animals-animals-animals:
Long-tailed Widowbird (by fveronesi1)
11.23.12 Anticipation
Sofie: “Mom, did you send the invitation?”
Mom: “Yes, Sofie Bear, they are on your Facebook site as an event”
Sofie: “Did you bake the special cookies I requested?”
Mom: “Yes, Sofie, they are cooling with the other pumpkin treats.”
Sofie: “Presents! Are presents hiding somewhere?”
Mom: “Patience, little one.”
Sofie: “Are my friends going to come to visit?”
Mom: “Yes, Sofie, Mojo and Amy will be here.”
Sofie: “I am so excited that I am going to be 2 years old on Sunday! Can we go for a walk just you & me.”
Mom: “Sounds like a plan, Baby”
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
11.22.12 DogDaz Is Thankful For YOU
Today, in the United States, we are celebrating the secular holiday we call Thanksgiving.
It is a fun holiday for me full of food and smells and family. I am busy right now making vegan pumpkin pie and marinating the tofurky. But Thanksgiving is also one of those holidays where I look at the people and things in my life, and take stock of that for which I am most thankful.
I am thankful for a year of blogging which has allowed me to meet YOU. You, the wonderful people out there in cyberspace. I have met your families and your pets; you’ve shown me your pictures, read me your poems, and most of all, you allowed me to experience your life through your blogs. Thank you from the bottom of our DogDaz heart.
I don’t know about at your house, but my animals always get a little to much people food today, as do the people. So, as you are getting ready to sit down to the dinner table, here are some tips from ASPCA experts for a fulfilling Thanksgiving that your pets can enjoy, too.
Talkin’ Turkey
If you decide to feed your pet a little nibble of turkey, make sure it’s boneless and well-cooked. Don’t offer her raw or undercooked turkey, which may contain salmonella bacteria.
Sage Advice
Sage can make your Thanksgiving stuffing taste delish, but it and many other herbs contain essential oils and resins that can cause gastrointestinal upset and central nervous system depression to pets if eaten in large quantities. Cats are especially sensitive to the effects of certain essential oils.
No Bread Dough
Don’t spoil your pet’s holiday by giving him raw bread dough. According to ASPCA experts, when raw bread dough is ingested, an animal’s body heat causes the dough to rise in his stomach. As it expands, the pet may experience vomiting, severe abdominal pain and bloating, which could become a life-threatening emergency, requiring surgery.
Don’t Let Them Eat Cake
If you’re baking up Thanksgiving cakes, be sure your pets keep their noses out of the batter, especially if it includes raw eggs—they could contain salmonella bacteria that may lead to food poisoning.
Too Much of a Good Thing
A few small boneless pieces of cooked turkey, a taste of mashed potato or even a lick of pumpkin pie shouldn’t pose a problem. However, don’t allow your pets to overindulge, as they could wind up with a case of stomach upset, diarrhea or even worse—an inflammatory condition of the pancreas known as pancreatitis. In fact, it’s best keep pets on their regular diets during the holidays.
A Feast Fit for a Kong
While the humans are chowing down, give your cat and dog their own little feast. Offer them Nylabones or made-for-pet chew bones. Or stuff their usual dinner—perhaps with a few added tidbits of turkey, vegetables (try sweet potato or green beans) and dribbles of gravy—inside a Kong toy. They’ll be happily occupied for awhile, working hard to extract their dinner from the toy.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
11.21.12 PigStory #2: GenderBender
Sam’s passing, from a Guinea Pig respiratory infection at 4 years of age, was very hard on the family. They were mourning the loss of him terribly. Feeling sad for them, I told V and the kids to go and adopt a new pig. I did not go with them as I was working. They come home with not 1, but 2 new pigs, because, and I quote “there was only 2 in the cage and we did not want the other one to be lonely.” Enter Georgia and Martha.
They were the cutest little things (I had never seen a baby guinea pig before) but we noticed that within 24 hours Martha was having trouble breathing. After rushing her to the emergency vet, we learned she had pneumonia, and they suggested putting her down immediately. But that is not our way.
Over the next 4 weeks we gave her medicine and we spent endless hours in the steaming bathroom and with a vaporizer next to her cage, to help this little creature start to breath again. We moved her into the bedroom so we could monitor her 24/7. And we held her and held her and held her. When we finally got her to our vet (not the Emergency people), Dr. Kate said that Martha was much better, however, ‘she’ was a ‘he’ and that maybe we should consider changing his name so that he doesn’t get a complex (LOL). Welcome, a now healthy, Mr, Moto.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
11.20.12 Thanks Misaki for the “Blog of the Year Award”
Oh Misaki, you are too kind, to grace us with the “Blog of the Year 2012” Award. It is a really different type of award and we really appreciate you thinking of us.
If you have not met Misaki yet, please check her blog out at The Misadventures of Misaki.
Misaki, The Great
The “Blog of the Year” award is a little different than some other awards that we have received in the past, because you accumulate stars. We think that is a neat idea. Here are the ‘rules’ for this award:
1 Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
2 Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.
3 Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award – http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
4 Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
5 You can now also join our Facebook group – click ‘like’ on this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
6 As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars…
Yes – that’s right – there are stars to collect!
Unlike other awards which you can only add to your blog once – this award is different!
When you begin you will receive the ‘1 star’ award – and every time you are given the award by another blog – you can add another star!
There are a total of 6 stars to collect.
Which means that you can check out your favourite blogs – and even if they have already been given the award by someone else – you can still bestow it on them again and help them to reach the maximum 6 stars!
For more information check the FAQ on The Thought Palette.
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Oh my DOG! I want to give this award to so many blog friends that I don’t know where to start. But, since this is an award that focuses on the year 2012, I am awarding it to all of you who have acknowledged DogDaz with an award this year. (I do hope I did not miss any of you.) This is the least I can do to say Thank You again. Please keep passing it on and keep the star shine going for many blog years to come.
- First, back to your Misaki for another star on your belt. You deserve it.
- Taylor and her Mom, Jessica, at “I Adopted A Dog – Now What?”
- David Kanigan of Lead,Learn.Live
- Dear Kitty. Some Blog.
- Bassa’s Blog.
- Worldly Winds
- The adorable guinea piggies at Hutchagoodlife
- The wise duet of Bella and Didi, at Paws to Talk.
- Colline’s Blog
- Debbie at Kindness Kronicles
- Sweat Like Mambo.
- Believe Anyway
- Chuck and his wonderful Collies of the Meadow.
- Fluffy Tufts Gang
- Milka [the Great{est} Dane]
- Barb at: Passionate About Pets & People
- Misty Shores Chesapeakes
- Dianda of Cats & Co.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
11.19.12 Pigstory #1: Sam
When I met V, along with 2 human kids, came 3 cats and a Guinea Pig named Sam. Now I was not a rodent person. I never really got along well with my brother’s Gerbil that squeaked on that silly wheel all night, or my boyfriends, Teddy Bear Hamster, who used to escape all the time and once bit me. (I did have a good time with a bunch of white mice in 5th grade but that is another story.) So, adding a strange smelly nervous thing like this to my pack was unfamiliar. Over the 4 wonderful years that Sam was around, I grew to really enjoy the squealing when he saw me and the little nibbles of affection.. Sam was a very quiet and obedient pig. He was very happy in his cage, and when he came out in the evening, we placed him in a plastic tub (think clean litter pan), and he would stay there and have his lettuce and parsley. He stuck his nose over the edge occasionally and sniffed a cat, but never tried to get out of the tub (that is him in the picture with Zachary in 1999). He was a sweet pig. I figured we knew everything about Guinea Pigs after having him. Well, was I naive. To be continued…..
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
DogDaz Zoo 