Me with a coconut
My name is Buddy Rizzo. That's what they call me at the doggie doctor's office, or when my mom is hollering at me to drop the chicken bones at the park. "Buddy Rizzo drop that bone, right now!" I am a Golden Retriever. I am a tall dog. I am big, but gentle and smart. I will share some of my doggie issues and some stories about my animal friends every month right here. My mom is helping me write this column so she will tell you what's on my mind. We want to share with you some things that are happening to dogs and cats around the world.
We will address some of the concerns that my fellow doggies have. Some of the topics we will share are legal issues for animals, pet insurance, finding a pet-sitter, pet safety, traveling with pets, celebrity pets, pet food recipes, and weight loss for pets. We will also cover some very serious and scary things going on around the world, like the dog fur trade in China and the dogs being used for research right here in our country.
Swimming with some friends
I will interview some of my animal pals. If you have some animal issues, email me and perhaps we can interview you and your pet. We will link to other pet sites to help you find the best answer to you pets needs. Write to me at my email address:
mailto:askbuddy@hawaii.rr.com?subject=Feedback From Around Town Hawaii
Did you know over 45% of people in Hawaii own pets?
Please Stay Off
I live in a townhouse in Hawaii where they have a strict leash law. There is NO PLACE for me to run and play freely like I am suppose to. There is not even a doggie area to relieve myself. My mom takes me out running every morning to the beach, the park, or any place we find with grass, and where no people are telling us to get out. Mom takes me out every evening to chase geckos that are climb on the park building wall.
Mom never misses a day taking me on my walks, plus I get in-between peepee breaks during the day with my sitter. I am a lucky dog because I am not left alone for too long and without a bathroom break. I have the same bathroom urges as you humans so please be more considerate of my needs. Sometimes I cannot hold it in as long as a whole day.
With a friend in the water
I am a lucky dog. My mom brushes me every morning before we go to the beach; she wakes me up after she puts on her shoes. I pretend to be asleep so she will come over and rub my back. I stretch my legs and she scratches me. My mom smells good in the morning. It is a mom smell. People smell different than dogs. It makes me feel safe and loved to snuggle on my mom's neck. She kisses me on the nose and I make a little grunt noise. I can't purr like a cat, but I can grrrrunt.
My mom trims my toe nails and files them smooth with a nail file. She is careful not to cut the QUICK in my nail. If the quick is cut I can bleed and be in pain. Mom cleans my ears every day with a Kleenex, because I swim in the ocean and my ears get wet. We have to be careful I don't get a smelly ear infection. I keep my mom pretty busy. I love when she brushes my teeth with chicken flavor toothpaste that she gets at the Vet's office. She brushes them a few times a week. She let's me lick the toothbrush.
Me with my toys
I never chew up my toys. I like to carry them in my mouth and wag my tail, dancing around the house. Mom calls me "Mr. Wiggles". I get so excited and happy that my tail bangs the wall. I am happy every day. My toy box is full of all sorts of toys. I have stuffed animals, toys that squeak, a Frisbee that I still can't catch, and lot's of tennis balls. I can catch a tennis ball high in the air. I never get enough tennis balls and can put two of them in my mouth.
My yard
Maybe you are one of the lucky dogs who have a yard to play in. I used to have a yard in our other house. I especially loved my doggie door. I could go in and out as many times as I wanted. I would eat apples off the tree in the yard and chase away birds. I was in charge of protecting the yard and the house. I barked when a stranger came to our front gate. It got cold in the winter in Grass Valley so my mom decided we better move back to Hawaii where she could be warmer. I liked the cold weather and the snow. I have a thick coat so I get warm easily in Hawaii.
When the weather is warm my mom never shaves my hair, she trims the hair around my toes and ears. When I get warm she cools me in a tub of water or gently sprays my belly with the garden hose. We dogs stay cooler if you wet us on our belly and feet, not the whole dog. If a dog is wet and in the sun, we can become a walking sauna and get hotter. We dogs sweat only on our feet pads. Don't forget the sunscreen on my nose!
I am left alone too long I would probably scratch and make body sores if. I need lots of attention. I cannot be left alone in a backyard too long, or chained to a tree. I will bark and tear up the yard if you neglect me. I once made a mess of my face, scratching it even though it did not itch, when my mom went on vacation and left me with the sitter. She put some smelly stuff called Sulfodene. It is a yellow liquid. You can get it at the grocery store, pet store, or drug store. When mom came home I stopped that scratch, scratch. My mom kissed me on top of my head and told me "Good Boy". I love hearing those words almost as much as I like to hear, "let's go bye-bye" or "who wants peanut butter". Mom lets me lick the empty plastic peanut butter jar. Some folks say dogs have 2 taste buds….I agree. One taste bud says I like the food and the other taste bud says I do not like the food.
I wish there were more places that mom could take me to run and play. The dog parks are kind of far from where we live. We are in Kailua. The Windward Dog Park folks are getting a new place for us dogs nearby, in Kaneohe. You can read about them here: www.windwarddogpark.org.
Dogs on the beach
There are several dog parks in Hawaii. Check this link to see where they are.
www.hawaiianhumane.org/programs/dogparks/links.html
www.ecoanimal.com/dogfun/hawaii.html
I would probably scratch and make body sores if I am left alone too long. I need lots of attention. I cannot be left alone in a backyard too long, or chained to a tree. I will bark and tear up the yard if you neglect me. I once made a mess of my face, scratching it even though it did not itch, when my mom went on vacation and left me with the sitter. She put some smelly stuff called Sulfodene. It is a yellow liquid. You can get it at the grocery store, pet store, or drug store. When mom came home I stopped that scratch, scratch. My mom kissed me on top of my head and told me "Good Boy". I love hearing those words almost as much as I like to hear, "let's go bye-bye" or "who wants peanut butter". Mom lets me lick the empty plastic peanut butter jar. Some folks say dogs have 2 taste buds….I agree. One taste bud says I like the food and the other taste bud says I do not like the food.
Me with a cake
I am not supposed to eat chocolate. I heard mom talk to the VET and he said a few ounces of chocolate per pound of what a dog weighs could be toxic. She keeps the chocolate on the top shelf in our house. We once had a rescue dog stay at our house and Digger ate 2 big bags of M & M chocolate candy. My mom left us alone; Digger jumped on the kitchen counter and ripped those bags of candy. When mom came home she looked scared and worried. Mom gave us some water mixed with a little hydrogen peroxide. She gave me the stuff to drink first. Me and Digger threw up in the yard. I had no M & M's in my stomach. Digger was the bad dog that day. I told Digger not to eat those 2 big bags, but Digger was a garbage dog. He would eat wrappers, rocks, pieces of metal, anything. After he lived with us a while he stuck to eating just dog food and dog treats.
My mom said to tell you that if your dog eats too much chocolate there are some things the dog might do like vomiting, diarrhea, muscle spasms, seizures, increased thirst, really excitable, or difficulty keeping balance. This is serious, so please keep the chocolate away from Fido. Call the VET if you think your animal is in trouble from eating chocolate.
I wanted to share some photos of my doggie friends. If you would like to share a favorite photo with me, you can email it to me. I will answer all your email requests as best as I can. I included some of my favorite web links here.
With a dog we found
This is the rescue place that my mom used to help care for doggies in our house. They are good people. Not all dogs are as luck as me.
www.golden-rescue.org
Thinking of getting a dog or buying a dog as a present? Check out these dog questionnaires. This is a great dog resource web site. There are many websites listed to answer all your doggie questions. You can find some woofderful dog gifts too.
www.wonderpuppy.net/choose.htm
At a drinking fountain
Thanks for reading my column. Next month I will cover some more doggie issues. I will also talk about other kinds of animals. I have so many things I want to share with you but I have to go chase the ball at the park. Before I go I want to share something with you. Did you hear that Oprah Winfrey has a new home in Kailua, where I live? My mom loves Oprah and is so happy that she will be here in Kailua. Oprah travels with her dogs to Hawaii in her private jet. She personally checks on her pets when they arrive in quarantine. The folks that work at the quarantine said Oprah is gracious; she signs autographs and is very nice to them. She loves her doggies. Maybe someday mom and I will get to meet Oprah, perhaps on one of our beach walks. ![[End]](/assets/articles/2007/01/509/images/articleend.gif)
Me with some flowers
