Happy St. Patrick's Day! + Polls

The message is all in the title, and all in the photo! We don't usually celebrate, but are celebrating here at Earl's World! today!

Also, don't disappear just after the photo… we have our 2 weekly dog polls to update you on below!

Hope y'all are celebrating in style such as us!!

So, for our 2 weekly dog polls, once again…

The question posed for Poll 17 was: 'What style of dog bed do you think is best?'.

You voted, and the results have come in in bunches!

Tunneled - 0 (0%)
Plastic - 0 (0%)
Soft - 1 (20%)
Sideless - 0 (0%)
Deep sided - 0 (0%)
Hard - 0 (0%)
Other? - 0 (0%)
Cushioned - 4 (80%) 

EARL'S TOP TIP FOR POLL TOPIC!:

Woof! Hey doggiez and bitches, oh and your owners! Here's ma top tip for today. If you buy your poochie a hard bed, den make sure you pad it out with cushions and blankets; no dawg wants an uncomfortable bed. Not only would dat be severely uncomfortable, it could bring on a chill to da bones, or bring on stiff joints. Make it soft and cosy! Woof y'all later! Handin' back to ma girl now! Cheerioz!!! Earl.

Thank you, Earl boy. Your top tip is very handy - you bloggers out there should take it on board. Oh Early, you're very knowledgeable you know!

Anyways! 

Here is the key for the placings of the votes on the options of the last 2 weeks.

Red - Winner  = most popular answer.
Blue - Second
Black - no votes.

*The information I will give next is only an opinion of mine. I do not claim to be an expert in these fields. I am giving my honest opinion to benefit my well deserving readers and their dog(s).

What bed should I first give my new dog?

Every dog must have his own little space to feel happy, warm, comfortable and mostly, safe. If a dog does not feel safe with his owners, this is not a very happy dog, I'm afraid to say! When you first bring home your new puppy/adult/senior dog, this is his first initial experience with you. No matter what the age or life-stage, that is the raw fact. If you're bringing home a puppy, puppies sleep a lot to grow. They need their sleep, so should be left to sleep when they want to, not hustled by the new and excited owners, especially children, as they have a tendency to want to interact with the puppy more than understand its needs.  When my Earl was a puppy, we were delighted at the fact that he went straight into his new bed to sleep. Here, he obviously loved it from first sight! 

Do I have to buy my dog a new bed as he grows?

Of course. You can't have a dog sleeping in a bed which is too small. If he spends all night and some of the day in a tight squeeze just to get his sleep in the place he is used to most, he will end up aching from the position! This could escalate into more painful conditions, such as arthritis as he grows, if his joints are cramped up too tightly. Common sense tells most puppy owners that if you have a fast growing, large breed of dog, such as a Border Collie, German Shepherd, Wolfhound, St. Bernard, Bernese Mountain, etc, then you should buy a larger bed to begin with so that you don't have to update the bed every week as the dog grows, which could and most certainly would end up costing an unearthly fortune for the poor, well-meaning owner. If, however, you have a smaller breed, such as a Chihuahua, small Terrier, Yorkshire, etc, then a smaller bed should do just fine. You know the breed, you know the dog, therefore you know the size!

Why are cushioned beds viewed as as better?

I can simply read my the minds of my readers' here! As one of the voters of the cushioned style bed, I can simply say they are much comfier than the other options, unless of course you go OTT to pad your dog's hard plastic bed out with memory foam duvets, feathered cushions and soft blankets etc, until you can imagine no more than 'there MUST be a pea under a layer there somewhere!'!! But on the more sensible, serious side, your dogs comfort is a major priority in responsible dog ownership, and his joints keep him moving day in day out. They must be cared for extremely.

Does my older dog need any different a bed?

It depends on the older dog's condition. If he/she is a sprightly, puppy-like oldie, then you needn't worry too much. If your dog is a proper golden oldie, crippled with age, walking never running, ignoring the squirrel that just darted up a tree three paces away, showing great discomfort of the joints and entire body in general, and taking every day life at a slower pace, then the softer the bed the better, on his old poor joints! Older dogs may benefit from extra snuggly sides, the bed lifted up from the ground to avoid drafts and chills, and a larger bed to enjoy any position wished for in a bed.

What should you do now?

Confused which route to take? These polls aim to give readers extra support on decisions, extra knowledge on certain topics, and a hint of relief from a certain minor condition dogs may have during their lovely lives, however, I couldn't possibly know everyone's dog(s) as individuals! The decision is your's as the owners. Assess your own dog, and decide, using this information and info from other sources alongside, and make the right decision. 

P.S. Our polls should NEVER make your decision on a serious medical condition individual to your dog or not. If in doubt, seek medical advice from your vet before even considering EW. Enjoy and benefit from us, however never consider us as a helping point for medical conditions.

Keywords learnt today and their definitions:

~ Bed: a place to sleep and relax. Related words for this: sleep
~ Comfort: a feeling of great pleasure and relaxation - makes you want to stay in that place/position. Related words for this: comfortable
~ Old: something who/that has been living for a long time and is near the possible end of their lifespan. Related words for this: Elderly 
~ Life-stage: a period in the life of something. Related words: age
~ Opinion: a thought/view belonging to an individual. Related words: view, own.

After a lot of this…

All dogs benefit from some of this…

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Our Poll 18 will be opening NOW! Remember to share what you think should be in place in the dog world. Vote before the 2 weeks are over and info is given on the topic to help readers and their pets.

18 is on the subject of a very different, more negative but vital experience instead of opinion poll. A little different from our other polls. It's on the subject of dog fights.

The question posed, is: 'Has your dog ever been attacked/attacked another before?'

This will be a continuous topic for a few 2 weeks in our polls. It will be interesting to see actually how common dog fights are, especially within BlogVille.

I hope the question is answered 'no' in all fields, however if not, be honest please; remember, nobody knows who you are via poll!

Have any of your dog's experiences socially with other canines been bad ones?

You can choose more than one option.

Let's get voting! Thanks for reading!

Our 2 Weekly Dog Polls are ran exclusively by us here at Earl's World! and happen on no other blog but us! We are proudly over 15 which means we have spent a very exciting and busy over 30 weeks working and posting our polls to benefit other readers and their beloved pets. We hope you find us helpful, however never come to us for what to do in an emergency or serious medical condition or situation to do with your dog, as I do not claim to be an expert in any field. I love to share my own opinions and thoughts on subject with my well deserving readers however!

Have a LOVELY St. Patrick's Day! And don't forget to give Earl a big kiss to send you off for yet another busy EW day!

While we're here, shall we join in Monday Mischief? That loving St. Patty's photo at the top is rather mischievous. And here are some even more mischievous up-close and personal nose shots of Earl! 

He was acting extremely mischievous, poking his 'ickle nose in the camera lens and blurring it up. Nothing more but a sweet little poser!!

I BET YOU you can tell that these photos have been taken with my amazing new camera! 16 whole mega pixels!!

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