The day we went to pick up Enzo and bring him home, we expected the quiet, fully grown husky/coyote mix that never said a peep that we met at the shelter. But, when we loaded Enzo into the car in his new kennel, he made no bones about his dislike at being confined in a vehicle — he yipped and barked the whole ride home.

When we got home, Enzo refused to enter the house. It took a little coaxing but we finally got him to go inside but his constant whining told us that he preferred the great outdoors. 

Never having lived in a house, we kept a close eye on Enzo to ensure he didn’t make any potty mistakes nor find tempting objects to chew. When we had to leave, Enzo went in a crate.

He strongly protested with barking and yipping. Even though I had recently gone to school to become a professional dog trainer and had a better idea than the average person on how training should proceed, I still felt overwhelmed. As a result, I wondered how the average pet guardian would deal with a similar training dilemma. 

Where would they go to find answers and how would they know if those answers were credible?  And if they went looking for a trainer, how would they know a good trainer from a bad one?  These questions started me thinking about developing a website to help pet guardians find the answers they were looking for.

After a month of working with Enzo, he fit right in at home. He didn’t have any potty accidents, no foreign objects were chewed, he didn’t steal any food and he didn’t jump up on any counters. However, things still happen when you welcome a new dog into your home. One day, a roommate left the gate open and when we got home Enzo was gone.

How do you go about finding a lost dog, especially a dog like Enzo, who is very friendly, likes his freedom and the outdoors? In this situation, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if you could get a message out to all dog families in the area to keep an eye out for your dog. Also, if one of those families found your dog, it would be great if they had a 24-hour phone number to call to let you know that your pet is safe and anxious to come home.”

And as ideas have a tendency to snowball, I also thought that if you were unable to pick up your dog right away, it would be beneficial for the family temporarily caring for your pet to know if your pet had any allergies or behavioural problems.

After 40 minutes of searching we found Enzo. We got in touch with our vet clinic and asked if anyone had called to say they had found Enzo. It turns out our neighbours called our vet, found out our phone number and left a message on our answering machine. (I guess we should have checked there first before setting out on our search!) The neighbours from a few blocks away  spotted Enzo on the front lawn but weren’t sure if he belonged there so they took him back to their house where he happily played with their Chihuahua, Quinn.

Other than losing your dog, the other big concern for pet guardians is what to do in case of a medical emergency. The day before Canada Day, Enzo had a seizure. This had never happened to him before so we were very concerned. He started lifting his front paws and then fell over and started convulsing. We thought he either had hurt a leg or ingested poison. Many questions raced through my head: What should I do? Who should I call? Where is the nearest vet clinic? Should we be doing anything in the meantime?

In our case, the nearest vet clinic was closed. We took Enzo back home where he continued convulsing and was unable to stand. I can honestly say this was the most scared I had been in my whole life! All I could think was if I didn't do exactly the right thing, Enzo could die right before my eyes. I immediately gave Enzo two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide. This was the safest way I knew how to induce vomitting if he had ingested poison.

I called 911 and was given the phone number to the local police department and then was given the number to animal poison control. Animal poison control told me to get Enzo to the nearest vet. I quickly checked the phone book and found a vet clinic about 45 minutes away. By the time we got there Enzo had thrown up quite a few times and was feeling better. The vet administered charcoal as standard procedure for a suspected poisoning. I let out a huge sigh of relief but knew that if I hadn’t acted fast things could have turned out differently.

In an emergency seconds can mean the difference between life and death so after this incident, I thought it’s crucial, as a dog guardian, to have a number that you can call that would offer advice on what to do and/or tell you where the nearest vet clinic or hospital is and how to get there.

All of our experiences with Enzo over the last several months and all the questions they’ve raised  led me to develop a website called MyDogSpots.com. The site is a place where dog guardians can go for information along with products and services to help them take the best possible care of their dogs.

When you welcome a new dog into the family, there are lots of questions that need answers — from tips on potty training to how to find professional services such as trainers, vets and groomers to finding the right food for your dog or what do do in case of an emergency. MyDogSpots is the place to find those answers. The website is constantly growing and with the support of members we will be able to add more and more information and resources. To find out how to become a member visit www.MyDogSpots.com.