Pawdicures and More

"Pawdicure" is a silly word for tending to your pet's nails, but nail care is not a silly topic. There are serious health issues associated with letting your dog or cat's nails grow too long, in addition to that annoying clicking long nails make on your floors. Long nails strike the ground when your pet walks and that puts pressure on her toe joints making it less than comfortable to walk and potentially causing soreness or arthritis in the feet and further up the leg.

How often should nails be trimmed? That depends upon your pet's lifestyle. If her most athletic effort is stretching after a nap on the couch, her nails will not get worn down and will need to be trimmed every few weeks. If you have a dog that's regularly exercised on pavement or other hard surfaces, she may not need to have toenails trimmed at all, but her dew claws need to be attended to. If not clipped they can and do grow right back into her flesh, causing pain and possible infection.

It's simple enough to buy a set of pet nail clippers at the pet store, but using them is more challenging, especially since your "pawdicure" customer is not going to sit quietly and gossip with you as you deliver the service - at least none of mine do :). More likely your pet will be pulling his/her paws out of your hand every two or three seconds while you try to determine where to clip.

White nails are far easier to clip because you can usually see where the quick is by looking sideways at the nail. You should see a crescent of pink extending from the pad toward the nail tip. Clip just beyond this crescent of live tissue. If you clip too short the nail will bleed briefly; application of a styptic powder will quickly stop bleeding but it may sting.

Black or multi-color nails are more difficult to cope with because the quick is not usually visible, especially on a wildly wiggling paw. For dark nails, patience and experience are your best tools. Clip off only the very end of the nail to square it off and then incrementally clip closer, watching for a small black dot to appear in the cross section of the nail. Once you see this dot, you're close enough.

If your customer is patient, you can finish off the pawdicure with a nail file or Dremel rotary tool with file attachment to smooth the edges. When I was a child growing up on the Cape, we had a neighbor who painted her Yorkshire Terrier's nails a florescent pink - we conservative New Englanders thought that was too much! Times have changed and nail polish is a popular option. Some pet suppliers carry nail pens that make it easier to apply polish to furry friends.

One tip for nail trimming is to wash your pet first so it's easier to see the nail. If your Labrador has just come in from a muddy marsh it's going to be hard to figure out where to clip. The good news is that if you're a kitty fan, it's relatively easy to clip those razor sharp claws.

Of course, the easiest path of all is to call Aussie Pet Mobile for a nail treatment. We offer simple nail clipping, pawdicures with polish, and pad treatments for senior pets and others whose pads are dry; this can cause them to slip on hard floors and cause injury. We'd be happy to schedule an appointment when we're in your neighborhood.

More on the Barnstable Dog Park

Friday, Grigri and I cleaned the lane north of the airport on Route 149 because I was curious about a site proposed for the first Barnstable Dog Park. This is a beautiful place to walk on a warm April afternoon with the sun slanting down across acres of green. It's apparently currently in use as a police dog training facility.

The lane is a sandy vehicle path like the ones we used to run around on with bare feet in the summer in our neighborhood. Sadly, now most are paved. It leads through brush to an opening at the north end of the airport where there's a remote controlled aircraft launching site, operated by a club. On Friday two guys were trying to get a rather large helicopter up but I didn't see them succeed at it. Looks like fun though.

Although I know there were objections to this site as a dog park because the lane is narrow and it would take some work to develop parking, I thought it was a fantastic place and I'll definitely be back soon to explore further. The things I like about it were that it was far from any homes so barking or traffic would not annoy anyone and there are plenty of trails nearby to work off excess energy before entering the park. Whether this site becomes a dog park or not, I'm happy to have found it. One thing about Cape Cod… there's no dearth of beautiful trails and beaches to enjoy, and Aussie Pet Mobile of Cape Cod is doing our best to keep them clean.

FYI - The Committee for Barnstable Dog Parks welcomes new members and contributors. We meet the last Thursday of the month at the Hyannis Senior Center at 6:30. Next meeting would be May 26th.

Grooming Your Puppy

On the sidewalks and trails of the Cape, we're seeing lots of puppies - it's that time of year - and pleasant grooming experiences should play a role in every puppy's education.

For those breeds with high grooming requirements, introducing your puppy to grooming tools and techniques early and often is a must. You want your Poodle or Schnauzer to view grooming as pleasant and stress free because they'll spend a lot of time on a grooming table over the course of their lives; a bath and clip every four to six weeks is recommended, especially when they sport a longer coat. For short haired breeds visits to the groomer may be less frequent, but they'll still need to have their nails clipped and ears cleaned regularly and you want them to take these activities in stride. It's important to note that regular grooming gives you a good, close up look at your dog to ensure skin and coat are healthy and identify any lumps, cuts or other conditions that should be seen by a vet.

Here's our approach to getting your new "fur baby" started out on the right track:
• Gently brush often, taking care to make it something your puppy looks forward to by treating or praising
• Ask your puppy to give you each paw and wiggle her toes gently.
• If you have nail clippers and feel comfortable using them, quietly clip one or two nails at a time as needed
• Look inside your puppy's ears and softly pet them, inside and out
• Bathe your puppy with warm, but not hot, water and a gentle shampoo formulated for dogs (using a "tearless" shampoo on her face).
• Many dogs don't like standing in a bath. Try using a spray hose in a sink or bath, or take your pup into the shower with you; many seem to enjoy the company. Alternatively, use a dry shampoo.
• Get your puppy as dry as you possibly can with a towel - most dogs really enjoy this step - but also introduce a blow drier gradually on a low, warm setting. Our dog Grigri likes to sit on my lap while being blow dried.
• If you have a dog you expect to keep clipped, you can use an electric razor, beard trimmer or any kind of similar gear to get your puppy used to the noise and vibration of the motor. Don't actually clip, but turn the motor on and treat your puppy, then gently touch your puppy's back and legs, pretending to clip her, all while giving her treats and praise.
• Puppyhood is a great time to train your dog to stand still while having her nails filed with an electric tool, such as the Dremel Pet Nail Grooming Kit. Many people feel more comfortable filing nails than using a nail clipper, but dogs don't usually agree! They don't like the noise and vibration on their toes, which feels a little like having your teeth drilled at the dentist. If you can condition your puppy early you can keep her nails short and smooth easily.

If you follow these steps with a positive attitude, plenty of treats and praise and always followed by a happy play time, your puppy will take grooming as a matter of course and your investment will result in a stronger bond between you and your adult dog.

Note that all the above pertains to cats too. Contrary to conventional wisdom, cats don't really mind being bathed any more than dogs do and when they've been groomed all their lives, they are just as patient and calm.


Aussie Pet Mobile Cape Cod provides puppy and kitten grooms for a nominal charge ($10 and up depending upon services provided) to help you get your little one clean and prepare her gently for adult grooming sessions; we hand dry each dog or cat - no drying cages - and provide a one to one service right outside your door. A combination of your conditioning and professional puppy grooms is the best way to plan for a stress free life on the grooming table.

The Woods Are Asleep

The wind was howling off the Sound this morning but in West Barnstable the warm sun made up for the wind chill and we hiked and cleaned the Otis Atwood loop off the Osteville/West Barnstable Road. The trail was much cleaner than when Grigri and I walk it in summer. Either that wicked wind blows the trash away or there are just fewer folks out and thus less litter. I have been out of town for two weeks and thought I'd be seeing some green shoots, but there were few. I'm wondering, when will we see fiddlehead ferns in the market? I checked Lamberts and Shaws on the way home but no fiddleheads yet. I found a recipe that I want to try out when they come, courtesy of The Heart of New England, an online magazine.

Makes 4 side dishes:

1 pound fiddlehead 2 tablespoons olive oil Butter (optional) 2 cloves finely chopped garlic (optional) ¼ cup pancetta or bacon, cut into ¼ inch cubes (optional) Kosher or sea salt and ground black pepper Trim the dark ends from the stems and wash the fiddleheads in a coarse strainer using a strong stream of water. Place them in a large bowl of water and swirl them around, rubbing off the thin flakes of chaff on the ferns. Drain and dry in a kitchen towel, rubbing off any remaining chaff. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium – high heat. Add the bacon or pancetta, if using, and cook, stirring until lightly browned. Add ferns and garlic and cook, covered, for 3 – 4 minutes. Uncover and cook for an additional 3 – 4 minutes or until they are tender but still are slightly crunchy. Add salt and pepper to taste and swirl in some butter if you wish. Serve immediately. If you make extra, they make an interesting addition to a mixed salad or soups and stews. Because they are fully cooked, add them at the last minute to hot dishes. Any way you serve them, you will be enjoying a true New England treasure.

It's Spring! Get Ready for the Big Shed

With the warmer temperatures we're enjoying, those of us with certain breeds of dog are experiencing snowstorms inside rather than outside. Snowstorms of hair that is.

Some breeds shed very little. If you're the lucky owner of a Poodle, Bichon, Maltese, Hanavese, Basenji, Shih-Tzu, Schnauzer, or many kinds of terriers, you're not vacuuming every day and going through rolls of cellophane tape trying to get your clothes presentable. Pretty much all the rest of us are sweeping, sneezing, and bolstering the supply chain for birds feathering their nests.

There are some tips to help you through the season:

1. Brush every day. Using a slicker brush, groom vigorously on a daily basis. Everything you collect and discard puts you ahead of the game and it's a lot easier to brush your dog or cat than it is to get that hair off the sofa.


2. Use a de-shedding tool. You can buy products at the pet store that are effective at removing the undercoat that is typical of Labs, Huskies and many kinds of Shepherds. This undercoat is mostly what you're be trying to dig out of the crevices in your car and home if you're not proactive.


3. Bathe thoroughly. Most dogs can tolerate a bath every month or more if you use a good quality shampoo. Oatmeal shampoo costs a little more but is gentle to your dog's skin and contributes to a lustrous and soft coat and there are specialized de-shedding products for the bath.


4. Clip: A shorter coat means less hair to cope with and will keep your pet cooler in hot weather. A short clipped coat can feel wonderfully silky.

If you're overwhelmed, call Aussie Pet Mobile for a 15 Step Groom with De-Shedding Process. We have the time and the tools to do a really thorough job and our process reduces shedding by 60 - 80 percent when used regularly. All without leaving your bathtub full of hair and grime.

We do cats too, and can clip them with a "lion cut", which is quite charming.

Let's Make a Dog Park!

When we adopted Grigri last year I spent some time on the internet looking for a local dog park. But found exactly none. That's why I was so happy to see an article in the Barnstable Patriot that a committee to establish a dog park for Barnstable County was forming.

What is a dog park? There aren't very many on Cape Cod but they are popping up all over the country. Typically a dog park is a fenced area where dogs are allowed to play off leash. Usually there are separate areas for small and large dogs, with vestibule entries that prevent dogs from dashing out the gate when others enter. Water bowls, poop bags and garbage cans are common fixtures and some parks have balls and other toys available. The great thing about dog parks is that they allow our pets to socialize with other dogs - something they have few opportunities to do on leash, in yards, or in homes. It's also a great social opportunity for dog owners to make new friends and talk about their favorite topic: our dogs!

I attended the March 24th meeting of the Committee for Barnstable Dog Parks where I met a really enthusiastic group of dog owners. They have made enormous progress in the three months they have been organizing and have identified several potential sites. Grigri and I visited the Danforth Property, which is one seemingly desirable spot.

The Danforth Property is located near the intersection of Race Lane and Route 149. We cleaned the trail to Mystic Lake there and found the tunnel that originally offered cows the chance to walk under the road down to the lake for water. There is parking, and across the road at the airport a magical trail called Sumac Grove that winds through a sumac forest with deep grass underneath. I imagine it is lovely in summer - can't wait to return.

These trails were nice and clean with the exception of the usual beverage containers and the occasional spot some dog owner overlooked. Sometimes you just run out of bags I guess. I'm hoping the new Committee for Barnstable Dog Parks succeeds in setting the tone for dog owners in Barnstable by emphasizing the need to be extra careful of our pets' waste in order to protect Cape Cod's natural beauty (and high water table). If we each cleaned up a little bit more than our share, we'd win the battle!

Meetings of the Committee for Barnstable Dog Parks are slated for the 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30 PM at the Hyannis Senior Center on Route 28 (multipurpose room) and all are welcome. However, in April an alternate date has been suggested (April 21) due to conflicts.

That's Why They Call 'Em Dogs

We went to Dowses Beach today. This little gem of a beach was just about pristine this sunny winter afternoon… except for the blackening body fluids of dead crabs and crustaceans on the parking lot where Grigri slipped in a quick slime bath before I noticed. Call 1-800 PET MOBILE! Oh, oops, that's me.

Grigri and I had a brisk walk and filled a white kitchen bag full of beverage containers and a few ragged garments. You wonder where things come from when they wash up. I remember as a kid a few times somebody in our neighborhood found a real note in a bottle. This week a mooring washed up on our beach - a heavy chunk of cement with a ring in the top - how could our wimpy Nantucket Sound waves push that thing up the beach?

In 2007, Jan and I spent a few days on a barrier island in Kenya. The warm Indian Ocean reminded me a bit of Nantucket Sound, but with bigger waves. There were beautiful beaches, but in some places the jagged bedrock served as "teeth" to catch flotsam and jetsam heaved onto it by the waves. All kinds of plastic were snared, but particularly foam rubber from "flip flops". The islanders harvest this and use sharp knives and hole punches to carve the brilliant colored foam into sculptures, jewelry and other decorative items. The mastery of some of these artisans is really hard to believe unless you saw the raw materials, the artists working at the doors of their huts to catch the light and the finished products all together.

Thinking about Africa, I was daydreaming and gazing at a flock of seagulls imagining that they were relaxing on the blacktop to enjoy the reflected heat on this bright but cold day. Grigri took this lapse of attention to throw himself onto the pavement and vigorously grind some black slime into his coat. Oh, that's why the gulls are all here; they're dropping crabs and shellfish onto the parking lot to break them up. Grigri had found some very old crab remains which were so juicy they left a big sticky spot on his fur which hardened into a glue-like patch on the way home and I had to drive home with all the wondows open. Yuck! I don't think I've ever smelled anything that bad. Luckily, I'm in the pet grooming business so a quick bath and blow dry is easy and fun. Grigri doesn't favor the bathing part of the process, but I hand dry him in my lap, which he loves. He sits contentedly for me and turns his head this way and that to catch the stream of warm air on his neck and behind his ears where he likes it best.