This was Nikki; my absolutely gorgeous buff Cocker Spaniel, after my daughter, who was about 7 years old at the time, did her hair. That dog would allow Peanut to do anything to her. Nikki (D&L’s Nikkolette) was actually my first child. She was the first dog that I raised from an 8 week old puppy to the good age of 18 years. In her puppy days I lived in an apartment and had to carry the little thing down 2 flights of stairs several times a night. I was younger then. Her crate was at the foot of my bed and the little thing would cry and wake me up, and half asleep, I would stumble down the stairs so that she could relieve herself. I worked really hard training Nikki. She and I went to many training classes and even had a private trainer. I did not have much understanding of what I was doing, or suppose to be doing, with a dog in those days, and she was so easy. Then, when she was about 3, I gave birth to Peanut. Nikki loved the baby so much. I remember introducing the animals (in those days it was Nikki dog and the cats, Alice and Gertrude) to the bassinet, even before I went to the hospital, and letting them sniff new smells before the baby came home. I love to watch the interaction between children and animals. Children and animals, for me, they are just perfect together.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tags: Animal, Cocker Spaniel, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, Pet, pets, postaday
I only just got home from the family vacation last weekend and Friday I have to hop a plane to Australia for 10 days which I think really impacts the animals . (I like going to Australia but I don’t think the family or the zoo likes me that far away (1/2 way around the world).) The dogs were crazy when they saw me after 6 days of them being at Sonya’s house (they do not have any concept of where I was except not with them and that they were not home, so explaining vacation would be futile). They are very used to being with me all day since I work from home. When I travel for work, they are still home, and all they know is that the alpha ‘feeder, walker, cuddler’ is not with them for X amount of cycles (day/night). They are stuck with the beta ‘feeder, go out in the yard, yell at us for barking to much’ humans when Mommy is gone. So in these 4 days before I leave again I better pack in lots of walks and cuddles and play time. This should hold me, but will it hold them? I wonder what the dogs or cats would think if they saw me over Skype? Could they even see that it was me without my smell? I think they would recognize the voice. Would it only frustrate them because they could not physically be near me? I know they respond to an occassional bark on the TV, but do they see the images? The cats definitely see the stuff on my computer monitor, because they swat at things that move and chase them,
Well after this trip they will get me for a whole 4 weeks before I leave again. I never worried much about this with other dogs, but Lulu and Sofie are very clingy (they are still babies – 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 years old). Maybe I will bring them back a Joey (baby kangaroo) that they can play with?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animal awareness, animals, australia, dog, Dog People, DogDaz, Dogs, Pet, pets, postaday, Skype
When I am away from home, I miss my goofy furry companions. I travel often for business, but it is very rare that I take vacation, and even rarer that the animals are somewhere other than their home. I set it up so that they are all well taken care of, but when I am not with them, it is as if I am missing something. Now I know that must sound crazy. I don’t miss them in the same way that I miss my humans, but I do miss them. I think about them and I talk about them. I think I am addicted to them. Is there such a thing?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animal awareness, animals, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, nature, Pet, pets, postaday
Animals come into the world with perfect love. We humans spend our lives looking for perfect love. Dogs are born with it. That is why I figure they live only a short time on this earth. They are here to teach us and then they move on. Angels are here to guide us too (if you believe in them). I learn lessons everyday from my animals. Sometimes, when I really don’t want to listen, they force me to become a better human.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: angels, Animal, animal awareness, animals, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, nature, Pet, postaday
I came upon this great picture the other day. Not only were the 3 labs absolutely beautiful representations of each color of Labrador Retrievers, but the message was so ‘right on.’ I don’t think that dogs’ care about color or breed differences at all. They may be aware of major size differences, but I am not really sure what they think about the other dog when it is bigger or smaller than them – ‘Oh, it’s another dog, but it sure is weird-looking.”
Dogs live in a world of smells; they seem to judge everything through the ‘sniff’ test. If something smells different, then they get concerned. Since sight is so limited in most dogs, I don’t think they care much about how something looks. I don’t think you will ever hear a dog say, “Oh you are ugly, so I am not going to play with you.” Do different dogs smell different? That I don’t know. I couldn’t find much research on this. Does your dog show any sign of perceiving a difference between itself and another dog’s breed/color/etc? Not having ‘single breed’ dogs, I am not able to observe if this comes into play at all. All I can say is that Louise and Sofie could not be more different in breed mixes and color but two dogs couldn’t be closer in affection for each other. (And they both smell equally as bad when wet.)
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animal awareness, animals, Breeds, Differences, dog, Dog breed, DogDaz, Dogs, Labrador Retriever, nature, Pet, pets, postaday, Smell
Squash E Bear was a great traveling dog. He just loved the car. His large body would take up the whole back seat and he would lay low and ride along. Or if there was a window open, he would position his head, just inside, to have the breeze ruffle his ears. Ah, those were the days. Squash came everywhere with me. He always went on road trips north to NY or Connecticut, and I even took him to Niagara Falls (Canada side) one year. I put together all the needed documentation that you must have when traveling with a pet: vaccinations, microchip info, and even a signed note from the vet (when crossing the border). Finding pet friendly accommodations was easier than I thought, though the quality of some of the lodgings left a little to be desired.
In Niagara we stayed at this great Best Western with a million other dogs and we took some great walks with super views of the falls.
Everyone liked when I brought Squash with me because he was so well-behaved and basically just plopped down wherever he landed and smiled at you. He and I had some pretty cool adventures over the years – like that time he really needed to go pee, so I pulled into a public park, not knowing that dogs are banned from public parks on Long Island, and all these people were giving us dirty looks until a Park Ranger chased us out. Live and learn.
Louise and Sofie aren’t the best car dogs. They bark, they whine, and sometimes, I think Sofie is just plain nauseated by the whole thing. Makes me miss traveling with Squash. Maybe when the girls get older they will be better car dogs. Time will tell.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animal awareness, animals, dog, Dog People, DogDaz, New York, Niagara, Pet, pets, postaday, smiling dogs
This was Nikki; my absolutely gorgeous buff Cocker Spaniel, after my daughter, who was about 7 years old at the time, did her hair. That dog would allow Peanut to do anything to her. Nikki (D&L’s Nikkolette) was actually my first child. She was the first dog that I raised from an 8 week old puppy to the good age of 18 years. In her puppy days I lived in an apartment and had to carry the little thing down 2 flights of stairs several times a night. I was younger then. Her crate was at the foot of my bed and the little thing would cry and wake me up, and half asleep, I would stumble down the stairs so that she could relieve herself. I worked really hard training Nikki. She and I went to many training classes and even had a private trainer. I did not have much understanding of what I was doing, or suppose to be doing, with a dog in those days, and she was so easy. Then, when she was about 3, I gave birth to Peanut. Nikki loved the baby so much. I remember introducing the animals (in those days it was Nikki dog and the cats, Alice and Gertrude) to the bassinet, even before I went to the hospital, and letting them sniff new smells before the baby came home. I love to watch the interaction between children and animals. Children and animals, for me, they are just perfect together.
DogDaz Zoo 