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Kansas State Dog: Cairn Terrier?

Should Kansas name the Cairn Terrier breed their state dog? I would vote a resounding "YES!", and so does a resident of Wichita who owns Cairns and is trying to get Kansas lawmakers interested in the idea. Read the full Associated Press news release below. I'd also like to hear what you think. Do you think that Kansas should make the Toto dog, the Cairn Terrier their state dog? It's a pretty controversial topic right now in Kansas.

The Associated Press
Saturday, May 13, 2006

Wichita — Kansas often has capitalized on its designation as the home of Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” and now one woman thinks the state should honor Dorothy’s buddy, Toto.

Annette McDonald is leading a petition drive to designate Toto’s breed — the cairn terrier — as the state’s official dog.

The Wichita resident acknowledged that she has a special interest in the breed, having owned cairn terriers for 25 years and shown them in national shows. She currently owns five of the animals.

She said the breed exhibits a “true character” that “fits Kansas nicely.” They can be “a little ornery,” but are “jovial” and “game for just about anything,” she said. “They think they’re a big dog in a small package,” and they “love to be a full member of the family.”

Less than half of the states have designated an official state dog, and McDonald said some people have asked why Kansas needs one.

“Well, we have a turtle (official reptile) and salamander (official amphibian),” she replies.

McDonald has enlisted the help of Sen. Mike Peterson, who wasn’t sure at first that lawmakers would be interested in an official state dog, she said.

But after the Wichita Republican found some legislators positive about the idea, she said she started collecting petition signatures to prove the public supports such a designation.

She’s also seeking letters of support from dog lovers and asking Kansas veterinarians to display the petitions. In western Kansas, which has fewer veterinarians, she hopes county extension offices will promote the petitions.

“I think that’s a terrific idea that the lady had,” said Paul Miller, interim director at Dorothy’s House in Liberal, which has collected more than 100 signatures. “They all say, ‘Well, gosh, that’s a natural.”’

In Wamego, where The Oz Museum’s toll-free number is (866) 458-TOTO, more than 200 people have signed the petition, said gift shop manager Ellie Coots.

Dog Staph Infection

Poor Molly May, our female Cairn Terrier. The vet told me yesterday that she had a staph infection likely brought on by a seasonal allergy. Happy Jack has it too but not as bad as Molly at this point. I took Molly to the vet as soon as possible when I discovered her belly was covered with little reddish bumps and her privates area was swelled about twice the normal size. She was having trouble eliminating and it really reminded me of how I felt when I had a urinary infection.

What is a staph infection?

It's basically a bacterial infection that can be caused by any number of things but is most commonly found in dogs caused by seasonal allergies, lawn treatments, fertilizers, etc. Since we don't haven't done the latter two, we can conclude it's merely an allergic reaction to grass, weeds, or whatever else she gets into during her daily walks.

Molly and Jack got a good medicated bath last night and every day Molly will get an antibiotic. They will both get a medicated belly bath every day until it clears up. Today was their first belly bath, and they loved it! I tried to make it a pleasant experience and it was. Hopefully they will continue to cooperate with me every day until we get this cleared up. I'll keep you posted how this new daily routine goes.

How to Get a Puppy to Follow You

"I am trying to train my new puppy to follow me during our daily off leash walks, but she seems distracted by all of the normal outdoor things like leaves, birds, twings, etc. She just ignores me when I call her to follow. Do you have any puppy training sugestions that will help? We live in the country and it is perfectly safe for her to be off leash. I still want to keep a close eye on her and these walks are a fun activity the family can do together with our new pup. ~Bridget

Hi Bridget. Puppies have a short attention span as you have already noticed. They are also easily distracted but I'll bet if you make a game of tag out of your "follow me" training process and simply start running or slowly trotting away from your puppy, she'll follow you. I've not seen a puppy yet that didn't like the game of tag.

I would also encourage you to train her to learn the basic dog training commands sit, stay, and come, so she can distinguish between when it is play time and when it is training time. Puppies love to learn and they love to please you. Let me know how it works out for you!