Pick Up

For our parents that would like to pick up their puppy by flying in their private plane, Taylor does have a airport that we would be happy to meet you at. We are located just about 5 minutes away.

For more info:
http://www.airnav.com/airport/T74

Local Pick Up: We do not ship puppies, we want to meet you face to face. You must pick up your puppy at our home. Another option is for you to fly to Austin and return your Miniature Schnauzer puppy with you in the plane's cabin. If a health certificate is required by the airlines,there will be another $35 fee.
Schnauzer puppies are small and can ride in a carrier that fits under your seat. There is a $75 service fee for this option, which covers my expense for the trip to the airport to deliver the pup to you. We also have lots of people drive to our home to pick up their Schnauzer Puppies from other Texas cities such as Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Corpus Christi, and also from surrounding states such as Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
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How To Groom A Schnauzer

I use the Oster Turbo with 2 speeds and a #10 blade for the back and face. The legs are scissor trimmed. I also store my blade in the blade wash. Use could use a can of blade cool to cool the blades down during use.
**I don't recommend pulling the hair out of the ears though. You can use blunt tip scissors.

Videos:

*~*~*Paris Hilton at My Grandma's*~*~

Grandma, Paris and Megan

Paris and me!

My wonderful grandmother bred a couple of awesome litters of Chihuahuas. Paris Hilton was in Austin shooting a movie, came to Taylor and purchased her Chihuahua from my grandmother. The great part was that my grandmother had no clue who the heck she was. Paris treated my grandmother with the greatest respect, just like she was her own. She stayed and visited for a hour with us. That was a big day in Taylor, even made the little newspaper here.

*~Annual Dog Vaccines May Not be Necessary *~

Since the 1970s, the professor and chair of pathobiological sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine has been studying canine vaccines and has found that dogs are being over-vaccinated.

As a result, a group of canine vaccine experts has developed new veterinary guidelines that may eliminate the need to give annual shots to dogs.

Dogs receive up to 16 different vaccines each year, often combined into one shot. While four of the vaccines protect against serious diseases like rabies, canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), the others protect against much milder diseases that a dog may or may not be exposed to, such as Lyme disease.

However, over-vaccination can result in side effects such as skin problems, allergic reactions and autoimmune disease. Moreover, tumors have been found at the site of vaccine injections in cats, though not dogs.

The adverse reactions caused by vaccines have caused many veterinarians to rethink the issue of vaccination.

Evidence suggests that like humans, dogs could be vaccinated with certain vaccines early in life and be protected for a lifetime, rather than receiving yearly doses.

Reportedly, with the exception of rabies, the core vaccines, which protect against life-threatening disease, could last for seven years and should not be given more frequently than every three years. Rabies shots have a three-year duration, according to research, and should be given every three years.

In terms of the non-core vaccines, many have a shorter duration and last about one year. But according to researchers not every dog should get these vaccines because only some dogs are at risk of exposure. These vaccines, such as the shot for Lyme disease, can cause adverse effects and should only be given if the dog is at significant risk, as is the case with all vaccines.

Many veterinarians rely on annual vaccines to bring in income, so the revised recommendations may create controversy. However, researchers note that annual visits are important for other reasons such as checking for heart worm and tumors. A recently developed test can be used to check dogs’ immunity against certain diseases rather than vaccinating them each year.

Additionally, researchers say that veterinarians who have switched to three-year vaccinations, as opposed to annual vaccinations, have not had seen an increase in dogs with diseases that could be prevented by vaccines. Further, giving an animal a vaccine that's not needed creates an unnecessary risk to the animal.

Journal American Animal Hospital Association March-April 2003;39(2):119-31

from www.Mercola.com

***My two cents worth. I am a firm believer in the first series of vaccinations given at 6,9 and 12 weeks. After that it is questionable. Your vet can actually run a titer to check immunity levels before giving the series. Some vets won't do it because it is too much trouble. I think the less live virus we put into their bodies the less trouble they will have in the long run. Bordetella vaccination that is required before kenneling is one that my vet opts out on. When Holly started Triple Crown for training and they required it, he just filled out paperwork like she he had it. He said the chance of her getting it would be 1 in 5,000 and with simple Erythromycin tabs it is treatable. So he does not believe in it. But again, you have to find a vet that is willing to practice in a more holistic manner.Talk with you vet and see if you can do titers before vaccinating.

*~WHAT YOUR PET REALLY COST YOU*~

What your pet really costs you
It's easy to forget about long-term costs when you first see that fluffy tail and those big eyes. Educate yourself first, choose the right pet or breed, and learn how to reduce the expenses.

By Liz Pulliam Weston
If you've ever owned a big dog, you know they're expensive to feed.



Lifetime DOG costs:

Food*depending on brand
$55 to $150

Recurring medical expenses*
$210


Litter*
$0-40

Toys and treats*
$40

License*
$15

Health insurance*
$225

Miscellaneous*
$35

Total annual expenses
$625

Typical life span
13 years

Setup costs
$470

Total expenses
$8,235



*Annual expenses

Sources: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, MSN Money research

The annual totals include food, recurring medical care, litter (if required), toys and treats, licenses (if required) and pet insurance (on which I have mixed feelings).

Setup costs include various gear, training classes for dogs, spaying or neutering, and other initial medical costs, such as worming, basic blood tests and insertion of a microchip ID tag.

These estimates don't include:

The expenses of purchasing or adopting the animal.

Modifications you may make to your home, such as a dog door or gates.

The sometimes extraordinary price tags of veterinary care if a pet suffers an accident or develops a serious disease.

Now, anytime I write about the financial costs of pet ownership, I inevitably hear from outraged animal lovers who say you can't put a price tag on the unconditional love a pet offers.

Perhaps. But those of us who advocate responsible pet ownership -- including the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, which provided the cost figures I'm using in this column -- believe it's important to be realistic about the expenses involved so you can budget appropriately for your pet."Finding the love of your life in a dog or cat body is the easy part," said Stephanie Shain, the Humane Society's director of outreach. "The hard part is slowing down a bit and really thinking about what this involves. . . . Can you afford this pet?"

Unfortunately, it's the folks who don't think about the costs who are doing their pets and themselves a disservice:

Shelters are filled with animals abandoned because their owners can no longer afford them. The nation's mortgage crisis has increased the number of "foreclosure pets," those left behind because families can't find apartments that will accept them or can't afford the increased deposits required. As the economy deteriorates, Shain said, more owners discover the costs of food, litter or veterinary care are too much for their shrinking budgets.

Pet owners pinched by costs may be tempted to shortchange their animals by not getting regular veterinary care, for example, or resorting to cheap foods that can cause health problems.

At the other extreme, pet owners can sacrifice their own financial stability trying to care for pets they can't afford.

If you're deep in debt and struggling to make ends meet, you may long for the comfort of some furry companionship, but now isn't the time to add another pet to your household. Get your finances on track first.

If you're overwhelmed by the expenses of the pets you've already got, Shain recommended contacting local shelters, animal rescue groups and human services agencies, such as food banks, to see what help might be available.

If Your Dog Has Ticks

Here are three steps to follow.

Remove the tick immediately. An infected tick can transmit disease in only a few hours. Wear latex gloves, if possible. Use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, and pull gently. Clean your hands, the bite area, and the tweezers with disinfectant.

Place the tick in a small container of alcohol. Make note of the date. In case of future illness, tick identification will be important.

Never try to burn, smother, or otherwise get a tick to "back out." Also, do not attempt to remove a tick with your fingers. These methods do not work and can cause the tick to regurgitate more potential pathogens into the dog's skin.

Alternive way from my mom:Here is a simple way that you can get them to back out and that is by using some dish soap in a cotton
boll and laying it over the tick for a couple of minutes and they will back out because they can't breath.
Then they will get caught in the cotton because they
back out into the cotton. walla! Easy way to catch a tick.

Pack Mentality

Understanding the Nature of the Pack

Pack leaders don’t project nervousness. They don’t project panic. They don’t project tension.

What’s the same about a dog, an elephant and a horse? These animals all organize behind a leader.

People make a mistake when they treat dogs like humans. Every species has its own psychology. If we understand its psychology, we can control the behavior, because we know how to relate to them.

Newborn puppies need to find a place or status within the pack. They don’t get a name like we do, because personality is something humans create and only exists in our world. In the animal world, there are two positions: the leader and the follower. Dogs are simple; we make their lives complicated by misunderstanding what they need as a species.

Dog Speak
Dogs communicate through constant energy. The pack leader always projects a calm-assertive energy. Energy is what I call beingness: who and what you are being at every moment. (If you don’t know what I mean by calm-assertive energy, think about Oprah Winfrey. She is calm and assertive in the human world.) Pack leaders don’t project nervousness. They don’t project panic. They don’t project tension.

Simply put: the pack leader is a calm-assertive presence that provides balance to the pack. It’s also not about gender; a female or a male can become pack leader. Pack leaders control everything; nothing is open to debate.

Two Worlds Collide
When dogs come into our homes, they meet emotional energy for the first time. We shower them with affection, and they see us as excited energy. This is why dogs don’t listen to humans. Their mothers never acted this way. Where did the calm-assertive leadership go?

We often develop a different agenda for our dogs. We want to make puppies our babies. When people see a nervous or shy dog, they console her like they would another human.

In the animal world, this nurtures instability, something a pack would never do. From day one, the human fulfills himself and forgets about what’s important to the dog.

In the absence of a one hundred percent leader, the dog, even a submissive one, will seek to fill what they see as a vacant role. The dog will ignore the owner or act out in other ways. This is the beginning of giving control to the dog.

One of the most important things you can remember is that dogs are animals. If we don’t fulfill them as a species, they won’t live a balanced, centered life. Understanding and projecting a pack leader’s calm-assertive energy will create a positive and lasting connection with your dog.

from Cesar Millan website

***Dog Days Of Summer Safety Tips***

With these hot summer days we all need reminders about the heat and our fur children. Please visit www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=2958

*~*To Dock Tails or Not*~*~

This is my most favorite video in the world. These little happy schnauzers live in Australia. I wrote the guy and he was kind enough to reply.
"Hi Donna, it is now illegal to doc tails in Australia, as it is to crop ears,some breeders are still trying to do it, but the fines are heavy and it is being administered by the RSPCA but we have kept tails now for 15 years."

See this:
http://www.dogtrainingireland.ie/documents/why_taildocking_should_be_prohibited.pdf

We at SOT are very happy to leave a tail on your new baby. You must have first pick on our waitlist and full payment is required for puppy at 3 days of age. You also will need to pick your puppy on day 3 of age. Please keep in mind that we can not evaluate personalities that may best match your family when we do this. Please know that our past pups that have had tails left and been perfect fits into their new families.

*~*Jackson Family*~*

We were very proud to of placed our puppy in the Jackson family in CA. They named him "Jackson". Jackson is owned by Alejandra, Genevieve, Jermajesty, Jaafar and Randy. They are the nephews and neices of Michael Jackson.

Cocoa Mulch and Foxtails

Please read about Sugar Free Gum:
http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp
****************************
Cocoa Mulch*~*~Beware
True information about the mulch can be found here - http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoa.htm
This site gives the following information:

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called 'Theobromine'.

It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of caution: check what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in your gardens.

Theobromine is the ingredient that is used to make all chocolate especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs.

Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.

**thanks to Christy for the heads up
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*~After dry spring, foxtails making animals miserable‏
You can read this story in its entirety on the web at:http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1064154.html

**thanks Debbi