The house has been extra quiet today. Jolie, Bearnard, and their beloved stuffy, PoleCat, have a whole lot of waiting for Mom to feel better. 🐾 Mom got a new left hip on Tuesday.
PoleCat, a stuffy who looks like a cat on a pole body, has been guarding carefully. The couch patrol has been constant, and every little sound gets hopeful ears perked up. Dogs may not understand everything, but they always seem to know when someone they love needs extra comfort.
Mini Cooper, the cat, has decided she is better than an ice pack, and is directly providing support on Mom’s lap.
For now, the mission is simple: stay close, keep watch, and be ready with cuddles when Mom needs them most. ❤️
Hello, dear friends. It is I, Bearnard—small in stature, quiet in presence—returning to keep you properly informed.
Since we last spoke in March… well. Life has been a lot. Let me bring you up to speed.
🧸 The PoleCat Saga (Victory Is Mine)
You’ll be relieved to know I have successfully regained control of PoleCat*—my beloved, slightly questionable companion. We are once again inseparable.
There was an incident. Jolie, in a completely unprovoked act of aggression, launched PoleCat off the couch in what I can only describe as an attempted assassination. Fortunately, Mom intervened, rescued PoleCat, and restored her rightful place among the pillows.
Jolie tried to take possession of PoleCat
Order has been reestablished.
PoleCat is my bff
🌸 Weather, But Make It Confusing
Spring arrived… but not in a normal way. One night: snow. Next day: summer. Honestly, it feels like we’re living inside a strange Ursula K. Le Guin novel set on a chaotic planet.
Spring has sprung
And the pollen. Oh, the pollen.
Here by the Chesapeake Bay, everything is covered in a thick yellow dust. The humans call it pollen, but I call it betrayal. Instead of seasoning things with Old Bay, the world is now seasoned with what I call Old Yellow.
Pollen and Maple helicopters on the pool cover
Mom has us on tiny pink pills—Benadryl—which allegedly help with sneezing. I remain skeptical but slightly less sniffly.
🐱 The Reign of Mini Cooper
Mini Cooper (the cat) has entered what I believe is her villain era.
She has claimed Mom’s recliner as her throne and now requires us to approach with what can only be described as respectful submission. Eye contact is risky. Proximity requires permission.
We bow to your greatness, Princess Mini Cooper
We are monitoring the situation closely.
🍪 Holidays = Betrayal (Again)
Mom was very busy cooking for Passover and made something called macaroons.
Mom’s coconut macroons with dark chocolate
Everyone loved them.
We were denied access.
We received apples.
I trust you understand the injustice.
Then came Easter, which, as usual, involved large quantities of human-only candy. K8 was here (Peanut was away), and there was still an Easter egg hunt because apparently humans never outgrow joy or baskets.
AI generated: We would never allow such an embarassment
Frankly, I respect that. I, too, believe in year-round treats.
🤫 My Secret Life (Do Not Share)
There is something you should know, but you must keep it between us.
I am… a closet toy player.
I never play in front of humans. It’s a private art. But somehow, my toys mysteriously appear all over the house. No explanation.
My favorites:
The blue ball that releases cookies (a masterpiece)
My snuffle mat lunch situation (highly refined)
Fun time
Again—this stays between us.
🚶♀️ Enter April (Best Dog Walker Ever)
Mom isn’t walking well right now because she’s getting a new hip soon (honestly, bold upgrade), so we have a dog walker named April.
After breakfast, I wait in the foyer for what feels like years.
Where is April?
Then she arrives.
And I become… speed.
I run. I spin. I zoom between rooms like a highly trained athlete. When we get home, I sprint upstairs to Mom, then back to April, then back again. Sometimes I add couch-jumping for flair.
Jolie, meanwhile, strolls in calmly and lies down like she’s better than me.
She is incorrect.
🚗 Adventures in Car Riding
Because of the whole hip situation (and also our deep suspicion of the cane and the wheeled walking contraption), Mom takes us on car rides instead.
I prefer the front console—close to Mom, excellent visibility, superior vibes.
Field trip!!
Jolie enjoys the window.
Sometimes we are buckled into the back seat, which we strongly oppose, but Mom insists it is “for safety.” I suppose she means well.
🐱Stella Update (Very Important)
Our dear Stella, the cat—who, as you know, has GI Lymphoma—is doing well.
She had her annual visit with Dr. Sims (which she loudly objected to), but overall, things are stable. Her medications—Prednisolone, Cisapride, and Miralax—are helping a lot.
Xray of Stella’s insides
Also, she is 14 years old, which I believe qualifies her as wise and slightly magical.
🌧️ Final Thoughts from a Small Philosopher
Today it is stormy. The little helicopter seeds are spinning down from the maple trees like whirly birds… or perhaps tiny dancing fairies. I haven’t decided yet.
Mom’s surgery is coming up in May, so updates may be delayed. But rest assured—I will continue to observe, report, and protect PoleCat at all costs.
Wishing all our fur-friends and their humans a pawsome New Year!
Get into some good trouble (but try not to get caught… like I always seem to – like walking on the coffee table the other day (below)).
Take lots of naps – preferably in inconvenient places. Stick with your friends through zoomies and sad days alike. Always share the sunny spot on the stairs (unless you get their first).
And whatever you do, don’t bother Mini Cooper, the cat, too much… she’s cranky, she knows it, and she’s waiting for an excuse.
Too much noise!!!!
Who me?
Caught red pawed!
ZZZzzzzzZZZZ
Super Chill
Stella
Revolving Beds #1
Revolving Beds #2
Scenes from 2025
May 2026 bring you peace, health, and lots of fun things!
Love – Jolie, Bearnard, Stella, Mini Cooper and Mom (the DogDaz Zoo)
What is going on with this wacky weather? One day it’s cool and comfy, the next it’s brrr—freezing! I don’t mind the chill, but it’s sneaking in fast. Jolie has to wear her sweater because, bless her heart, she’s got hair like a human instead of a fancy fur coat like mine. I’ve got my awesome triple coat keeping me toasty, but Mom still makes me wear a jacket when it’s below freezing. Us littles just can’t keep the heat like the big dogs do!
Leaf Beard
This morning, Jolie and I were having a fine time chasing the sun spots on the steps when Miss Bossy Pants herself—Mini Cooper—sauntered up and started pushing us out of the way. Seriously, who invited these cats anyway?
Anyway, I’m off to find another sunny spot before Mini does. Stay warm out there, friends—and remember, naps are best when your nose is toasty! ☀️🐾
The skeleton crew of DogDaz Zoo is taking over the feed. There is so much going on. One day it is hot, then cold, then windy, then raining. Mom says, it must be fall. We love October and the spooky times. Not a lot of houses have fun decorations yet this year. Maybe it is because here in the US people are just not in the mood to smile. We like to smile and play though.
We got our fall hair/fur cuts. Mom says we look great! This is our 2025 ‘school’ picture. Does your Mom make you take photo ops? We don’t usually sit for very long. She has to catch us when she can.
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Next stop – Spooky Towne, then Turkey time! See you in November. Stay well and keep licking!
I love to walk in the crunchy leaves, but all that autumn fun makes me itchy. Then I start biting my paws, which makes Mommy worried. I had my Cytopoint shot last month, and take Benadryl every day, but Mom says it’s not really helping. I really hope I don’t need another shot.
Still, the fall plants are beautiful, and we’re enjoying our morning walks. Mom say’s she’ll take more pictures if she has a hand free (we’ll see about that).
Mini Cooper had a rough time with a bad tooth.
She had to have one of her canine teeth pulled. (Funny that they call it a Canine tooth when she is a Feline, right?). She is doing much better now.
She was yapping and yapping for a while, and we couldn’t figure out what she was trying to say. When you have a chatty cat, it can be harder to interpret their conversations.
The anesthesia – or maybe the painkiller shot – had her loopy for about 3 days. But once it wore off, she was back to being her usual Mini self. The photos above? That’s her yelling at Mom to start their daily laser tag game.
Fall is Mom’s favorite time of year.
Not just because Halloween is coming (her all favorite holiday), but because she loves the autumnal equinox too. She says it’s when the Earth “tilts to fall” here in the Northern Hemisphere and it marks the start of the new year in her heart and for her people.
It’s her time to count all her blessings, clean her slate, and start fresh. She says we get to start fresh too – more apples and honey for everyone! (Except me. I hate fruit. And I hate veggies. I am a pretty picky eater for a dog.)
Oh – and Mom went to the Maryland Renaissance Faire with Peanut
Peanut loves cosplay. She makes her own costumes and even her own chainmail. She is one of our other favorite humans.
Warrior Peanut 2025
When they came home Mom gave us new names.(Don’t ask, just roll with it.) Jolie, the Magnificant and Bearnard, the Brave.
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:
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.
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.
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!
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.