Hi. Jolie here reporting for the DogDaz Zoo.
I know that we don’t get spring anymore in the mid-Atlantic, but it seems like we went straight from freezing to boiling in one day. They say we are under something called a ‘heat dome’ this week and that the temperature will be hot-hot-hot. Mom thinks it is best to stay inside. We like to nap in the warm grass in the sunshine but she doesn’t let us do that for more than a few minutes at a time. She is especially afraid that I will get a sunburn because I have a short haircut and my skin is exposed. But even Bearnard, the black fur monster, loves to lay in the sun. Doesn’t he get hot?
K8 caught some pictures of me talking to Mom in her office. I like to get on the ottoman, right behind her desk chair, and paw at her to pay attention to me. Beary would not be so bold. I have to do it for the both of us. “Please, Mom. Stop what you are doing and play with us. Or better, give us cookies!!”
The summer is now upon us, as we have passed the Summer Solistice this week. These long days are confusing, as I want to go to bed but it is still light out. And, it is so hot in the mornings, that Mom has to walk us way early so our paws don’t burn. And also because we littles over heat qiuckly. The other day she had to carry me twice because I just didn’t want to walk any more. I am a delicate flower. Bearnard is too, but he refuses to admit it. When he gets home from a walk he drinks a whole bowl of water. Me? I just eat more cookies.
Stay cool – your friend, Jolie Olie
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tags: cats and dogs together, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, lorian lipton, papillon mix, pet blog, shih tzu, Summer, summer solstice
It is crazy cold here at the DogDaz Zoo. We received about 10″ of snow and then 2″ more and then it all froze.
Bearnard had never seen snow before and was not sure what to do with it, especially, where to go potty. It took about a week before he realized he could follow me under the pine trees and there was less snow there. The snow is taller than us.
Bear testing out the snow
Beary hates wearing sweaters and coats (he is such a boy!). Here in Maryland, boys and men wear shorts all year long, even in the snow. It is odd (aren’t they cold?)
I like my sweaters. You see I have fine Shih Tsu hair, not tons of fur like the butterfly, Papillion, Bearnard. Mom makes me wear a sweater anytime the temperature outside drops below 45 degrees. But I don’t mind. Aren’t I the cutest? Mommy says that I look like someone called “Dobby” when I wear this one with ears.
We sure make a mess of the house with all this snow and ice and snow stuck to our furs, and the musher’s gunk she puts on our paws. It takes 15 minutes before she is done suiting us up, then we take a 10 or 15-minute walk, and then it takes 15 minutes to clean up once we are inside again.
Next week we are expecting an Arctic blast or Polar Vortex or something like that. They say it will be the coldest weather of the season. I am freezing already! Stay warm, friends! – Jolie, the Pupsicle
P.S. Mom’s furnace died in the middle of this and we went 4 days with only little oil and electric heaters – now that was not fun. Beary was sure glad to have a sweater on then.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, dog, dog coat, Dog People, dog rescue, dog sweater, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, dogs in snow, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, Snow, winter
Things have been crazy here at the DogDaz Zoo in the last several months of 2024. Mom has not been able to post often and misses it. We know that you love to keep up with our antics so here is a holiday rundown:
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Miss Stella is doing alright considering she has GI Lymphoma all year. We are amazed at how well she is doing as long as Mom and V continue to monitor and tweak all her medications. She is a sweet girl and continues to enjoy her snuggles, tunnels, and toys.
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Mini Cooper is her needy, catty self. She loves to push the pups around and makes a habit of throwing them off of Mom’s lap so that she can have her own quality time. She is addicted to a laser toy shaped like a mouse (we tried some other shapes and she said ‘no’). She demands that the mouse come out every night (to the horror of the dogs) for a good 20-minute run around the living room.
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Jolie now has a gazillion sweaters in her winter collection. Mom went crazy at Chewy on Black Friday for a $6 sweater sale. Dogs with hair, not fur, like Jojo, get cold when the temperature is under 45 degrees (or so Mom thinks). We tried the sweaters on Mr. Furball, Bearnard, but he hates them. More fashion for the princess!
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Bearnard is his happy little self, as long as no one new is in the house, there isn’t a delivery driver at the door, or someone or something isn’t passing by (within a mile or 2). He loves to roust Mini as he runs around playing with his stuffies. The interesting thing about Beary is that he will only play with his toys when no one is watching. You come up the stairs and there are a whole bunch of stuffies out of the basket, scattered all over the floor, but you rarely see him in action. The Secret Life of Bearnard the Papillion.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
May SantaPaws bring you all the treats and toys you dream of.
May 2025 be filled with wonder and joy!
Stella
Mini Cooper
Inky & Stinky
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, cat blog, Cat People, cat rescue, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, Holiday, lorian lipton, New Year, pets
ACT 1: The Workout
Jolie here – You know that Mom needs help whenever she changes her bed. It is my responsibility to ensure that the mattress gets a good workout.
ACT 2: Bearnard the Useless
Bearnard is not very interested in domestic activities.
I invited him to join me, but he thought it was a photo shoot for a centerfold of DOG Monthly.
ACT 3: TEACHING the Mom How
I explained to Mom that she was doing the sheet thing all wrong but she won’t listen.
ACT 4: FINI
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, papillon mix, Pet, pets, shih tzu mix
This has been a crazy weather week in the US. We are fine here in the mid-Atlantic. But Hurricane Helene has caused many people to need support in many ways: food, housing, medical, etc. They say it could be years before some towns recover.
Here at the zoo, we worry about humans but, we also worry a great deal about all the animals. Please contact your friends and family in the regions most devasted and do what you can to support the relief efforts.
We pray for a calmer week weather-wise so they can start to clean up but we know that nature has more things planned in the coming weeks. Stay safe friends. And when you can please donate to the rescues that are caring for both humans and animals affected.
Please have a portable kennel for each of your animals, in case you ever have to evacuate. We have one for each dog and cat and have tested that they all will fit in the car. It is a great deal easier with all little animals now. When we had the big dogs, 2 cars were required. If you have to get out fast, preparation is key!
Bearnard likes to get into deep conversations with me. We were discussing what a hurricane is. I am not sure he understands what I am telling him, but it makes him happy to listen to my stories.
Stay safe as the world climate changes and evolves. Be prepared!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal welfare, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, Helene, Hurricane, lorian lipton, nature, pet blog, rescue
I was unhappy last week when Mom took me to the Vet for yet another major dental cleaning. This time the Vet pulled the incisors I had left and a pre-molar or 2. She told Mom that my bad teeth are probably genetic, but that little dogs also tend toward dental issues.
When I first came to rescue Mom 2 years ago (see picture below), my teeth were so rotten that the Vet had to remove a fractured molar and 5 or 6 teeth immediately. Remember that I lived in a cage for my first 6-1/2 years, and Mom suspects I got no healthcare. It’s a good thing that dogs have 42 permanent teeth (unlike humans with 32). Originally my upper jaw had 20 and my lower had 22. But as you can see in the picture when I first came (below), there were big gaps and crookedness.
Every tooth I have had a purpose – incisor, canine, pre-molar, and molar. Now I have no incisors, the little teeth that helped me scrape at meat and groom my coat. What will I ever do if I have to catch my own dinner? But Mom says that will never happen; I will never live in the wild and have to tear things apart. Let’s hope so.
Well, at least I have my fangs!
I must say that the pain drugs worked fine. And I got a lot of apple sauce and pumpkin.
What kind of mischief did you get into today? Remember to BRUSH YOUR TEETH!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: dog, dog dental care, dog teeth, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, Pet, pets, shih tzu mix, vet care
Bearnard here. I want to tell you the story of our vacation. Someone thought it might be a good idea to take us on vacation with the family this year. Mom had been training us for months to ride nicely in the car with seat belts in the back seat (the blue straps). The first leg of the trip was from Annapolis, Maryland to Raleigh, North Carolina. That was about 5 hours. We did great. It was not Mom’s fault that Hurricane Debby was traveling with us. It rained 80% of the way. But we finally took a break in the drizzle and smelled some new stuff in a picnic area. Then we got to Aunt B in Raleigh and met her and her cat, Gracie (who did not like us much). It was our first time in a hotel and Jolie was terrified of the elevator. Mom had to carry her in and out.
We also hated all the noise in the hotel and I especially went crazy when people were making noise in the hall late at night. Mom did not get much sleep because she had to leave the TV on all night to try and keep me calm. We really liked being on the back of the couch in the hotel room and we took turns looking out the window at the parking lot.
The next day we got back in the car for another 3-hour drive to Sunset Beach in North Carolina. Mom had a nice apartment for all of us to stay in and we took lots of walks around the property. However, Jolie started to get really sick after a day or 2. Mom emailed the vet who said to put her on the usual rice and chicken tummy diet and try some CBD chews. She thought it was stress. She had already planned for me to take more of my stress medicine (which I live on anyway) but she thought Jolie would be ok. Then V figured out it was the WATER. Mom drinks bottled water all the time, so why not us! Once we switched to bottled water, in 48 hours she was much better. Mom never brought us to the ocean beach because we were having so much trouble just on land.
After a week we were back in the car but this time for a 9-hour drive: it was horrible. About 5 hours in, I could not deal with being in the back seat any longer and needed to be upfront with Mom. Finally, Mom gave in and let me be in the front (against her better judgment). She always has the passenger front airbag turned off because she worries about us being in the front if there is a car accident. The airbags would kill us instantly she thinks.
Did you know humans cannot pee at the rest stops along the highway with their animals. They actually have guards sitting there to make sure that people don’t bring their animals in with them even in the 100-degree weather. So Mom has special signs for the car. She carries 2 car keys with her and locks us in with the air conditioning and radio on. She puts signs on the windows because she drives a hybrid and people can’t hear the engine and figure we are in trouble. (DO NOT LEAVE YOUR DOG IN A HOT CAR – EVER!!!!)
Mom also downloaded an app for her iPhone called ‘iEXIT.’ This tells her where stores are off exits on major roads. This way she was prepared to stop at a PET STORE or HARDWARE STORE because they allow animals to be inside (so we could go to the potty with her). It is terrible that she can’t just go under a tree like we do.
Truthfully, we love being with the family, but can you leave us with a pet sitter next year. It was exhausting!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, papillon mix, Pet, pet vacation, pets, shih tzu mix, sunset beach, vacation
The other day, V took a picture of a squirrel splooting on our deck.
What is SPLOOTING you may ask? Splooting is when a four-legged animal kicks out one or both back legs behind its body.
I have had many dogs and cats that sploot.
Here is Bearnard splooting (with one of my socks-LOL).
According to the internet, there are various types of sploots: a one-legged sploot, a side sploot, and a full sploot.
Here is Louise in a classic sploot with one leg remaining beneath her body and the other leg kicked out.
Charles was a big splooter (I couldn’t find a picture, sorry). I thought it was mostly a thing that little male dogs did. But now I know even cats sploot.
Do you sploot? Show us your pictures!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, climate change, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, splooting, squirrels
Many people have asked me why I put knots in my dog leads.
I always do this to any new leash.
Specifically, it is so that I can step quickly on the leash if I drop it and it won’t travel under my foot. Thereby, stopping a runaway dog.
If spaced properly, it is also a quick way to jump to a shorter place on the leash to manage the dog better.
Some knots do happen by themselves when you have multiple leashes.
Then there is the 3 dog leash tangle; knots don’t help with that though.
Have a Wonderful Wednesday.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: dog, dog leash, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, walking dogs
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