Pet Costumes and More

All dogs are beautiful and so are all pet owners beautiful. Beauty really shines in special times. Like when we can dress them up and why not! Hallowe'en doesn't have to be spooky it can be fun. If you're like me and have no human children it can be more fun.

Americans will spend 10 billion dollars on pets this Halloween this year, according to USA Today and the most popular costumes according to google are Pumpkin, Hot Dog, and Super Hero. I like the homemade costumes too and for the more creative people out there, head out to your local craft store (like Spruce Crafts pic), and put something together. One unique and somewhat easier way to approach it is to transform a new or old stuffed animal. Remove stuffing, trim, modify, and add perhaps a button or two, and your costume is complete. I will be sticking to the tried and true Cookie Monster costume as shown in the pic and I don't think the dog minds if it's the same one.

Don't forget the better choice of discount shopping at stores like Ollie's that feature a great assortment of everything pets. When you shop at Ollie's you know that they genuinely care about what goes into your fur baby's belly. The nice thing you can trust about Ollie's is the quality of pet food and treats that are nutritionally complete, veterinarian-approved, and is not only range free but human-grade food!

My menagerie consists of male and female, long-haired and short-haired rare Havanese. There are approximately 9000 of these babies in the world and less than a thousand short-haired in Canada. I am what is today known as a Pet Professional. Previously called (gasp), a breeder, a "hobby" breeder who is passionate about what I do. Which in some parts is almost a bad word. Like it or not, I love my dogs. These are pint-sized 8-14 pound love muffins with an interesting history.

Here is my story. I lost my fur family of four pets, two mixed breed dogs, one from the Humane Society plus two cats, that all lived for 14 - 21 years. The thing with a close, happy little crew is that when they age they all age together and parting is a timely thing then. They were all gone within two years of each other. With great pain and angst, I decided I would never get a pet again. The great feeling of grief makes it almost feel like a betrayal of their memory. Being a huge animal lover living without one eventually seemed a greater betrayal, to myself. So I began looking online just to see what was out there. I had no idea what I was looking for. I went to the Humane Society but I just couldn't decide if I was ready. I needed to think about it. Then by chance, I went to lunch with an author friend who mentioned that he knew someone who had puppies. I didn't know if I was ready I explained and hesitated. "You could see them first and then decide if you're not sure," he said. Of course, why not!

Also, of course, I fell in love at first sight with the little female who was a year and four months old. I stared at her and I was ready. Eight pounds of tiny with long flowing hair she darted around the room not wanting to leave at first until I picked her up. The very kind woman told me that she had mated, her 2nd heat but wasn't sure if she would be pregnant. That did not phase me at all. I brought her home.

There is a type of shock when a pet first leaves the home no matter how well the introduction goes. She got car sick which is not unusual, all over my new suede coat and his vehicle. Being a gentleman he shook it off and so did I. So the first thing I did when I got her home was to give her a warm bubble bath then sat her on the bed and blow-dried her and she actually fell asleep. I crawled into bed with her carefully so as not to disturb her. She woke me up consistently every two hours to play, being excited in her new home and I buried my head in her fur, so happy.

Housetraining started the next day. I knew she was confused about where to go in the new home so we went outside every two hours for that first weekend so she got used to where the door is and her pee schedule. It worked like a charm in a few weeks we had a schedule down. The little doll refused to eat for the first couple of days and in a panic, I bought every type of food on the shelf, dry and canned and treats trying to coax her to eat. "She will eat when she is hungry," was the common sense advice and sure enough she did, in massive amounts. I had a new companion, a new baby, my fur friend. She was small and compact so I could take her almost everywhere which I loved. She wouldn't replace the others in my heart but gave my heart a new beginning.

I carefully watched her belly to see if it was growing. Long in the torso, she showed no signs of getting bigger. A dame gestates for 54 days almost exactly. It took up to almost 35 days then I swear it was practically overnight there was her bump. Then over the next weekend, the bump turned watermelon-sized. Then I got on the phone to the Vet. I must have called five times for advice. "Relax, they said, it all comes naturally, it is amazing to see." I spoiled her, I gave her any treat she wanted. I played Mozart for her for the Mozart Effect. A study showed that human infants would develop faster if listening to Mozart music. I sang her lullabies and I still do. I've never had children and I would sometimes lay her on my belly and she would doze off and I could feel the puppies inside her moving. I swear at one point I could hear the mewing in that little-big tummy. 54 days came and passed and still no puppies. I began to worry, she carried them late is all, 64 days! Everything about her is rare.

It was March, early signs of spring had already happened and typical for some Canadian springs there was a blizzard. I woke to a muffled quiet outdoors that usually happens after a massive snowfall and everything is closed, and cars are still buried in the snow, there is not a sound outside. Then I heard it, a squeak. I was so excited I sat up in bed and looked in the corner to where I had prepared blankets for her to lay on and she wasn't there? Then I heard a squeak again and crawled to look over the foot of the bed and there she was with one puppy already born and another one she was cleaning. I so very softly sat next to her and was in absolute awe. I had never seen anything like this. She was magnificent. I am sure they all are and just as the Vet had said, it all came naturally. She tucked her little head under, chewed the cord and she had them sparkling clean and they suckled right away. The morning sunlight shone through the window as I held a newborn puppy in my hand to admire her and it was a magical moment. God is nature and all was well.

The very next day I was aghast when she tried to move them and put them in her mouth to carry them around. What was she doing?! She was digging everywhere as if trying to find a place to put them and didn't seem interested in the pile of blankets I had out. So I took to Google and researched everything I could on why she would be trying to carry them until finally, I found what was referred to as a Whelping Pen. New mothers want a protected area, something with sides and a top on it so she feels safe with the puppies. Why didn't I think of this before? I didn't come across it in my previous research. Thinking on my feet now, because there was a blizzard outside, the snowplow had not gone by yet and for life or death I wasn't leaving her side I rummaged through the spare room and found some leftover large moving boxes. With scissors and good 'ol duct tape, I fashioned a bassinette for her where it was open on one end and had an arched cover on the other end. Then I draped my best-flowered flannel bed sheets over the ensemble and a cushion on one end, her dishes in the other, and voila! A luxury store's item couldn't look better. Crisis averted. She nestled in happily with pups and started eating again.

I sat for many hours observing and watching those little guys. I would switch them nursing so they all had their fair share of the most milk. I watched her every move of how she cared for them, cleaning, feeding, carrying. She sat on the end of the bed once and watched them with me and then turned her little head to look at me as if to say, "look, look what I did." Yes, little angel, you did a good thing. I don't care what anyone says dogs love having babies as much as people do, They love it, they live for it, it is as natural for them as for a human being and they are truly happy.

Later, she had a little buddy and I did not plan to become a pet professional/breeder. I just fell into it and love it. Two years later I was studying at home while in post-grad studies. I didn't know she was in season. I went to make a cup of tea and within literally three minutes by the time I walked back into the room they were stuck together. Oh my! I shrieked, I worried, I prayed out loud to God and the holy mother to get them unstuck. I had no idea what their uh, process was like.

Later when that litter was born, I had a moment of concern. How am I going to do this? Then just as quickly I got into motion and without thinking had everything prepared and graduated from the cardboard bassinet to a proper puppy playpen. Again, all was well.

I began to research the breed more by talking to breeders. I was getting replies to ads from New York, the west coast, the east coast and I was surprised. To my amazement, they just happened to be a rare breed with an interesting history. Havanese almost went extinct in the 1970's when the last of them in Cuba were almost wiped out by the Revolution. Two families who managed to escape the country were able to get their dogs to the United States and the rest were decimated. From there a Mrs. Goodall claimed 11 Havanese and began her own line essentially saving the breed and beginning to repopulate them. She did that for approximately 20 years until they were registered as a new breed of purebreds being first registered in the UK before North America because they were the only registry wanting to take on a new breed at the time.

I called my city hall, was there something I needed to do? They are registered purebreds I explained. That didn't matter, there is nothing required to have a home-based business with puppies I was told. If I wanted to later expand then I could get a kennel and was encouraged to go to the City Hall and get more information. Everyone was so nice.

Now, talking to about a dozen breeders I can honestly say there is not a more kind and devoted group of people. They all take their work seriously and it is work. It is not all "coochy choochy coo" all day with puppies. You are a midwife, you are caretaker, mommy assistant, marketer, advertiser, researcher, advisor, knowledgeable about your breed, breeding, and registries, and number one poop cleaner. You are also using skills talking to different people all the time. You are averaging 5 hours of sleep at times and when pups are little, getting up every two hours to check on them. A top breeder can have 10 litters a year. A Hobby breeder can have 2-4 litters per year. A litter can be 2 puppies or 10 puppies. You are also a screener of applicants and this part is important. You have to be able to tell ad replies that can be from a mill and disguised, or from animal activists who think you're making fur coats out of them and hack your ads, or better yet is the time I searched an IP address that had hit my website fourteen times to find it was a company that does testing on animals. A company that is on Peta's list also and that is not something you skirt around. That is something you address and I did. Then there are the scary stories of breeders having their litters stolen from people wanting to do viewing appointments. That does not happen often however and there are precautions you can take.

For those who wish to throw stones, let me start by saying I have heard it all. I would like to point out however that the movement to control overpopulation began against mills which are warehouses, not breeders. Fixed however in people's minds is the dilemma or old media. However, if you do research you would know that in the province I live in, for example, the last time I researched in the past year showed that seven years ago there were approximately 10,000 ads for pets for a population of 3 million people which is not bad, certainly not over-populating. Now, there are less than 3,000 pet ads for the same population of 3 million+ on one Ad venue which is shocking.

Back to costume planning for Halloween. I think this year will be a combo of store costumes already bought and the quick and easy pointy hats and doll clothes. I am genuinely looking forward to a Halloween at-home movie night and lots of picture taking.

Pets don't just give companionship, they teach children and youth skills and values like caretaking, compassion, teaching, guiding, protecting. and just plain old fun. How much more fun can there be than sharing treats for Halloween with your furry companion? Don't forget the treats especially made for them. One treat for you and one treat for me.

Poems I, by Lisa A Lachapelle, Indie Published:

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In USA/Int'l

By Lisa Lachapelle, Writer, Author. More of her work here and here.