind of stuff.

I understand the policy, just bummed about it.

ETA - yes that is Chef in the pic.

harper0813 · May 2013

I want to sign Margot up to be a therapy dog to bring to hospices. She's such a cuddlebug/couch potato that I think it would be awesome for her. Looks like I need to stop feeding her marrow bones...

I appreciate you sharing this info. This is a bummer for you and Chef.

lyndausvi · May 2013

zoberg said:

I want to sign Margot up to be a therapy dog to bring to hospices. She's such a cuddlebug/couch potato that I think it would be awesome for her. Looks like I need to stop feeding her marrow bones...

I appreciate you sharing this info. This is a bummer for you and Chef.

This is through Pet Partners. There might be different policies for other organizations.

[Deleted User] · May 2013

That stinks. We take all four of our dogs to hospice and they all get raw food sometimes. The only thing they told us was they needed all their shots, proof of shots and to be clean. They like to swim in the pounds/dig up last years deer.

kerbohl · May 2013

I didn't know that there were requirements like these. I understand giving their reasoning, but it is still too bad!

mellipangel · May 2013

Seriously, dogs should be able to eat whatever they want. Total bummer.

lyndausvi · May 2013

I'm going to look into other options.

@TXKrisitan - Chef was always going to stay with us. He is a pretty needy dog. He craves attention. We take him to doggie daycare, but I was thinking that taking him to nursing homes, schools and such would give him the attention he craves, but also help out people.

I'm not exaggerating when I say we can't walk more than a few feet without people stopping us asking to pet him. We have some business owners who tell me the highlight of their day is when Chef comes by to say hello. One place has bought treats for him. So now he will go up to the door and sits waiting for them to come out with a treat and to get pet.

kmmssg · May 2013

This is the dog that knows which direction the bar is and which business has treats. He is stinking brilliant!

JennaMichelle88 · May 2013

Lynda, when I worked retail there was a bull dog (I'm assuming that's what Chef is?) that walked by every day and sometimes his mom would bring him in to get a treat so he started lingering at the door every time they walked by. So stubbornly adorable!

lyndausvi · May 2013

mellipangel said:

Seriously, dogs should be able to eat whatever they want. Total bummer.

Especially when there are so many problems with store bought dog foods. We feed him grain-free food from Indiana. But we also give him marrow bones weekly. We give him raw chicken, bison, beef, fish, stuff like that when we are cooking them for ourselves (few times a week).

It's really cute. See he is not allowed to eat until he sits, so if we pull-out some protein to clean he just goes over to the bowl, sits and hopes we will put something in there for him. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't, doesn't stop him from hoping.

lyndausvi · May 2013

kmmssg said:

This is the dog that knows which direction the bar is and which business has treats. He is stinking brilliant!

Oh and when we lived in NOLA he knew the direction to Bourbon Street.(bourbon st = attention) If we didn't go in that direction he would get down on all fours in protest.

Very smart, yet stubborn dog.

MoonlightSilver · May 2013

lyndausvi said:

mellipangel said:

Seriously, dogs should be able to eat whatever they want. Total bummer.

Especially when there are so many problems with store bought dog foods. We feed him grain-free food from Indiana. But we also give him marrow bones weekly. We give him raw chicken, bison, beef, fish, stuff like that when we are cooking them for ourselves (few times a week).

It's really cute. See he is not allowed to eat until he sits, so if we pull-out some protein to clean he just goes over to the bowl, sits and hopes we will put something in there for him. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't, doesn't stop him from hoping.

Goodness I wish my pets had learned to beg this way. Sitting at the bowl to beg would be so much nicer than sitting under foot.

harper0813 · May 2013

lyndausvi said:

mellipangel said:

Seriously, dogs should be able to eat whatever they want. Total bummer.

Especially when there are so many problems with store bought dog foods. We feed him grain-free food from Indiana. But we also give him marrow bones weekly. We give him raw chicken, bison, beef, fish, stuff like that when we are cooking them for ourselves (few times a week).

It's really cute. See he is not allowed to eat until he sits, so if we pull-out some protein to clean he just goes over to the bowl, sits and hopes we will put something in there for him. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't, doesn't stop him from hoping.

That's so cute. What a smarty-pants. I would have huge trouble resisting that every day.

lyndausvi · May 2013

@zoberg and @MoonlightSilver some might think I'm a mean fur-mommy but I never fed him from the table or counter. It was something I was very adamant about. We eat at the coffee table often and I can leave to grab something from another room and he will not touch the food. He will do some sniffing around, but not go after it.

I also never give him food (treat or meal) without making him do something. So for meals he has to sit first. Sometimes I make him wait up to 5 minutes. Although not often because he drools too much - Ha. When we are on walks and people want to give him a treat he has to give them high-five or sit or something like that. I even make him sit or lay before I give him an ice cube at an outside restaurant.

MoonlightSilver · May 2013

I don't think that makes you a bad fur-mom at all! That makes you a great one.

d2va · May 2013

lyndausvi said:

@zoberg and @MoonlightSilver some might think I'm a mean fur-mommy but I never fed him from the table or counter. It was something I was very adamant about. We eat at the coffee table often and I can leave to grab something from another room and he will not touch the food. He will do some sniffing around, but not go after it.

I also never give him food (treat or meal) without making him do something. So for meals he has to sit first. Sometimes I make him wait up to 5 minutes. Although not often because he drools too much - Ha. When we are on walks and people want to give him a treat he has to give them high-five or sit or something like that. I even make him sit or lay before I give him an ice cube at an outside restaurant.

The training method that you use is called NILIF ( Nothing In Life Is Free).

It is the correct way, as dogs, especially a bully breed can be very needy, demanding and stubborn.

Lily is certified CGC, which is a pre requisite to becoming a therapy dog. Im actually quite surprised that the organization you looked in to you has such strict rules about raw feeding.

Raw feeding is much healthier for the dog.

If I were you, I would get started on getting CGC, and then work from there.

P.S. I love your doggah

lyndausvi · May 2013

d2va said:

lyndausvi said:

@zoberg and @MoonlightSilver some might think I'm a mean fur-mommy but I never fed him from the table or counter. It was something I was very adamant about. We eat at the coffee table often and I can leave to grab something from another room and he will not touch the food. He will do some sniffing around, but not go after it.

I also never give him food (treat or meal) without making him do something. So for meals he has to sit first. Sometimes I make him wait up to 5 minutes. Although not often because he drools too much - Ha. When we are on walks and people want to give him a treat he has to give them high-five or sit or something like that. I even make him sit or lay before I give him an ice cube at an outside restaurant.

The training method that you use is called NILIF ( Nothing In Life Is Free).

It is the correct way, as dogs, especially a bully breed can be very needy, demanding and stubborn.

Lily is certified CGC, which is a pre requisite to becoming a therapy dog. Im actually quite surprised that the organization you looked in to you has such strict rules about raw feeding.

Raw feeding is much healthier for the dog.

If I were you, I would get started on getting CGC, and then work from there.

P.S. I love your doggah

I've never read that book. Maybe I should.

Thanks for the advice. I have some calls into places to get him CGC. From the test I saw online he will do well at a lot of the test. Some he needs help on, as have never had any formal training.

MuppetFan · May 2013

Aw. I guess Chef will just have to be your therapy dog when you deal with your boss's son.

Shame though, he's so cool. Even his name is cool

I'm bummed

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