Danger Lurks Where You Least Expect It! (Dingo - guest blogger)

Dingo here (Cooper & Hank’s little sister) guest blogging so Coop can have yet another day off.

Unlike Coop who lives in the country, I live in the city, unable to run through cornfields, stare down horses, and try to catch fish in the big pond.  I do have a large fenced in yard that I can run around in.  My favorite things are chasing and retrieving my tennis balls, and recently my humans bought me really cool small, soft frisbees.  I’m working on my technique – possibly will be a world champion frisbee dog.  Wait and see.

Fetching a ball. A great way to keep in shape.

Nice frisbee, but a boomerang would return by itself. 

Coop likes to bury treats under plants.  I, on the other hand, love to destroy plants.  My first challenge was a daylily.  I was young, and my humans didn’t get too upset because they said the plant had finished flowering.  Besides, when I was destroying the plant, I wasn’t bothering them.  Coop’s humans know what I mean by that!  I was so tired from crushing the plant that I had to take a nap on it.

 Ahhhhhhhh.  Nice and comfy. 

Danger comes in all different forms.  I’ve seen a Hawk circling above me and sitting in a tree.  Must be afraid of me because it has never approached.

Come on down! What are you, a Chicken Hawk?   Hahahaha.

There are also squirrels in my yard.  You may wonder where the danger is with a squirrel.  Well, after chasing them up the big walnut tree, they try to drop walnuts on my head.  Don’t even get me started on the groundhog that lives in the next yard.  One time he gave me the “Stink Eye”, and I got so mad I growled at him and the hair on my back stood up.  I had a full body Mohawk!

One of my favorite places in the yard since the first day I arrived at my new home, has been under the Hosta plants.  On a hot day I would lie in the shade created by the large leaves. 

It makes for great shade but it is a terrible snack. 

I would run full speed between the plants, or just sit there observing everything around me. 

So where am I going with this?  Danger lurking where you least expect it. 

The Hosta leaves are a toxic!  I found that out when I tried to eat a leaf.  Tasted good at the time, but a short time later I was sick.  I felt better later that day except for the fact that I had, as my humans referred to it, “The Runs”.  It got to the point where I was getting my humans up every two hours during the night.  So, back to the vet’s office. 

Long story short, everything is working fine now, but the best part is that I get to eat hamburger and rice for a couple of days!  My male human, Sam, is a great guy – and an excellent personal chef!

Always remember – Danger lurks where you least expect it!  Hosta leaves are toxic to dogs!

(Maybe next time I’ll tell you about my trip to the Outer Banks, or my visit to the Emergency Animal Hospital!  What’s a retainer?  My humans are talking about paying a retainer at the vet’s office.)