Once I entered my son’s “crib”, as the young people now refer to their home, I saw this gray blur dart from the hallway to behind the couch. At this point, I am hoping it was Auggie and not some unwanted creature or worse yet a very short girlfriend. After being there a few hours and Auggie realizing this woman must be staying for awhile, he slowly began to show himself to me (I must say, he is a beautiful cat…as cats go). So-o-o, I get ready for the watery eyes, drippy nose, itchy throat, and aching ears to begin, which I know will not help endear Auggie to me. Much to my surprise, there were no symptoms that a cat was lurking nearby, perhaps because he is part Manchoon (Maine Coon), so this definitely helped our new relationship get on to a good start.

While sitting on my son’s ottoman the first evening of my visit, Auggie was deciding if I was worthy of his attention (another reason for my dislike of cats..they are so indignant and arrogant). He finally decided he would give me a try when he very cautiously got in my lap and looked up at me with those gorgeous, big eyes. The minute I touched his velvet back and he moved closer in to snuggle, I fell in love with him. I never thought I would say this about a cat, but Auggie is a very cool cat and I am glad to have him in our family. I am looking forward to seeing him again soon (oh yea, and my son too).

Samantha Ensign, Publisher

GreaterCharleston.com

Samantha Ensign, Publisher/GC.com

Samantha Ensign, Publisher/GC.com

October 30, 2010 was the first official Westie Walk in Charleston. A beautiful afternoon began at White Point Garden at the Battery, where the four-legged children began to gather with their parents for the one-half and one mile walks along the Battery and on surrounding tree-lined streets. Adorned in a variety of colorful costumes for the event, most were on their best behavior, and the doggies were good too. There were other breeds who joined in the fun and seemed to watch in amazement at so many look-alikes in the crowd.

GreaterCharleston.com was proud to be invited to be part of the afternoon. Doug McFadden also took many photos and video of the activities so also look for his photos and video on YouTube. Please see the excerpt below from the Charleston Westie Club website.

“As of August, 2010, the Charleston Westie Club has in its membership approximately 120 Owners of 150 Westies from all across the Charleston area. At our first Get-Together in October of 2007 in the Ole Village of Mt Pleasant, we were all amazed that 13 Westies had gathered for the event (we thought that was a lot!). Soon word began spreading and at our next event we had 32 Westies in attendance and then every event thereafter we’ve had in-between 50-62 Westies (plus a couple of Scotties, a Norwich and a Carin terrier present).

The Charleston Westie Club has two annual Get-Togethers (Spring and Fall). This Fall will be our 7th Get-Together and will be held in Historic Charleston at White Point Gardens followed by a Westie Walk thru Downtown. We have been very fortunate to have a great group of Very Important Volunteers to help with such important tasks as Website Manager, Event Photographer, Meet & Greeters, Sign Preparers, Special Events Coordinators, Customers of our Classified Section and Volunteer Owner Experts who share information on almost all topics including raising and caring for Westies and their health. Thank you for all your valued assistance.

If anyone knows of a Westie Owner that has not yet joined the club, please email dick.nemes@comcast.net with the contact information (email address preferred along with their names) and they’ll receive a personalized invitation to our Club and be added to our email list for future updates on our Events.”

Samantha Ensign, Publisher/GC.com

By way of background, a couple of years ago I was lost, I mean really lost. I finally found this really nice neighborhood with a lot nicer homes than the one I was from. I know I wasn’t looking very cool since I had lost weight and had a bunch of bugs biting me, but this guy took me in his car to his house and made a real comfy place for me on his porch and gave me a towel so I could sleep on the couch. I finally felt a little safe since I didn’t have to walk around all night and worry about bad things. I knew things were good the next morning when the guy called me “Baby” and said that Daddy would feed me. He let me into his house and I decided to be on my very best behavior and see how long I could stay. I figured if I didn’t poop in the house, didn’t bark, didn’t bite or chew anything I may be able to fit in very well.

Man, I’m telling you this must be heaven! Blankets, toys, two very good meals a day and this has been going on for almost two years. These people (Mom and Dad) are silly about me. They even have a special language when they talk to me in kind of high pitched voices (what’s that all about?).

My next big coup will be when they let me on their bed; the thing is gigantic. Hey, I gotta go now, but write me and tell me what’s up with you cats, I mean dogs, oh sure I guess we’ll let cats into our group.

I’m all ears!

Stella

Sadly, Duncan passed at the end of July 2009. Duncan can now be found romping in doggie-heaven and chasing all of those irritating cats. When you see a rainbow…that’s Duncan!

Samantha Ensign, Publisher/GC.com

I’m in my kitchen, again surrounded by my eight dogs, reflecting on a very sad day at work.

Oliver (not his real name) entered my sphere two days ago. I was at the emergency clinic, doing my weekend morning rounds, when his arrival made an indelible impression upon us all. The scene was horrific. His owners carried him in, an older couple, stained with blood and terribly upset. Oliver had been mauled by a large, aggressive dog that lived next door.

photo

Pet Docs Dr. Perry Jameson and Dr. Henri Bianucci

Oliver was an adorable looking little dog, like a black Pomeranian with a recent summer haircut. He was about 9 years old and was in shock. He had several cuts and a portion of his intestines was exposed. He needed emergency surgery.

I spoke with his owner prior to surgery and I was so touched by what he said.

“A lot of people would just put him to sleep right now, but not me. I told my wife if there’s a chance, I want to try and I don’t care if costs $10,000, I have to try.”

I advised him that the situation was critical and the prognosis was guarded. I told him it would not cost anywhere near $10,000 and I agreed that I, too, would want to try.

Surgery went very well. Overall, the damage was slightly less than what I had expected to find. For two days, we managed his pain and monitored his progress, and each day things improved. Then, suddenly, Oliver went into cardiac arrest and died.

His owners were devastated.

They described how Oliver had strayed onto the other dog’s property and was attacked. Oliver initially escaped and as the wife tried to intervene, she was knocked to the ground. Oliver retreated to his yard but was pursued and again caught. He was violently shaken before his owners finally wrested him away from the other dog.

In the veterinary world, this situation is known as “big dog-little dog syndrome.” It is recognized as a major problem and a frequent diagnosis in our emergency clinic. The “little dog” is not the only loser in these encounters. The “big dog” owners are often very distraught by the harm their dogs have caused.

If you have a small dog, you must be aware of the temperament of larger dogs it may encounter and avoid chance encounters with un-

known dogs. When around large dogs at the dog park, doggie day care, or even if left at home with larger housemates, small dogs are potentially at risk.

It seems that these incidents occur most commonly in one of two ways.

There are the aggressive, seemingly unprovoked, attacks from a large uncontrolled dog. These dogs often have a history of aggressive behavior.

Then, there are the attacks by dogs that, up to that point, were considered friends. These attacks are often spawned by competition for toys, food, space or attention. Sometimes it’s not clear what the actual trigger was.

What we do know is that the attacks occur in a flash and the damage inflicted is often severe or fatal. Be aware that leaving big dogs alone with little dogs may be risky, and if you do so, be sure not to leave possible objects of contention, such as toys or food, which may provoke a fight.

Be careful at feeding time or when giving treats as these are hot flash points and have preceded many a visit to the emergency room.

So keep your little ones safe by using good judgment when mixing big dogs with little dogs.

Last week Tucker found himself at Desoto’s (one of his good friends) house over in the inner Park Circle area in North Charleston.  We have some friends that live in this neat eclectic part of Charleston who Tucker loves to visit.  We enjoyed adult beverages and cooked a nice dinner while the pups got some energy out!!  If you’re ever up for checking out some neat little pocket areas to find some inexpensive Charleston Real Estate do yourself a favor and drive through this Park Circle area.  Stay tuned for Tucker’s next adventure that we look forward to sharing with you!