Mom said that many humans think that today marks the end of the world. Actually, she wishes that today would mark the end of the violent world as we know it and the beginning of a new peaceful one with no more killing of innocents or war or any hate stuff. But alas, we have been told that our Mom is a big dreamer.
For us, today is the first day of winter, and hopefully, that means that white stuff will start falling from the sky soon. We love white stuff. It is fun to eat and romp in. We really do hope the sky falls soon.
Mom’s family came from Northern Europe and there they celebrated a festival at midwinter called Yule. We like festivals. From today on in the Northern Hemisphere, the days will start to get lighter and that is really welcome.
From A to Z, it seems like most cultures needed festivals at this time of year to help them survive the winter. Mom started to tell us all their names and became overwhelmed: Beiwi, Brumalia, Chawmas, Christmas (we know that one), Maidyarem, Dongzhi, Goru, Hanukkah (we know that one too), Hogmanay, Inti Raymi, Junkanoo, Karachum, Koleda, Wren Day, Lenaia, Lohri, St Lucy’s Day….. So we decided we are going to celebrate every day because somewhere, someone is, so we will too!
Happy Solstice everyone and may the sky fall on your head and you catch it on your tongue and taste its sweetness – SNOW BALL FIGHT!!!!!
Throw the snow ball at someone and let us know who in the comments so we can throw one at them too!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Originally posted on 12.21.12 – Happy Solstice everyone!
Tags: Animal, Brumalia, christmas, DogDaz, End of the world, Hogmanay, Inti Raymi, nature, Northern Europe, Northern Hemisphere, postaday, Snowball Fight, Winter solstice, Wren Day, Yule
The gang in woodcut. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Mom needs to take a few weeks off from blogging. She is having eye surgery because can’t see very well. We shall return as soon as the fog clears which hopefully is before Yule. We promise we will take good care of her and make sure she has tons of licks and love. SEE you soon!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, blog hop, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, wood carving
From the moment the month began I knew we were in for a mixture of rain and wind and wild antics. We got through to Thanksgiving without much of a mess. Now we are looking forward to Santa Paws in just a few short weeks. How did your month go?
What kind of mischief did you get into today?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: 1secondaday, 1SEME, blog hop, cats, dog, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, funny dogs, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, multi animal household, November, Pet, pets
For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything Thy goodness sends. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
From our Zoo to yours – Thank you for another year of visiting DogDaz Zoo. I truly appreciate all my visitors and commenters. Some of you have been here for years and feel like old friends. We have been through many animals together. Thank you from the bottom of my paws to the tops of my ears!!
The DogDaz Zoo: Louise, Sofie, Charles, Noel, Nine, Stella, Mini Cooper & Mom
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: DogBlog, DogDaz, Gratitude, lorian lipton, multi animal household, Pet, pet blog
What a long strange trip it has been to get to 9 years old with this bundle of fluff. Sofie Bear continues to be a silly mess that we love with all our hearts.
Gotcha Day, Sofie
I remember Gotcha day so well. I meet Sofie’s foster in a parking lot outside his work. I had no car kennel so I put her in a giant rubber tube. She was so smart and precocious even at 3 months. They thought she was a collie/shepard mix. Well, she fooled them. I think she is a sheltie/chow/mischief mix.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOFIE BEAR (aka SODA POP)
You have been my hardest dog lesson to date, but I would not trade you for a ton of non -anxious, door eating, carpet ripping, cat chasing, quiet puppies in the world.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: dog birthday, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pet blog, sheltie mix
Dear Noel – I know that my humans are planning a big food celebration next week – they call it Thanksgiving. All they ever give me though is dry kibble. How do I get my human to understand that I can have some leftovers too! – Please help. I am Hungry in Hawaii
Dear Hungry – Many humans do not understand a cat’s diet. We are obligate carnivores, which means we have to have MEAT to live. But fat on the other paw can make us sick. In the wild, we would eat about 3 or 4 mice a day (yum), depending on our size. But remind them that we are little creatures and our calories per day should be limited to our size. And, we are each different, so tell your human to ask your Vet, since I am not a medicine cat and don’t know what is right for you.
You can have many wonderful COOKED lean proteins:
- 1 ounce of cooked TURKEY white meat
- Skinless chicken (MY FAVORITE)
- Liver
- Lean beef
- Lamb
- Cooked eggs
- Cooked salmon/tuna
- Canned fish
Don’t forget your veggies and grains:
- Raw Pumpkin/squash, peas, and cucumber
- Cooked carrots, broccoli, green beans
- Mashed sweet potato
- Cooked oatmeal
And your fruit:
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew (no seeded)
- Peeled apples
But remind them that you can not eat the following:
- NO FAT
- Garlic
- Onions
- Coconut Milk
- Alcohol
- Coffee or caffeine
- Grapes / raisins
- Seeds
- RAW fish
- Bread dough
- Nuts
- Chocolate
- Cooked bones
- Milk
- Chives
- Candy / Gum
- Artificial sweeteners (Especially XYLITOL)
See this Basic guide
Enjoy your Thanksgiving and don’t forget to beg for more! – Noel, the Christmas Cat
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: animals, Cat, Cat food, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, human food for cats, lorian lipton, people food for cats, pets, sharing food with cats
This is a picture of Louise and Sofie almost immediately after eating breakfast. You would think they didn’t just have full bowls of the most nutritious high-quality dog food.
“Whatever Mommy is eating must be better and must be shared!!”
They crack me up.
Do your animals EVER stop begging? What you don’t see in this picture is Noel, the Christmas cat, on the kitchen table trying to steal my bagel while I am looking at the dogs.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Best Friends, Blog, blog hop, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, hungry dogs, lorian lipton, Pet, pets
Charles here. I want to talk to you about my 2 silly sisters who for some strange reason, that I cannot understand, go out in the cold air and crunch in the fall leaves. Don’t they realize that it is much better just to run out in the back for 2 seconds and pee than to go for a long walk with Mom and have to deal with coats and leashes and scary sounds, like the crunch crunch crunch of dead leaves? Sometimes I think they are just ridiculous.
Wouldn’t you rather stay in where it is warm?
And these dead leaves are making me itch! Mom has me on a tablet of allergy medicine, but I don’t think it is helping. Because I am so little, she thinks I get the worst of the dead stuff directly on my skin and up my nose. People think of dog allergies and allergic reactions mostly in the spring (I get those too) but for me, the dead leaves that are all over the ground in the fall, which get moldy and are full of dying insects as well as pollen, are making me wheeze. All these leaves are kind of hard to avoid when you are a little, but Mom gave me a bath and tries to towel me off when I come inside after my 2 seconds in the yard (to keep the stuff off my fur). Does the fall effect you?
What kind of mischief did you get into today?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: blog hop, dog, dog allergies, dog allergy, dog health, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, Pet, pets
I am having fun looking back. This is 2015. Phone cameras have come a long way since then, or maybe I have just gotten better at taking pictures (this is really grainy, sorry). Have a great Black and White Sunday.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, Black and White Sunday, blog hop, cute dogs, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, Pet, pets, postaday
Stella – The Loner
Stells’s new thing lately is to sneak out of her room, whenever the door is left ajar, which it shouldn’t be and hide under my bed across the hall. (To be honest, I know that V thinks she gets lonely in her private master cat suite and leaves the door open for her to explore until, of course, there is a catfight in the hall.) I think Stella thinks it’s funny to go under the bed until another cat comes to check her out and then she freaks out and runs back into her room, hopefully with no other cats trailing behind. Fur does fly around here sometimes. Stella really likes Sofie and Louise, but not Charles, so they are the only other animals that she wants in her space. Ahh the life with a zoo.
I cannot imagine a life without cats!
Just another CATDogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: animals, Cat, Cat People, cats, caturday, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pets
For us, today is the first day of winter, and hopefully, that means that white stuff will start falling from the sky soon. We love white stuff. It is fun to eat and romp in. We really do hope the sky falls soon. 
DogDaz Zoo 