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THE REASON THEY TELL YA NOT TO GIVE RAWHIDE IS IN ESSENCE IT IS LEATHER......A ND THE REASON IT IS HARD TO DIGEST IS THAT WHEN IT GETS INTO THE DIGESTIVE TRACT, IT CAN FROM THE GASTRIC JUICES, SWELL IN SIZE, WHICH CAN CAUSE BLOCKAGES OR CAUSE CONSTIPATION. AND IT IS SOFT ENOUGH AS TO NOT REALLY BE BENEFICIAL TO A TEETHING PUPPY. THE BEST AND SAFEST THING FOR TEETHING PUPPIES AS WELL AS ADULT DOGS IS NYLABONE AND GUMABONE PRODUCTS. THEY ARE SPEFICALLY DESIGNED TO SHRED INTO SMALLER MORE PASSABLE PEICES, AND TO WORK AS A TOOTHBRUSH WOULD. THE PROBLEM IS, NOT ALL DOGS LIKE THEM, OR NOT UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE HAS ALREADY CHEWED THEM.  IN A MULTI DOG FAMILY, THEY WORK WELL AS ONE WANTS WHAT THE OTHER HAS.
WITH THE REAL BONES, DOGS THROUGH YEARS OF PROCESSED, SELECTIVE BREEDING, AND NOT HAVING THE NATURAL DIET AS A WILD DOG, THEY SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE NATURAL LAYERS OF ENAMEL ON THIER TEETH THAT A WILD DOG HAS. COOKED BONES FROM YOUR TABLE ,I WOULD SAY ARE NOT SAFE. BUT I THINK THE TREATED COOKED, STERILIZED BONES ARE FINE, THAT YOU CAN BUY IN THE STORE.
I USED TO GIVE MY DOBES THE WHOLE KNUCKLE BONE FROM PIGS THAT I GOT FROM THE BUTCHER.AS A TREAT ON OCCASSION. (THEY ARE REALLY MESSIE)
  BUT AFTER YEARS IN THE PET INDUSTRY, I HAVE LEARNED THE DEFINITE BENEFITS AND RESEARCH THAT STANDS BEHIND THE NYLABONE PRODUCTS.

I DID NOT START OUT AS A BOUV LUVER. AS A GROOMER, I HAD NO DESIRE TO OWN A DOG WITH HAIR, AND SAID THAT FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT MY LIFE. THAT'S WHY I HAD DOBES. WASH N GO DOGS...HAHA.
BUT...WHEN I , OR RATHER MY HUSBAND AND I CAME TO MICHIGAN FROM VIRGINIA TO HELP MY MOM TAKE CARE OF MY GRANDMOTHER, I AFTER BEING HERE SEVERAL YEARS, STARTED WORKING FOR A KENNEL WHERE THE OWNER RAISED AND SHOWED BOUVS FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS AND HAS GENERATION AFTER GENERATION OF CHAMPIONS.
  WELL, AFTER HER 2CD LITTER AND KNOWIING WHAT HER PUPPIES WENT FOR ($) I JOKINGLY SAID TO HER ONE DAY, YA KNOW IF YA EVER GET A GARBAGE PUPPY, I MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ADOPTING ONE.
(PET QUALITY) SHE LOOKED AT ME FOR A SECOND AND SAID WHY DONT YOU ADOPT FRAN?
  SO THEN I GOT THE LOW DOWN ON FRAN. FRAN WAS A BIT OF A ALPHA B WITH TUDE IF YA KNOW WHAT I MEAN. SHE HATED BEING SHOWN, SLUNK THROUGH THE RING WITH HER EARS BACK, TAIL DOWN, MOST OBVIOUSLY NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. ALSO SHE HAS A TENDENCY TO BE DOG AGGRESSIVE.SO AFTER A YEAR OR TWO OF TRYING, I THINK THEY GAVE UP ON HER. SHE HAD ONE LITTER OF PUPPIES, AND WHEN SHE RETURNED FOR HER POST PARTUM EXAM, THEY DISCOVERED SHE ALSO HAD A HEART MURMER.
KATHY, THE OWNER, WHO KEEPS ALL THE GIRLS AT HER HOUSE, 6-8 AT ANY GIVEN TIME. AS WELL AS WHELPS THE PUPPIES AT HER HOUSE.
EXPLAINED TO ME THAT FRAN WOULD DO MUCH BETTER LIVING IN A SINGLE DOG FAMILY AS SHE ENJOYS MORE ATTENTION.
SO I ADOPTED HER. AND SHE QUICKLY BECOME MY LEFT KNEE. SHE IS SO ATTACHED TO ME LIKE NO OTHER DOG I HAVE EVER OWNED EXCEPT MY FIRST DOBE. (WHO WAS CRAZED BY THE WAY) EVERY TIME I LEFT THE HOUSE, MY HUSBAND COMPLAINED THAT SHE WANDERED ALL OVER, UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, UTTERING A LOW GRUNTING HUFFF, HUFFF, CONTINOUSLY, WHILE SHE LOOKED FOR ME. AND THEN WE LEFT HER WITH MY BROTHER ONE WEEKEND, AND WHILE EVERYONE WAS THERE, I THINK IT WAS EASTER OR SOMETHING, SHE ACTUALLY LEFT THROUGH AN OPEN GATE AND WENT TO FIND ME. AND THEY WERE OUT FOR HOURS TILL THEY FOUND HER.I NEARLY DIED. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE ONLY PLACE SHE CAN GO IS BACK TO THE KENNEL WHEN I GO AWAY. AND WHEN WORKING THERE, I WOULD PUT HER BACK IN THE PEN WITH THE REST OF THE PACK WHILE I WORKED, AS THE KENNEL IS BEHINDTHE HOUSE LIKE 200 FEET. WELL, REGARDLESS OF THE WEATHER, SHE WILL SIT IN THE CORNWER FACING THE KENNEL, SHIVERING, IN THE RAIN, OR SNOW, CRYING, LEST SHE MISS A CHANCE TO SEE ME.
IT IS REALLY PITIFUL. BUT SHE IS MY BABY. AND EVERYONE REFERS TO HER AS THE SPOILED BRAT. WE SHARE CHEETOS IN BED AS WE LOUNGE AND WATCH TV. SHE GOES EVERYWHERE I GO. WHEN I HAD THE SHOP, SHE WENT TO WORK WITH ME EVERY DAY, AND AS WE GO OUTSIDE TO GO POTTY, WE HAVE TO STOP IN AT ALL THE NEIGHBORS ON THE BLOCK SO SHE CAN SAY HI AND GET HER COOKIES.
SHE IS THE MOST LAID BACK, CALM, NON BARKING DOG EVER.
SHE DOES BARK ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, ANDWHEN SHE DOES, IT;S PRETTY INTIMIDATING AND GETS EVERYONE UP!
SHE LOVES TO LICK YOUR FEET IF BARE, SHE WILL WASH YER EARS IF YA LET HER. AND SHE DEMANDS TO BE PET BY ROUGHLY PUSHING YOUR ARM WITH HER NOSE. I DONT KOW HOW I WILL COPE WHEN THE TIME COMES .....LATER, AS SHE IS GOING TO BE 8 THIS YEAR, AND THOUGH HER HEALTH IS FINE. SHE WILL UNDOUBTABLY DEVELOPE A MORE SEVERE HEART PROBLEM LATER THAT WILL SHORTEN HER LIFE WITH US. SO I WATCH HER WEIGHT,( GAWD, DOES SHE HATE HER WEIGHT MAINTENANCE FOOD!) SO I TREASURE EVERY MINUTE I HAVE HER.