We are thankful to our fantastic team of dog groomers and boarding attendants who view their work as an important mission rather than a job.

We are thankful for the wonderful relationships we have with others in the dog care business, including Patsy and Renee, owners of City Dog Market. With their generous support and referrals, Kelsey’s Dog House has grown by leaps and bounds this year.

We are thankful for friends and family who have helped us launch our business and have supported us through thick and thin.

We are thankful to the volunteers at dog rescue groups and at shelters who do the difficult work of saving abandoned dogs and placing those dogs in loving homes. We are especially thankful to Atlanta Small Dog Rescue and Human Society for pairing us with our beautiful and joyful dog Kelsey.

We are thankful for all those quiet moments when our dogs do something strange and spontaneous that makes us smile. We are especially thankful when they give us their complete trust and love, and ask for nothing in return.

The title of this article is an intentional twist on the traditional holiday greeting. This year, as you count your blessings, one way to give back is to donate a little something to a charity of your choice. If you are looking for a charitable organization that does extremely hard work; does that work quietly in the background for little gratitude; and often does it on a shoestring budget, take a good look at a dog rescue group. There are probably many of those groups in your area. Their kennels and foster homes are almost always full, but their coffers are almost always low. Whether the money is there or not, their dogs always need to eat, and many need constant medical treatment. Your charitable dollar will go a long way and have a direct and immediate benefit for the end-users—rescued dogs.

Please join Dawn and myself in giving thanks this year, and while you are giving thanks, may we suggest you give a little back too. Thanks be to giving.

And that’s why Poodles do it. Maltese do it. Even educated Havanese do it. Let’s do it. Let’s shed some fur. (With apologies to Cole Porter.)

In the previous article, I beat the daylights out of the subject of shedding. Before we bury that dead horse, I have three last words on the subject and then we will move on to something else in the same category. (Note: There will more words after those last three. Sorry.) Here are the three last words: All dogs shed. No, perish the thought! You brought that Poodle home on the premise that it is non-shedding.

Go to the website www.whosyadoggy.com, and there you will find a comprehensive list of dogs that are “Non-shedding.” I’ll say it again. All dogs shed. Websites such as “Who’s Ya Doggy?” should say, “Here is a list of dogs that shed, but you won’t notice when they shed.” Some dogs shed fur that is nearly microscopic, such as the “hairless” varieties. Others shed, but do so at a very slow rate; and, their curly or wavy coat retains the loose hair until it is removed with a brush or comb. Most terriers fall into this category. In total, there are over 50 purebred and popular mixed-breed varieties of dog that are nearly non-shedding. For lack of better words, let’s use the strained term, low-shedding.

Low-shedding dogs are genetically programmed to hold on to their hair for long periods of time. While a few low-shedding breeds simply retain hair once it has reached a fixed length, most low-shedding breeds grow hair continually. The price you pay for the luxury of a dog that sheds un-noticeably is the need to trim that continually growing hair. Left unclipped, a Poodle for example, would literally turn into a ball of fur. A Maltese would eventually trip over its lengthening coat. A Soft-Coated Wheaton Terrier would have a hard time seeing through the increasing mop of fur that grows over its eyes.

There is another mammal that shares a dog’s hair growth cycle: humans. At Kelsey’s Dog House, many of our customers book a grooming appointment for their dog on the same day as their own appointment with a hair stylist. Perhaps we should reconfigure our operation into a dog and human grooming spa.

“Let me confirm your appointment for the 27th, Mrs. Jones. That’ll be a perm for your Yorkie and a shave down for you, correct?”

On second thought, eh, maybe not.

Kelsey. The perfect small dog.

Do you own a small dog?

Do you want a small dog but do not know what kind to get?

Do you have problems with your small dog?

Do you want to brag about, learn more about, scream and cry about your small dog?

This is the place. The Eagle has landed. “X” marks the spot. Call off the search.

This website is everything you have ever wanted to know about dogs in general, and small dogs in particular.

Here is what’s in store:

• Where to get a small dog.
• Types of small dogs—not breeds, necessarily—but types. There is a difference!
• How to train a small dog gently and effectively.
• Small dog behavior. If you believe a dog is a dog is a dog, then I am about to convince you a small dog is different.
• Why a small dog can drive you nuts, if you let it. (The key is to not let it. I’ll show you how.)
• How to care for a small dog, including grooming, feeding, exercising and having fun with your small dog.

Ready? Set . . . wait, wait, hold on just a second.

Before you go spending precious time on this site, you might ask, “Who is this guy and should I believe anything he has to say?” Fair enough. You will find my credentials at this link.

This is, without question, a small dog.

The American Kennel Club does have the question nailed for purebreds. They judge dog size by standing height at the shoulder. Take the Poodle for example. There is a Standard Poodle which is any Poodle more than 15 inches high measured, from the floor to the top of the dog’s shoulder, when the dog is standing (on the floor, not your stomach while you are watching T.V.) A Miniature Poodle has a standing height of more than 10 inches but no more than 15 inches.

Baa Baa the Toy Poodle.

A Toy Poodle stands less than 10 inches at the shoulder. The AKC does not officially recognize the term “teacup,” so tell your grandmother she really does not own a Teacup Poodle, she owns a Toy Poodle that happens to be very small. Go ahead, you tell her. I’m not doing it. It will break her heart.

As I said, there are more dogs of mixed descent than purebreds. Yes, that’s the politically correct term. Perhaps you prefer “designer dog,” or “intentional cross,” or “happy accident,” or plain old “mutt.” Call it what you will, the American Kennel Club has never ventured into the fuzzy world of non-papered dogs. (I’m talking about dogs that lack AKC papers, not dogs that refuse to be paper trained.)

Bella the Puggle. A Pug-Beagle mix.

How do we classify old Otto, who’s mother was a Chihuahua-Scottish Deerhound mix, and who’s father was a Dachshund-Great Dane mix? By my way of thinking, if Otto weighs 25 pounds or less he is a small dog. This assumes Otto’s weight is proportionate to his frame, or as the late great Goldilocks once wisely stated, “This one’s just right.” On the other hand, if Otto stands 48 inches high but weighs in at 15 pounds, making a vegan marathon runner look obese by comparison, then Otto is not a small dog. He’s what we call in the biz “a picky eater.” Or, if Otto stands 8 inches at the shoulder but could inhale everything on the steam tables at an all-you-can-eat cafeteria without any help from the seniors piling off the church bus, then Otto is not a small dog. You get the idea.

This is our realm. We will be focusing on any dog the AKC calls a “Miniature” or a “Toy.” We will also cover any dog that tilts the scales at 25 pounds or less. But don’t point your finger and shout if I occasionally mention the words “Labrador” or “Giant.” I really do love all dogs and there is a lot to learn from big dogs as well.