A memorable moment from 2013 (above). Sofie was only 2 (Lu was 3) and it appears from this shot that her full coat had not come in yet (she looks adolescent from the back). Louise and Sofie always wait by the back door to go chase squirrels and birds.
And you can see that not a lot has changed at the back door in 4 years (Oh my, I just noticed that the curtains do look older). Louise and Sofie still wait to chase the squirrels and birds, except now Charles is with them. It is fun to compare how they looked then and now. Hope you have a wonderful, romping, Black and White Sunday!
I used to be part of the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop but Dachshund Nola has taken a break from blogging and Sugar jumped over the rainbow bridge and Golden Woofs, though still blogging, is no longer hosting the Hop. I can’t host Hops because of my infrastructure. Can you?
Because Stella lives in her own suite her at DogDaz Zoo, it is not often that I capture her in photos. Usually the rest of the crew is busy doing silly things and getting all the camera time. But Stella is a sweet beauty, she just needs to be alone. I guess you can say she is the truest of cats at DogDazCats2. Most of us think of cats as social animals, but the truth is, their DNA shows them to be more solitary then pack.
“The independence of cats is one of the features most admired by those of us who love them. Given their evolutionary history as solitary hunters, it is easily explained. Seeking their prey alone, cats – with the exception of lions and sometimes cheetahs – have not developed patterns of collective action and hierarchy of the kind found in dogs and other pack animals. ‘Herding cats’ is a metaphor based on fact: cats don’t live in herds.” – The New Statesman, philosopher John Gray
DogDaz friend, Jeanne Bellis, is doing outstanding work taking hard to place dogs and helping them socialize and reintegrate to new homes. Here is Part 2 of the Socializing Waylon series. Waylon, a catahoula-cattledog mix, was in a bind. His owner, a US Marine, was being deployed overseas and Waylon, a dog aggressive, fearful mess, had only one hope – Bellis Boot Camp. Follow Jeanne as she socializes Waylon with her pack. It’s amazing what patience, smarts, good training and love can do. This is part 2 of the series as Waylon learns how to make friends with other dogs.
At DogDaz Zoo, I try to control the amount of food that any animal eats in a day based on their size and energy level. I parse out all kibble in the morning into containers and then give a portion at each feeding, making sure that there is some left over for evening in-house play. The dogs have several toys to chose from (1) a large feeding cube (mostly used by Sofie), (2) a medium feed ball (which was too big for Charles, too little for Lulu, and Sofie doesn’t like it). So I got, (3) a little feed ball (for Charles, who can’t figure it out), (4) a big rope jug (that Louise LOVES), and (5) a spinner (currently only Sofie’s survived because Louise ate hers – bottom is rubber).
Everyone waits, impatiently, in the evening for play time. I used to wait until 8 PM or so to do this, but now they have started demanding play time earlier and earlier. Sometimes, I give in and they have playtime only 30 minutes after dinner. What’s the difference, it’s all their food anyway.
Charles gets a special treat in a puzzle bowl with some kibble, because he is either too lazy for the feed ball, or just doesn’t want to lower himself to work for it. He loves a teeny tiny Busy Bone (r) and will gobble it up as soon as he finds one under the kibble.
We have lots of food fun at the Zoo. What kind of mischief did you get into today?
When K8 was taking photography in High School and learning how to process pictures in the dark room, she took this wonderful black and white picture of Gertrude. Gerty passed over to the great meadow in the sky in 2007 at the age of 15 (you can see all our past sweethearts on the Angels page). She was the sweetest girl and lived in my office for most of her days. Shy with most people from the day we adopted her out of a garage full of flea bitten kittens (with her outspoken sister Alice), Gerty was patient and quiet and loving. ❤
Have a colorful Black and White Sunday!
This is part of the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to Dachshund Nola and Sugar for hosting.
Happy 9th birthday, little man. Though you’ve only been at the Zoo for 7 months, you have turned our world around. You have made us little dog lovers in a big dog world. Even the cats like you sometimes (especially Noel). Thank you for adopting us and letting us be your final forever home. I guess you had to bite your way through many homes (at least 5) until you found your perfect place with us. Here’s to the next 9.
DogDaz friend, Jeanne Bellis, is doing outstanding work taking hard to place dogs and helping them socialize and reintegrate to new homes. Here is Part 1 of the Socializing Waylon series. Waylon, a catahoula-cattledog mix, was in a bind. His owner, a US Marine, was being deployed overseas and Waylon, a dog aggressive, fearful mess, had only one hope – Bellis Boot Camp. Follow Jeanne as she socializes Waylon with her pack. It’s amazing what patience, smarts, good training and love can do.
Mr. B, an ex-shelter dog, became a therapy dog in October 2016. He loves to talk about his endeavors, his "big" furry sister Ms. Zulu, and life in general.
A memorable moment from 2013 (above). Sofie was only 2 (Lu was 3) and it appears from this shot that her full coat had not come in yet (she looks adolescent from the back). Louise and Sofie always wait by the back door to go chase squirrels and birds.
