Drool and Floppy Ears: Life as a Basset Hound in a house of crazies.
Can some one please pick me up and take me to San Gabriel Park? I heard Georgetown Parks & Recreation just dumped 1,000 catfish into the river, and I'm hungry.
Easter came early for this guy. Ssshhh, don't tell the Old Man but Mom gave us our Easter Baskets early since the Old Man is out of town. She promised us another one come Easter Day. I love being spoiled.TROY, Ill. – Donna Elief planted her feet firmly in the grass, held the megaphone up to her mouth and yelled: “Three, two, one. Hunt some eggs!”
And with that, a hundred or so dogs – tiny ones, shaggy ones, old and young ones, from Chihuahuas to Shiba Inus to Great Danes – went scampering into a field, noses down and tails wagging, searching for Easter eggs.
When the dogs’ noses touched the eggs – actually pastel-colored plastic ones containing dog treats – their owners picked them up, placing them in baskets or bags. The goal was to locate the “surprise egg,” which entitles the finder to a gift basket with chew toys and a flea treatment.
The Canine Easter Egg Hunt, held by the Hawthorne Animal Hospital and now in its fourth year, is a benefit event for the TreeHouse Wildlife Center near Alton, which takes care of wounded and orphaned wildlife. The event has cultivated some regulars, now veterans of the hunt, generating hundreds of dollars for the center.
“We come back every year,” said Priscilla Briggs of Granite City, as Nellie the collie and Freddie the sheltie panted nearby. “They just like to go out and have fun.”
Moments before the hunt began, the dogs and their owners lined up at the edge of the field – organized into four separate hunting zones for different sized dogs, “so the little ones aren’t getting stomped by the big ones,” Weishaupt explained.
The dogs charged in, finding all the eggs within minutes.
Not bad if you’re looking for a little exercise, but for me, I’ll just head to the local diner and get my eggs the way I like them…over easy.
FLASH
This is what I look like at 4:45 am when Mom gets up to run and wakes me up. I barked 'Turn Out the Lights, Lady! I'm trying to sleep.' That woman is CUH-RAZY!
It’s eggs silly…and the type we canines can partake in.
Don’t be fooled by cheap imitations. Take the Cadbury Egg, for instance, which is yellow on the inside, but a discolored brown on the outside. Sure it tastes sweet, almost too sweet, but instead of pumping you full of life, it will suck it out of you.
How many Cadbury eggs do you think could Flash have eaten? My guess is he’d max out at 17 before a sugar coma put him out of commission for a 72 hour nap.
One thing is for sure, there’d be no way he could be jostled around in the back of a patrol car on pursuit of the Duke Boys the next day.
And that’s the effect on the most famous basset of all! Imagine what it could do to a poor old dog like you.
OK, I’m rambling on like my mother. We’re talking eggs so let me serve you up a cautionary tail (you get it?) for all the Easter Egg loving canines out there.
The five-stone pooch ended up with chocolate poisoning after wolfing down a stash of chocolate eggs which he found hidden away in his owner’s spare room.
Five-year-old Buster had to be taken to animal hospital where he was admitted to intensive care after devouring 12 eggs and their foil wrapping.
Buster’s owner, Brenda Dawes, bought the eggs as Easter treats for her grandchildren.
She said: “When I arrived home one afternoon, Buster came down the stairs, wagging his tail and licking his lips. I knew immediately he’d been up to something.
“He’s a terror and chews everything he gets his paws on – mobile phones, video tapes, the remote control.”
At first, Buster did not appear to be affected by his binge. However, Ms Dawes was woken in the early hours of the morning by the pet’s cries.
“He couldn’t stand up, his back legs just kept buckling underneath him.
“His stomach was swollen and he was obviously in a lot of pain. Panicking, I called PDSA and they told me to bring him straight in.”
Ms Dawes immediately took the dog to animal charity PDSA’s PetAid hospital, near her home in Derby, where he was treated with fluids and kept in for round-the-clock observation.
Buster made a full recovery, but his ordeal has prompted animal welfare officials to issue a pre-Easter warning to anyone who keeps hungry hounds and chocolate under the same roof.
Senior veterinary surgeon Vicky Sims said: “Buster was quite lucky. Creme eggs have a fairly low theobromine content because they’re half fondant.
“Higher quality ‘posh’ chocolates are the most dangerous as they have high concentrated doses of theobromine – which poisons pets.
Many people are simply not aware that even small amounts of human chocolate can kill a little dog. If you want to indulge your pet you should opt for a healthy pet treat instead.
Ms Dawes said: “He’s already tried to eat a bag of crisps and a toilet roll since he’s been home – I’ll have to keep a close eye on him from now on to keep him out of trouble.”
Consider this your post-Easter warning. If you want something sweet, just down a peep. Any peep will do. I prefer the short ones with chocolate on their faces.
FLASH
