Camas Washington's Dog Days of Summer

Here I am riding shot gun.

I’ll be off to Sunriver, but if you are in the Vancouver, Washington area you might want to check out this dog event.

July’s First Friday in downtown Camas is a fun celebration for dogs and their best friends. “Dog Days of Summer” will bring doggie fashion and talent shows with prizes, vendors, kids’ crafts with a dog theme, a dog breed guessing activity in participating businesses, and more.

All Camas dogs are welcome, (leashes required).

The dog fashion show/costume contest begins at 6 p.m. Judges will award prizes to the cutest, most creative, and the funniest costumes. The talent contest begins at 7 p.m, with awards presented to the most clever, most difficult, and cutest talents. Sign up at the Downtown Camas Association table, up to 15 minutes before each show. No cost to enter.

The West Columbia Gorge Humane Society will be on hand with info on dog adoption and a fun “Find the Treat” game for dogs. There will also be a dog and owner look-alike contest. Additional highlights include live music, a visit from the Hello Waffle cart, Paint Roller Mobile Paint Party and more. The event runs from 5 to 9 p.m. this Friday, July 1. To learn more, click here.

Love, Cinnamon

Good News: Escape from Fireworks

Well, I wouldn’t have known it but I peeked at my owner’s Facebook posts and guess what I saw… we are leaving town for the 4^th of July. Yep, getting out of the ‘Couve. Escaping the horrors of fireworks!

Road Trip to Sunriver!

I’m so excited! Imagine a week without Crackle, Snap, Pop and Boom! And the smoke and the roar in the distance. And the bright lights over our house… just trying to set it on fire.

And, imagine… I don’t have to build a bunker this year. Yay!

So where are we going? We are headed for Sunriver Oregon, a place where they love dogs and don’t allow fireworks. We’ll try to report back but I’m not taking my laptop… just my iPhone. I can post photos on Facebook and Instagram, at least.

I feel kinda bad for the other animals who have to endure the cruel fireworks. And I hope my house doesn't burn down.

Love, Cinnamon

Francesca Racks up 8K on the Washougal Volksmarch

Hi, it’s me, Francesca, Staff Writer for Coonhound Tales.

I have another volksmarch story for you today. The All Weather Walkers held a walk in Washougal, Washington. That’s usually where we do the walk along the Columbia River on the dike. But today they surprised us with a brand new route.

When we pulled in to the parking lot, I got all excited. I was barking and the people could hear me! As soon as I got out of the car, I ran over to the registration tent so we could sign up and GET GOING!

So what do you think about my new harness?
It's kind of like a tracking harness... really strong, like me!

Between you and me, I have to share that we started about 5 minutes before the walk opened. I was that wound up!

The first interesting thing we encountered was a dog. A big dog. But this one didn’t move. I went up to sniff him and check him out. He still didn’t move. I found out that this was a statue of Seaman, the dog that accompanied Lewis and Clark on their expedition, including a stop in Washougal. So I got my picture taken with a famous, historic dog.

Here I am checking out Seaman. I couldn't understand
why he didn't move. Then I read the plaque

This was a town walk but there were some parks and schools and a little bit along the Washougal River. So I kept my eyes peeled for wildlife. Mostly we saw gardens filled with flowers. Then we walked past my old dog park. I wanted to go in but we were following the pink arrows so we kept going.

We saw lots of homes and gardens on this walk.

I was pretty good and kept up the pace. I only stopped for water once. I looked longingly down at the Washougal River but the route didn’t take us to the banks. We were just out of the park walking down a street when the excitement happened. I smelled a cat! I put my head in the bushes and there he was. A dratted cat! I barked and pulled but my owner didn’t let me chase him.

Just down the block there was a REAL REASON FOR EXCITEMENT. I saw a squirrel cross the road. I went bananas. I barked, I pulled and I wouldn’t stop. My owner had to get a friend of hers to stop and divert my attention… which worked. We walked with them for a little while and I was behaving myself. Yep!

After I calmed down, we could stop and smell the roses.

Just about then the walk was finished. I lapped up some water that the All Weather Walkers had left out for dogs and looked forward to the ride home in my crate and some sleep.

We had walked 8K and I was tired!

Love, Francesca

Wordless Wednesday: Dog Days of Summer

The first day of Summer wore me out!

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Announcement: Francesca promoted to Staff Writer

Francesca has been with Coonhound Tales for a year now. She has learned a lot from me, Cinnamon. She's written some good articles and some not so good articles. We recently did a survey of readers and they, overwhelmingly, supported a promotion for Francesca. The jury is still out on whether she deserves a cost of living raise though so I just gave her a Nylabone bonus instead.

Here's Francesca and her Nylabone bonus

Here's a good shot of Francesca's new Press Pass Badge

So today, in a brief ceremony, I announced on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook that Francesca is now a Staff Writer for Coonhound Tales. I posted pictures of her with her new press pass.

Right after the announcement, Francesca quickly chewed up half of her press pass. In the excitement, she ignored the Nylabone.

Jeesh.

Love, Cinnamon, the Coonhound, Editor of Coonhound Tales

Francesca's First 10K Volkssport Event - Complete with Terrifying Things

Hi, it's me, Francesca. I suppose it's only fitting that my first 10K distance volksmarch should be at the location where I did my first volksmarch ever... North Bonneville, WA.

It was a drizzly day when we packed up and headed east on Hwy 14. I settled in, sensing I'd be in the car awhile. We went past the Doggie Day Care, past the dog park and past the turnoff for the Doggie Country Club in Washougal.

Here's the dam gushing away.
I hear the fish can get upstream by using a fish ladder.

So after awhile we pulled up to park within view of a massive dam... it was the Bonneville Dam and it was gushing water. I was very excited to finally get out of the car. I spied some pink and green ribbons in the distance. We were on a volksmarch! Usually we follow the green 5K distance markers but today... I had my pink leash and harness on. Today was a 10K kinda day, all misty and cool. I was up for it! So we chose to follow the pink markers.

At this point I decided to follow the pink markers.
After all, they matched my leash and harness!

What I didn't realize was that this 10K wouldn't be all squirrels and kitty cats. It was going to be a terrifying foray into an unknown zone.

So we followed a path into the woods and took a brochure on the history and remains of Fort Cascades. We went through a place with mossy rocks and then I spied a petroglyph on a mossy rock. The ancient eyes peered out at me. But I didn't get scared because it was only a replica. Soon we were out of the woods and I spied a cat in a field. I stared at it and it stared back. But when it ran away, I couldn't take chase. I was on a leash. Drat!

Here's the petroglyph. A little scary but
nothing like what was to come!

As we walked through town I saw a sign pointing out all the trails that you can choose from in North Bonneville. But there weren't any dogs out on the trails. They seemed to be in fenced yards. I soon found out why.

The Totem Pole of Doom
I walked by a grassy field and was sniffing around when all of a sudden I looked up and saw this strange pole with big black things on top. I got scared! It must have been the Totem Pole of Doom... just looking down at me menacingly. My owner said it was a tower with sirens on top, in case of a flood. But I didn't believe her. I wanted to get outta there fast!

The Sasquatch on the Links
So then we walked across the bridge. I looked up at the light posts because I was still a bit scared. And then I saw it. On the edge of the golf course was a figure.. a scary figure. Now I had read about the Sasquatch Trail but never thought we would encounter one... but we did. I pulled hard to get away. The Sasquatch had some golfers in mind for his next meal. Not me. So we got away from there fast!

Here's the Sasquatch.
This really scared me. This is as close as I would go!

The Bear of Strawberry Island
After encountering yet another Sasquatch, this one near the ball field, I was ready to go home. But, no... we had to walk out on Strawberry Island first. We were walking along the grassy trail when we spied... Bear scat! I held my nose high to see if I could sniff a bear. My owner decided to turn around and go another way to avoid the bears. Good move, I thought!

Is that a bear over there?

I was happier as we left Strawberry Island and returned to the trail through the woods. It was farewell to the Totem Pole of Doom, farewell to the Sasquatch and good riddance to any bears that inhabited Strawberry Island!

When I hopped into the car I realized how tired I was. I was used to doing 5K volksmarches and today, I completed a very terrifying 10K volksmarch.

I couldn't wait to tell Cinnamon about my adventure. I slept all the way home. I was bushed!

One tired coonhound.

Take Our Survey: Francesca's One Year Anniversary - Decisions to be made

Last July, Francesca was brought on as an intern with Coonhound Tales. I, Cinnamon, need to make some decisions regarding promoting her and giving her more compensation. Please take the survey and let me know what you think.

Create your own user feedback survey

On Baths: How to Bathe a Dog and Why Cinnamon got a Bath

I, Cinnamon, have lucked out. While Francesca has had numerous baths because she likes to get dirty when she’s playing, I haven’t had to go near the dreaded bathtub.

Here’s how I do it:
1. I don’t roll in stuff at the dog park
2. I avoid mud.
3. I don’t play rough with other dogs.
4. I make sure Francesca is much dirtier than I am so she is the one who gets the bath!

But my luck ran out this week when my owner noticed that my skin was getting flaky. I guess you’d say I have dandruff. She thought, since I had not had a bath in many months, that a good scrubbing would help my skin.

 

Here I am, still wet, waiting to go outside and run around.
You can see my fur is shinier now.
You can also see that I am giving my owner the Stink Eye!

So I heard the water running and thought about making my escape. But my owner put the leash on me and, after that, I just calmly walked into the bathroom and jumped into the tub. No need to struggle… it just gets me frustrated.

So here’s the right way to bathe a dog (I looked it up on the Internet):

1.     Brush your dog first to get the loose stuff out and remove any matted hair (that’s for long haired dogs).

2.     Either put cotton balls in your dogs ears to keep the water out or make sure you don’t get your dog’s head wet.

3.     Prepare the bath with warm water. Not hot water. Not cold water.

4.     Use dog shampoo, scrub your dog’s skin and fur (my favorite part) and rinse it out well, really well.

5.     Give your dog a treat afterwards for enduring the bath.

6.     Short haired dogs can be towel dried or air dried on a warm day in the sun. Long haired dogs can benefit from a hair dryer unless it scares them too much.

So I had my bath and got towel dried. I then ran around the yard like crazy which helped me air dry. I spent the rest of the day lazing in the sun.

So did it get rid of my dandruff? I think it might have. I still see some, but I feel better and my fur is much shinier!

Love, Clean Cinnamon

#12Bravecto - Find Out Why Cinnamon the Coonhound Never has Fleas or Ticks

Hi. It’s me, Cinnamon. I’ll bet you wonder why I never, never get fleas or ticks? Well, believe it or not, it’s because of a tasty chewable extended duration flea and tick control that I only take every 12 weeks? And I have it with my food. Yep, it’s true

Flea and Tick free Cinnamon

This post is sponsored by BRAVECTO® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help share information about BRAVECTO.  But we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Neither Intervet Inc., nor Merck & Co Inc., are responsible for the content of this article and have not written, reviewed, or edited it in any fashion. For more information about BRAVECTO please click here.   )

When I was first adopted in Santa Fe, New Mexico we thought the state of the art flea and tick control was this messy green stuff that my owner had to squeeze on to my skin. We tried that and my owner got so much of it on her hands she thought she’d be the one protected from fleas and ticks, not me! And what she could squeeze onto my fur, didn’t always get down through my thick hair to my skin. And what did, probably got rubbed off when I went into the house to roll on her beautiful Zapotec rug to get it off!

I hang out in the woods as much as I can

So we were glad when we moved to Vancouver, Washington and met our current vet, Dr. Scott Kepner. He reviewed my medical history, checked me out and said that he prescribed BRAVECTO® (Fluralaner). He set up an account with a mail order service so our owner, who can get rather busy, doesn’t forget to give it to us on time.

BRAVECTO chews are dosed according to your dog's weight.

Francesca and I both get our flea and tick prevention in the mail just at the right time when the dose is due. We encourage dog owners (dogs must be fully grown) to take their dog to the vet so that they can begin flea and tick prevention with BRAVECTO and ask your vet if they work with a service that sends it out automatically.

Oh no! It's a flea!

In case you don’t know, fleas are the most common parasite found on dogs and cats and can be a major problem for the whole family because they bite people too! Fleas can carry serious diseases, some even life threatening. One reason I think I don’t get fleas is because BRAVECTO is long lasting. The flea’s life cycle is long and those monthly treatments may leave gaps in protection, allowing a re-infestation of your dog and your home. It can take several months to get rid of those little buggers once you get them. Yuck!

I'm all for playing in the grass but don't want to get one of these ticks on me!

And then there are ticks. Now I like to run through the grasses at the dog park and in the countryside. Ticks hide in there… I just know it.  BRAVECTO kills ticks (black-legged tick, American dog tick, and brown dog tick) for 12 weeks.  Bravecto also kills lone start ticks for 8 weeks. If you have ever gotten a tick you know how hard they are to remove and that hurts!

My owner says the best part of using BRAVECTO is that she has pretty much forgotten what it’s like to see a flea or a tick on Francesca or on me. We just don’t worry about it anymore. That means more time at the dog park and going for walks, even in tall grassy areas.

And, just between you and me… I love the taste of it. I gobble up my dose before even touching the kibble when my owner puts it on my food. 

Ask your vet about BRAVECTO on your next visit.      

More Information

If you are new to BRAVECTO, signing up for MyPet.com My Pet Rewards can help you save money while protecting your dog from fleas and ticks. Register for savings here.

Merck Animal Health is on Facebook and on Twitter.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information published. However, it remains the responsibility of the readers to familiarize themselves with the product information contained on the USA product label or package. More product information is available here: https://intervetus.naccvp.com/product/view/1047512?e=d97b22ed63e734e84c1a5910a9c8f531z1688

Fight, Fight: Both sides tell their story

Last night, we were outside just being glad that the weather had cooled down. And, then it happened. We will both tell our versions of the BIG FIGHT but of course, I, Cinnamon, am right.

Francesca: She is not

Cinnamon: We were looking around for some toys to play with and our owner brought out the whole toy box. There were balls, torn animal toys and ropes. Too many toys. I spied my favorite grey squirrel toy and decided, to myself, that I would play with that one. All of a sudden Francesca went for that same toy. Why?

Francesca: I like the grey squirrel toy and decided I wanted to play with it and shake it. Cinnamon and I always play tug o war with toys. So what’s the big deal? So what if Cinnamon was going to pick it up!

Cinnamon: I had my eye on the toy and my body language said it was mine. Francesca rushed in and went for it ignoring my body language. So I lunged at her with a big growl to back her off.

Francesca: Usually I back off when Cinnamon lunges at me. Or was she playing? I didn’t know. So I picked up the squirrel toy. Then she came at me again. I got scared and decided to hold my ground. We ended up lunging at each other and rolling around on the ground both at each others’ throats. My adrenaline was running high. I didn’t back off.

Cinnamon: Our owner got scared and tried to break us up but we weren’t paying a bit of attention to her. Just to OUR FIGHT.

Francesca: Cinnamon wouldn’t back off so I couldn’t back off. I could taste her fur in my mouth. By now I had forgotten all about the squirrel toy.

Cinnamon: I was fighting for my life. Francesca wouldn’t back off.

Francesca: I don’t know what happened but somehow our owner broke it up and she was mad at both of us.

Cinnamon: Francesca started it.

Francesca: Did not. I had two tiny spots of blood on my neck so my owner got out the first aid kit and cleaned the whole area. It didn’t smell very good. I wasn’t cut or bleeding. The spots washed off.

Cinnamon: My neck was covered with Francesca’s slobber. I had no cuts or bites but our owner cleaned off my neck with antiseptic anyway.

Francesca: I was panting from the adrenalin rush.

Cinnamon: Our owner put away all the toys. I’ll bet we don’t see them again for many a day. Grrrr. So that’s it. The BIG FIGHT. I won!

Wordless Wednesday: Squirrel Hunting

It's a great day for squirrel hunting!

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