5.28.12 Thank You To Our Military
On this, our American Memorial day, I wanted to honor the Military Working Dogs, and of course all the active service people and veterans that have protected me and my family and my nation for many years. Especially remembering my Dad who served honorably in the Army during WWII, and took a bullet so that I could be free to be me. Thank you very much. You will never be forgotten.
Have you ever thought about adopting a Military dog when they come home? http://www.militaryworkingdogadoptions.com/
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo <3 
5.27.12 Sofie’s Lesson, by Louise
Sofie: “Mommy makes us pose in all these places and I really do not want to pose, I want to go chase squirrels or balls or something. But instead she tries to get me to sit nice and look pretty.”
Lulu: “Sofie, now you know that Mommy does this because she thinks we are both very beautiful, especially me. So she is trying to show us off to the blog people.”
Sofie: “Blog – smog! She does this just because she wants to stop me from running around and digging holes everywhere.”
Lulu: “My dear little Sofie, how much you do not understand about humans. Didn’t you get a nice special yummy treat for sitting nicely?”
Sofie: “Yeah, and your point is….?”
Lulu: “If you do it again, you will get more treats like that.”
Sofie: “Really? You’re so smart, Louise. I guess that is why your my big sister.”
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo <3
5.26.12 Nine’s Friend, Skink
Nine has a friend outside the bathroom window. His friend lives under the shutters. The little Skink was sticking its head out and in, out and in, just to make Nine crazy. I tried to get a picture of his friend in the shutters, but he was very shy and kept hiding each time I went to snap a shot. Both Nine and Stella spend a lot of time in the bathroom window with the Skinks. I have a little birdhouse right by that window and I wonder sometimes if they are living in there too. Ground skinks are small, smooth-scaled lizards with an adult length of 3 to 5.5 inches. They are typically a copper brown with a dark line running along each side of the body. Th ground skink has a long tail, sometimes up to 2.5 times the body and short limbs. Their small limbs are relatively unused, as ground skinks use their slender bodies to wriggle and burrow through leaf litter and loose soil. They prey on insects, spiders, and other earthworms.
Nine and Stella pray on them.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo <3
5.25.12 The Duck and the Green Pool
We opened the pool last weekend, and for those of you who do not know swimming pools, it usually opens a nice algae green color. Some years the water that sits in the pool all winter has even been a lovely shade of black. It takes me about a week to clear it and get it to nice swimming blue. Since it is spring in the Mid-Atlantic, the ducks have come to roost and are very happy that I have provided them a lovely swimming hole. I was not terribly happy to see Mr. Duck getting ready for a swim this morning. I let the dogs out, but they can not get to the pool area, so all they did was bark. Mr. Duck could not have cared less, he stood there by the pool for a really long time anyway with the dogs barking safely outside the pool gate. I expect Mrs. Duck will be back with him soon; when he finds her. There is a lot of ‘that’ going on under my bushes right now; ducks finding their spring mates. Every year they come back and party in the yard. Then they have their ducklings under my bushes and waddle them down the road to the river. The cycle continues. That makes me so happy. But, I do not like the ducks in the pool or them leaving ‘presents’ on the edge.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo <3
5.24.12 SO-fie Good
I am amazed at Sofie Bear these days, I am so happy with her, she is like a different dog then the one that came to live with us 1-1/2 years ago. Sofie is at the point now that we can do a total walk around the neighborhood without the leash. She comes when called and rarely gives me any bad behavior, I must say that if I go for to many days without reminding her whose boss (me!) she can slide a little, but I would expect that. If someone told me I would be this big a fan of the e-collar method, I would have told them they were crazy, but the collar, along with 4 weeks of training (for me mostly), is what really really did the trick. I notice many people with e-collars on their dogs, but the collars are to loose or not positioned correctly. I also think that a lot of people buy them but don’t really know how to use them to get the kind of behavior modification that they are looking for. I hardly ever had to correct Sofie with the collar, which surprised me.
Watch out Lulu Belle, you’re next! Mommy likes the idea of 2 off-leash dogs.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo <3
