Dogs make the holidays better – FDL Issue 13

Best of FDL 12/14-12/20: Holiday photos, freezers, fine dog support

Dec 21, 2020

Welcome to the Fine Dog Living weekly newsletter – curated content from the FDL Facebook group + a little editorial riffing by me, Lisa Murnan.

Ribbons make great ornaments!

Check out Dan N.’s awesome Christmas tree with flyball ribbons all over it in honor of his 16-year-old Border Collie, Tucson. (What a great idea!!!! Where are my ribbons?? I know there’s a box of them around here somewhere.)

Dog holiday photos

Natalia D. managed to catch a fantastic holiday photo on her first try! Here’s what she said: “I’m super proud of this photo. We used a tripod and two phones. One phone on the tripod and the other phone playing coyote noises so my dogs would look at the camera lol. And we got this on the first try! Even my LGD got in on the picture and did great. Let’s see everyone’s holiday photos!”

If you’re wondering what tripod Natalia used, it’s the Ubeesize Selfie Stick Tripod ($25.99 on Amazon).

Some of the great photos in the comments:

Clover here is smiling so prettily (and keeping her hat on) because Jacob is bribing her with a Hero disc right now. Courtesy of Jacob P. 🍀🥏

That cute cranky old lady on the bottom left is named Fly and just turned 15 last Saturday ❤️ Courtesy of Stephanie B.

Molly, 12 (top left), Jinx, 6 (top right), Domino, 2 (bottom left), Cable, 2 (bottom right). Domino and Cable are siblings and Jinx is their mom. Molly is Jinx’s aunt. Courtesy of Vanessa C. 🎄

Hey world, meet the beautiful Vera (Dagobah's Affirmed Veracity)! 12 weeks old in this photo. 🎁 Courtesy of Dani S., Dani Renee Portraits

The lumberjack look (best buds Moose & Beau).Courtesy of Lisa S. 🔥🪓

5 Golden (Rings) with Mr. & Mrs. Claus. Courtesy of Denise M. 🎅🤶

A Very Quarantined Christmas. Courtesy of Stacy P. 😷🧻

This one is a classic! Look at those expressions! They even got the cat in on it. 🐱 Courtesy of Carmen H.

Freezers!

Donnette D. asked the group: “I just joined a raw co-op to save a little $ so now I need a separate freezer for my raw and would love your advice! I’ll order 105lbs monthly +/-. I just ordered 5lb chubs and want enough room for food but prefer as small a freezer as possible for my garage. I have room for bigger..it’s just a preference. Any advice on upright vs chest, size, etc?”

The group overwhelmingly recommended an upright freezer, and recommended she look for them at Costco, Sams, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. (Apparently there is a freezer shortage right now and they’re hard to come by?)

Some of the comments:

Upright all the way

Upright is better for organization, chest freezers are best for being able to hold a lot. With only 100lbs a month, go with upright. You will be happier, trust me lol….I'd also get a frost free freezer if you can. Ice build up will impact your space eventually….I also have a chest freezer and while it holds SO much food, I hate it lol I take out what I'm going to be feeding in the next month or so and it stays in the upright. Chest freezer is really just for storage.

I had a chest freezer and regretted it because it was hard to organize it when it was full. Digging through a cold freezer for a certain protein was a pain. It's not as big of an issue if you're only stocking up on one type of raw, but I opted for an upright when I moved.

I started with a chest freezer and quickly switched to an upright. I store about 120 pounds of food and digging through the chest freezer was a total PIA. Love my upright.

I have a big chest freezer and have to defrost about quarterly. Don't think they come frost free. I thought I read a while back that chest freezers use less electricity, so you might want to look into that too. Regardless, I will probably buy an upright next time.

If you’re just going to store chubs and not any preportioned meals get a chest freezer. I store my bulk in a chest and my meals in a stand up.

Try Craigslist. But I found that freezers are like potato chips: once you have one, you really, really need another one and then you really need one more. Especially during COVID, it’s been great buying whatever I could get my hands on, especially when stores were empty, and freeze it: bread, meat, cheese, vegetables. My dog’s raw is now at the bottom and I have to move all my stuff to get to it. Personally, I would go big. You can never have too much freezer space.

Of course, if you’re as organized as commenters Mariah C. and Lydia M., go ahead with the chest freezer. Check out this freezer organization porn 🤩:

(Note: I loved these so much that I asked Mariah and Lydia if they would help FDL get organized in 2021 - stay tuned!)

Molly M. also posted this photo for size context. 🤣

Fine dog support

This post is a few weeks old, but as the 2020 shitshow winds down and we reflect on the challenges of the year and look hopefully toward 2021, I thought this one was important to share. We’re all in this together! Todd and I have 11 dogs (and 2 teenagers) and I can promise you that there are days at our house that are NOT Fine Dog Living.

Lisa L. wrote: “Having a multi-dog meltdown. Looking for support... My life is consumed with FDL, but the "Fine" is definitely more about creating a dream life for each dog.

Today I needed to find socks that did NOT have holes in them for ME to wear with my boots when I take the dogs out. As I feverishly searched my dilapidated collection of socks circa the 1990s, my main concern was that my dogs needed to go out, to potty and be "enriched". There is NO time for me and my stupid needs. Dogs' needs must be met before the sun goes down. This is classic OCD behavior and I always live with the guilt of spending too much time on non-dog tasks.

Here's the rub... I build training into everyday stuff, especially for the 9-month-old "teenage" border collie. When the meltdown occurs, I have no patience for any of it. I intend to train or play or engage with the dogs and instead I KNOW I must simply meet their basic needs, crate them, and go away to have the meltdown, so I don't damage their "delicate psyches"().

The vicious cycle of guilt for having to protect them from me is more than I can bear today. I need someone to tell me they relate. Dogs are safe (but dissatisfied) in their crates right now. I am trying to save my patience for an agility class ( that my terrier thinks is bullshit, because she only wants flyball) which is back to back with my puppy's "Mind Your Manners" class tonight following the agility.

Both activities are socially distanced and masked which make them all the more challenging and requiring extra patience from me... Help!”

Top comments:

You are not alone at all. Some days me doing my best is outside play time with each other and puzzle toys in crates if I can even find them. Not every day has to be filled with training. Some days it’s just about surviving. Sending happy thoughts your way.

Hugs to you. You are not alone. And here's a little suggestion - your self-care is as important if not more important than their enrichment, because dogs know when you're frazzled, pressured, and stressed, no matter the brave face. In fact, I would let your most empathetic one sit and cuddle with you, take care of you, a little bit when you're this frazzled. And schedule yourself time - time to sit, time to chill. Even the most crazy border collie needs time spent sitting on the couch with Mom.

I have some similar symptoms, and I’m sorry you have these feelings. They suck. Your pups really will be fine without training or enrichment every day, but it is hard to overcome that guilt! 🙁 Some suggestions in case you are interested in changing the feelings (I am not sure of your life circumstances!): 1) could you hire a walker or pay for daycare for some of them? Sometimes those people can also provide training. 2) could you rehome any to help your mental health? 3) could you prepare independent enrichment like frozen kongs and such so it’s less pressure on you? And 4) could you give up the stressful activities? I used to do agility but I was constantly anxious. I stopped, and started dock diving and nosework and I am WAY less stressed! Hope some of these help. You are not alone! And you’re a great dog mom just for being so concerned about their well-being.

You’re def not alone. Sometimes as long as everyone is fed and let out that’s all you can do.

I have 2 dogs. 2. No more. As much as I adore dogs...their company, training, showing, etc., more than 2 and it’s not enjoyable for me. It becomes a chore. Dogs are a part of my life, but about 15 years ago I realized they were pretty much my WHOLE life. And, for me, that wasn’t healthy. So I started doing things that were minimally dog related (pet therapy) or not at all related (hospice volunteering & adult literacy). My life is much more balanced AND I’ve learned to give myself “days off” from doggie activities.

This is a really dumb mental trick but it works: Think of your future self as a totally separate person, Future Lisa, who needs some help. Treat her the way you would treat one of your dogs or a friend. If you are pawing through your drawers and frustrated you don't have socks, pick up the phone and order Future Lisa some socks from Amazon. There. And when they come and you are Lisa opening them, think, "Hey, thanks Past Lisa! That was awesome!" When making dog meals, chuck some extra in a few Kongs you can toss out. Think "This could help Future Lisa grab a shower without feeling guilty." By externalizing the person you are caring for, it can make it easier to make that future self a priority as much as everyone and everything else is. And by thanking your past self for the effort, you cultivate a mindset of thankfulness and validating yourself for being a pretty great friend to your current self. Also, make fewer rules. If you don't have a pair of socks, pick two from two different pairs that are good enough. Slap a piece of duct tape over the hole and deem it good enough for now. Make "good enough is good enough" a mantra.

It's okay for dogs to have a day or few of hanging out and not doing much. It's even healthy for them to have downtime and just 'be'. Being in the dog world seems to put so much burden on people to 'do all the things' and make it feel like they are failing if they take a day or two for them and not include the dog(s). It is okay to crate dogs (or leave loose and let them nap/chill and ignore them) and do your things. It is okay to relax at home and not train, exercise, focus on the dogs. They will adjust and you all will be happy together. You've got this.