The Best Dog Poop Bag Dispenser

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Howard Young

Every morning I can tell that the neighborhood dogs were busy the night before and their owners neglected to pick up after their mess. Of course having three Dachshunds, I’m guilty by default and get that dirty look from neighbors pointing out that large mound on their lawn. Even though I tell them that I have miniatures and they take mini poops, they think they caught the culprit red handed since I’m returning to the scene of the crime.

I’ve have to admit that – even though I use dog waste bags – trying to clean up after Odie is difficult enough to do and nearly impossible at night if I forgot a flashlight. I kind of have to feel around hoping that I don’t puncture the bag and get the mess all over me.

Clever design of the dog poop bag dispenser uses LR41 batteries. (Photo: 3doxies/Howard Young.)

But I did find a solution to forgetting my flashlight and that is to have an all-in-one poop bag dispenser that is a flashlight. The Clean Go Lighted Waste Bag Holder is a flashlight that you insert your poop bags into. The clever design eliminates the AA-sized batteries and uses 3 –LR41 button cell calculator batteries. Because these batteries are so small, you can insert poop bags where you would normally expect the batteries to go. This makes it the best dog poop bag dispenser on the market.

Poop Snoop dispenser shown with green dog waste bags. (Photo: 3doxies/Howard Young.)

The top cap screws off to expose the battery compartment. You also twist the cap to turn the LED off and on, so you need to keep twisting until the top pops off. I found that this was a little difficult since I was worried that if I applied too much pressure, I thought it was going to break the switch. The open battery compartment holds the LR41 batteries. You just align them all the same way with the correct polarity. There’s a big +/- sign so you can’t get this wrong. After the batteries are installed, push the cap back and then turn the flashlight on with a slight twist.

The Poop Snoop comes with instructions on the outside of the pacakge. (Photo: 3doxies/Howard Young.)

The bottom of the dispenser unscrews so you can load the poop bags into it. The instruction says that you can insert a roll of twenty Clean Go Bags, but I used some off brand that I found on eBay really cheap. The roll was too large so I had to pull off about 5 of them to get the roll to fit. Once I got the roll down to size, I simply took one of the ends and threaded it through the dog bone shaped opening.

The dog poop dispenser has a quick release clip where you can attach it to a leash or belt loop. I prefer clipping it to the leash since I won’t forget to take some bags along when our dogs for a walk. Plus I don’t have to fiddle with getting the dispenser off my belt loop while my dog does his business.

I haven’t found this product in the stores, so either it is new or just isn’t carried in our area. I bought mine at [[ebay: lighted dog waste bag holder|eBay for about $6 plus shipping]]. Of course, if you find one for a better price, please share your find in the comments below:

Dachshund Picture Frame

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Howard Young

I’m always looking for strange and unusual Dachshund things to clutter up my home and of course I’m always in need of another picture frame to display my prized dogs. It’s not like I get to see them every day, but at work I start missing them and I know they’re getting into mischief like all dogs do.

So I simply like to pick from one of my hundreds — if not thousands — of favorite photos I shot of them over the years and print it out to the correct picture frame size on my HP OfficeJet 6500. (Which, by the way is a very good printer for photos.) A little trimming and you get something like in the photo above.

Five minutes of work and I get to take my dog to work and proudly show off on of the pack.

This particular frame you can get at Amazon (about $17 w/ shipping) or the Pet Source (on sale for $15) but I’ll shop around some more and most likely get one on eBay.

Long Haired Dachshund

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Howard Young

My wife always wanted to get a long-haired red Dachshund and of course we finally got Molly after searching many years for the perfect puppy. I kept going back to the pet store and there she was waiting for us. Finally after about the third trip to the store, she came home with us.

With her beautiful soft baby fine red hair, I knew right away that she was going to be a handful. The extra grooming required for second long-haired dog was not the issue, but her sweet disposition in the pet store was simply a mask she put on to trick us in bringing her home.

Molly decided that she was going to become the alpha dog in the house. That did not suit Odie very well and they did like the fight every so often just to see who was boss. But when Odie injured his back and had surgery she became top dog to rule the roost.

But like Chloe she does have the trait of the quieter and gentle side that is common in most long-haired dachshunds. I can’t say for certain that all long haired will have a gentle personality, but with the two that I own and from the other long hairs that I know, they’re more docile than the short-haired variety.

To get that long hair, it seems like they were bred with some other type of dog like an Irish setter or cocker spaniel. The former does not seem to likely due to the size difference.

However, geneticists have found the underlying event and gene that causes short legs in dogs — especially the Dachshund — perhaps they’ll figure out the common trait and source of their long hair coat.

Regardless, their multi-colored coats ranging from the predominate black and tan (like Chloe), solid red (sort of like Molly), cream and dappled make an interesting feature covering their elongated short bodies.

Even though both Molly and Chloe take longer to groom and require frequent baths, they are well worth the extra trouble. Both enjoy the additional attention with a daily brushing to keep knots from matting up their hair. Usually this ends with playing ball which makes it even more enjoyable for both of them.

About – Your Dachshund Site Host

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Howard Young

Hi, my name is Howard Young and welcome to my site about dogs and in particular Dachshunds. In case you haven’t figured out, I own three Dachshunds, or should I say they own me. While I love all dogs, these wiener dogs sort have become my passion in the canine industry because they are very challenging yet easy to live with. (If you want to know a little more about them, you may want to read Dachshund Facts first.)

My dogs help me write the content on this site and they happily give their opinion on the products they review and I do the translating and typing for them. Now if I could teach them to type, that would be impressive, wouldn’t it?

But I’m actually psychic and can read the thoughts of dogs: “food please, potty please, play please, nap please, great toy, this sweater sucks, walk please, sleep…” I’m joking of course, but after a while you can read the expression on your dog’s face and understand what they want and if they are happy or not.

This vital feedback hopefully creates insight and a valid review that I hope you enjoy as much as we enjoyed creating it for you.

All the best,

Chloe, Odie, Molly and Howard

Dachshund Rescue SF 2012 Calendar Fundraiser

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Howard Young

Dachshund Rescue South Florida (@DachshundRSF) has a unique way of raising money for their Dachshund rescue organization each year by publishing a calendar featuring photos submitted by Dachshund owners all over the country. The favorite photos are voted on as part of calendar contest and the winning photos will be featured in the 2012 DRSF Calendar.

Each vote counts as a $1 donation towards the rescue of wiener dogs in South FL.

But you can also become a member of DRSF and thus providing critical support in rescuing the animals. Of course you also will get the 2012 Calendar as part of your membership.

Since 2008, DRSF rescued over 300 Dachshunds and mixed Dachshund breeds in the Southern part of Florida. You can help to by voting on your favorite photo today!

Keep your Dog Safe inside a Petsafe Wireless Fence

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Howard Young

This summer we spent a few weeks of vacation with my wife’s brother and his wife. It was their first time to Southern California and they were somewhat amazed how tight they pack homes together here in the Los Angeles suburbs all surrounded by cinder block walls. Of course, we envy their open two acre homestead in Alabama where they can grow a nice garden and let the dogs roam free around the yard.

I’m pretty sure my wife would like to move back “home” even though she has now spent the majority of her life here in California. Our roots are now firmly planted in Thousand Oaks where I doubt we will move in the near future.

Even though I toyed with the idea of taking a job in Florida – nearby my wife’s family – the thought of an alligator snatching one of my Dachshunds sort of killed that idea. I guess my only fear is that in our area coyotes will get our dogs since the 5 ft high fence is unlikely to keep them out of our yard. But at least our dogs won’t run away unless we leave a gate open.

But in case we ever move back “home” I dream of a house without fences on a really big plot of land where our neighbors are not 20 feet from us where I can sing the theme song from Green Acres without bothering anyone.

I digress.

My point is that while my dream home has a boundless area but requires the safety and assurance that my little ones won’t run off. I’m not sure that the two goes hand-in-hand but there are wireless fences that keep your dogs inside a parameter defined by an electrical signal.

(I’m not sure how well they work; hence, I really can’t try experiment too well on our homestead, so I can only ask you readers for advice.)

But I would like to get my in-laws one to keep their “Kiki” on their plot of land. (I hope this won’t spoil the surprise.)

The Petsafe Wireless Fence containment system covers a circular area for about ½ acre which would be more than adequate for their yard. If they place the transmitter on the front porch, the 90 foot radius should keep their little girl from wandering into the street.

I have to warn you that the dog receives a “static correction” if the boundary is crossed. That is, your dog must wear a shock collar. Ouch. I’m not sure I would like that. The good thing is that once your dog becomes “boundary aware,” you can disable the static correction so that the collar will beep. Hopefully after a few weeks of training, the beeping is all that is needed.

I’m not a big fan of negative reinforcement systems and found that praising our three dogs works far better than the alternative. Clicker training may be a better solution than a wireless containment system; regardless, both require weeks of training to keep your dog save inside your yard.

How to Pick Really Good Pet Names

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Howard Young

The Best Pet Name Book Ever! by Wayne Eldridge

Lost for ideas in naming your pet? This book gives you over 3000 names you can choose from.

You’ve just brought home a new family member – a kitten or a puppy – introduce it to its new home and you go through the process of trying to figure out what to call it. Sometimes a new pet isn’t planned and you don’t have nine months like a newborn baby to go through a list to pick your favorite boy or girl name.

Muffy, Fido, Ink Spot pop to the top of your mind. What about Chloe or Odie? What about Rosie or Molly? After all you want a fitting name for you new pet.

It’s been a while since we named a pet. In fact, it’s been more than six years since Molly came home with us. She was named after her rosy disposition and red color; even her first medical record at our Vet has “Rosie” written on it. A week later her name changed to Molly.

The good thing about pet names is that they’re not really important. They tend to evolve to “pet names.” For example, we call Chloe, Chloe Bell or Bell for short; we call Odie, Odor; and, we call Molly, Mo Mo after the Ula’s wife in the 50 First Dates.

I often thought about writing a book of dog and cat names, but I Wayne Eldridge, DVM beat me to it. I’m not sure that it would sell too good thou since pet names sort of happen right when you get home and you typically don’t have time to run to the book store to pick up. It would be a great gesture for the pet store owner or breeder to help you out here with either selling or giving you a copy of the book.

Now a days it is so easy to download books with my Kindle that I rarely buy paper copies anymore. The instance gratification of getting a book really helps especially if you want to pick some good pet names right now. Eldridge basically gives you a list of names based on these topics:

Appearance
Personality
Human Names
Greek and Roman Mythology
Royalty and Titles
Unusual Names and Nicknames
Cartoon Characters
Sports
Foods, liquor and drinks

And that is just to mention a few.

I could list out thousands of names to give you some ideas, but if you’re still stuck at what to name your dog or cat, give The Best Pet Name Book Ever a try.