San Mateo, California is About to Become a Lot Cleaner!

We would like welcome Paulette and Rick Nava to our growing team of franchises. Paulette and Rick will provide pet waste removal service to dog owners, apartment communities, and home owners associations in and around San Mateo, California starting this February.

In many parts of the country February weather is grueling.  Gloom, wind, snow, and cold make it the nastiest month to scoop poop. There is a bright spot: Valentine's Day!  Refer a friend or a loved one to us and brighten their day and we'll brighten yours with one week of free service.

If you have comments, suggestions, or story ideas, we would love to hear from you! You can contact us at DoggyDish@DoodyCalls.com.

Cool Dog Riddles

Kids! Click here to download a fun coloring page with some hilarious doggy riddles. Do you know any good ones?

Them There’s Fighting Words

Part 2 of 2 | Read Part 1

In both people and pets, language differences can lead to misunderstanding and conflict.  If you’re a dog trying to communicate with a cat, a dictionary would help!  We set the stage in the December Doggie Dish, where we left our cat rolled over, and our dog ready to give her a playful nuzzle. 

Dogs, in their interactions with other dogs, spend much of their time working out positions of dominance or submissiveness.  They clearly read each other’s body language for this purpose.  But dogs who have had little experience with cats may misinterpret critical signals.  Similar postures in cat and dog body language often have opposite meanings. 

Returning to our canine/feline pair, look at some of their “language barriers.”  In pushing her head against the dog (a “head butt”), or brushing her body against his, our cat was expressing affection, mingling her scent with that of the dog.  However, when one dog leans against another dog, it is usually asserting higher social rank, and claiming a larger “personal space.”  No wonder he was confused!

Initially, with her tail extended upward, our cat was signaling that she was in a good mood and happy to say hello.  This can also confuse a dog, since a stiff tail held upward—combined with other body signals— is canine body language for: “I’m boss here and if you challenge me I’ll prove it.”

The cat, now beginning to distrust the dog, has rolled over.  From the dog’s point of view, rolling over is a submissive posture, meaning, “You’re in charge—don’t hurt me.”  It is true that rolling to the side or back may indicate a relaxed posture in cats, and cats do sometimes beg a belly rub from favorite humans, but often cats do this to leave teeth, claws and powerful hind legs available to swing into action for a spirited defense!  Our dog, uninitiated to the ways of cats, may soon discover that nuzzling a cat’s belly can be a very bad idea.

With experience, especially if a cat and a dog are raised together and live in the same home, they learn to read each other’s body language and often become good friends.  But if you really want to know how much your cat and dog have come to accept one another—and maybe even like one another—see if they happily share their sleeping space.  If they do, you’ve got it made.

Mr. Lincoln and Fido

On February 19th the nation celebrates Presidents’ Day, officially recognizing the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  A great president, Lincoln also was an indulgent parent, a loving husband, and an animal lover.  At different times, the Lincoln family had a variety of pets – including  ponies, goats, a rabbit, and a turkey -- and Mr. Lincoln loved cats and dogs. 

Before moving to Washington, the Lincoln family dog was a floppy-eared yellowish mixed-breed named Fido.  Fido did not accompany the Lincolns to Washington, because the president-elect noticed that loud noises frightened him.  Instead, Fido remained in the care of the children of the carpenter John Roll, who had remodeled the Lincoln home in Springfield, Illinois.  So attached were the Lincolns to Fido that shortly before leaving for the capital they had him photographed.  By all accounts, he was loyal, loveable, and spoiled and was often seen accompanying Mr. Lincoln to the market with a package in his mouth.  The Roll family was asked never to scold Fido if he entered the house with muddy paws, to allow him inside whenever he scratched at the door, and to feed him whenever he came to the dinner table.  Fido loved to sleep on a particular horsehair sofa and the Lincolns give it to the Rolls to help him feel at home.  After the president’s assassination John Roll brought Fido to the Lincoln home in Springfield to meet the mourners that gathered there. 

For more on Fido (including pictures), visit:

• Fido: The Lincolns’ Dog,
• Fido at The Presidential Pet Museum and
• The National Park Service’s Lincoln Pets

and for an introduction to presidential pets, visit:

• The Presidential Pet Museum and
• The federal government’s White House Web site.

Lincoln’s canine companion in Washington, who often ate lunch with him, was named Jip.  Much less is known about him.

Does Your Good Dog Have Bad Breath?

Do you turn your head, wrinkle your nose and try not to breathe when your dog gives you “kisses”?  Doggy breath is fertile material for comedy routines, but it’s really no joke.  If your good dog has bad breath it can mean he’s suffering from oral disease.  According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, oral disease is the number one health problem diagnosed in dogs and cats, and an astounding 80 percent of dogs show signs of this condition by age three. 

The disease proceeds in dogs much as it does in humans.  Initially, bacteria, saliva and food debris form plaque on the teeth and gums.  The plaque hardens into calculus, irritating the gums, which then become red and swollen.  Pockets filled with bacteria can form between the teeth and gums, allowing bacteria to attack the jawbone and roots of the teeth.  Warning signs that your dog may have dental problems include bad breath, visible tartar buildup on the teeth, abscessed teeth, bleeding gums, mouth pain, and a change in eating habits.  Unchecked, this disease, called periodontitis, can lead to tooth loss.  Bacteria can even travel through the bloodstream to settle in major organs like the heart, liver and kidneys, where they can cause serious damage or even death.

February is National Pet Dental Health Month, so now is a great time to take action and begin preventive care.  Fortunately, you can help your dog avoid periodontal disease through a combination of veterinary care and home preventive measures.

• Take your dog to your veterinarian for regular physical exams.  As part of the health evaluation, your vet will check the condition of his mouth.
• Depending on your dog’s oral health, your veterinarian may recommend a good dental cleaning and polishing.  If he has severe disease, extractions of loose, decayed or painful teeth may be performed to put your pet’s mouth back on track.
• You should talk to your vet about preventive measures you can take at home, including daily tooth brushing.  Your vet may also recommend certain foods or chew toys.

Most dogs will learn to accept or even look forward to daily tooth brushing, thanks to tasty toothpaste made especially for them.  Click on the following link for a terrific video demonstrating how to introduce your dog to tooth brushing and guide you in canine brushing techniques:  PetEducation.Com’s Brushing Teeth.

John Bright Does DoodyCalls Proud!

Congratulations to John Bright, owner of the DoodyCalls franchise in Alexandria, Virginia, for winning 2nd place in the turd herding contest at the fourth annual Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists (aPAWS) convention that met in Las Vegas in early January.  With agility and good humor, John triumphed over all but one of thirty “turd herders” who raced around a course for three minutes to see who could round up the most plastic poops.