Sofie with toys
Toys. Dogs love toys. My dogs have so many toys that I have given them a toy box. I read that you are suppose to rotate toys, that way there are always some new toys for them to play with. I find that each dog has different favorites but they both always want the same toy at the same time. It is silly to buy two of the same thing, since they only want to play with one at a time. We have a lot of shredded soft toys. In our house a ‘Bobo’ stuffed dog toy usually lasts about 2 minutes before it is decapitated. It is funny but you will find many a disembodied cloth toy around our house (except Beaver, who is sacred and is not allowed to be shared). I am always looking for that ultimate dog toy. The toy that will keep them busy for a long time (like a rawhide) but does not disappear in one sitting (like a rawhide).
Lulu lying on her toys
We have tons of Kongs with varies size openings which I stuff with peanut butter or cookies or (don’t yell at me) low fat whipped cream. Those treats last about 10 or 15 minutes if I am lucky. Also, my wonderdog Sofie, is very adept at pulling the stitching out of toys. She has figured out the secret to even make indestructible toys fall apart. Nothing holds up well when the center stitching is removed.
Bobo's head hanging by my desk
A lot of people have told me that they buy their dogs toys at places like the Dollar store, but I worry about what is actually in the cloth or the ball, and I do not find them to hold up very well to a 2 dog team. I thought that the ‘fire hose’ material toys were going to last, until Sofie removed the stitches. And then there are the balls. We have tennis balls everywhere. My dogs can eat cheap balls apart in a matter of minutes, but good, old fashion, yellow tennis balls, now those hold up really well. They can not even skin them unless they were left outside in the rain and snow for a month or so. Ahhhh, dog toys. What is your dog’s favorite? Which one do you find lasts forever (and is played with a lot)? Just another DogDaz morning at our house ❤
Tags: animal awareness, animals, cute dogs, dog, DogDaz, pets, postaday, toys
Sofie & Louise waiting with toys
The dogs have decided that it is time that they get to go in the safe room with the new kitties. So they are camped outside the door with their toys. There is a lot of whining going on from Sofie (the whiner), but I am resistant. And since the upstairs litter box is right outside the kittens door, ‘The Muffin Man’ has decided it is a great launching pad to get in the room as soon as a human opens it. Muffin has enlisted Miss Kitty to help him try and get inside. I think that between the whole group of them they may figure out how to actually turn the door knob. (I know that my Alice cat used to be able to get up on her back hunches and turn a knob years ago – so I am a little concerned.) 2 weeks is a very long time to have the kittens locked away, but we are not going to the Vet until Friday (which will be the first week). Then we need to let them out slowly to experience the mob on the other side of the door. I am thinking that I will let them out together, because there is safety in numbers, but I it has been a long time since I introduced 2 new animals at the same time. (Sofie is helping me type (whine whine whine) and wants you all to know that she is going to do everything she can to get over the barricade and see what is on the other side. Louise just wonders if it is food.) Sofie is actually whining extra bad because C’s boyfriend, whom she absolutely loves, is here and he is a cat person, so they immediately disappeared in to the kitten room. “No fair!” she whines, “Why is D not playing with me, I know he is here!” This is going to be an interesting 2 weeks for sure.
This is my house, let me in!
What is going on in there?
Why are we locked out, Muffy?
This is just too funny.
Just another DogDaz morning at zoo! ❤
Tags: adoption, animal awareness, Animal welfare, animals, Cat, cats, cute dogs, DogDaz, pets, postaday
not-yet-named Baby Girl
I would like to introduce you to the 2 newest members of the zoo. Drum roll please!!!!!
Here is our not-yet-named 5 month old baby girl. I never had a brown tabby before. She talked the whole way home and does not appear to be afraid of anything.
And here is our other newest member, ‘Nine.’ I named him that because he is the ninth cat to reside in this house. The family is starting to give me grief and rethink his name, but I like it. Nine appears to be about 1 year old. Right now he is a little overwhelmed and is hiding under the couch in the safe room.
Nine
This brings our cat count back up to 5. We are so excited. Right now they will have to stay in separate space for about 2 weeks, until we are sure they are not sick or carrying anything we do not want the others to catch. The dogs and Miss Kitty are already waiting at the closed door of the safe room because they know something different is behind it. I do hope they are fine and that the vet gives them a 100% rating.
Our hope is that these new babies will be cuddlers and help fill the void from the passing of Cuddles and Zackary earlier this year. The 3 older cats are just not lap warmers and we really miss that.
Welcome home our little rescues. They are from Last Chance Rescue through the PetSmart Charities. And I want to give a shout out to Peggy, who made the whole adoption thing the easiest we have ever had (and we have had many).
Not just another DogDaz at the zoo – it’s a CATDAZ! ❤
Tags: adoption, animal awareness, Animal welfare, animals, Cat, cute dogs, pets, postaday2011
hippiesandgypsies:
Nikkolette (look alike from the internet)
Still traveling, so today I thought I would focus on my puppies. Baby animals are sooooo cute. Sometimes I wish they would stay little forever.
Nikkolette (aka Nikki), my buff Cocker Spaniel, was 8 weeks old when she came to live with me. She was the first dog I ever got on my own and the youngest puppy I ever had. That was a real experience. I learned a lot about dog care and about getting up in the middle of night (I recommend you think twice when you live on the second floor of an apartment building and have to take a puppy out to pee several times a night). I remember in the middle of one cold New England night, carrying her down the indoor stairs (I think there were about 20 steps to my apartment) and falling down most of them with the puppy in my arms. Not a scratch on her, but boy did I hurt in the morning. Ah, puppies. Nikki was an easy going and sweet dog. Except for the time that the cats (Alice and Gertrude were kittens then) knocked a plate of brownies off the counter for Nikki to enjoy (and proceed to get sick all over the house) while I was out. In general with Nikki there was very little puppy damage. She shared her life with me until she was 18 years old.
Puppy Lulu
Louise (aka Lulu Belle) was about 5 or 6 months old when she came to me. I still had to potty train her but she was a fast learner. She was mistreated in her early days (she had a flea collar embedded in her neck, was covered with dry mange, and was afraid of everything when she was rescued) but she was the cutest thing, It did not take her long to learn that she was safe here and no one was ever going to mistreat her again. Louise is a really smart dog and I enjoy watching her figure out things. Her puppy time went quickly and I only lost my favorite boots and a 12 roll case of toilet tissue to her puppiness. Lulu is 2 1/2 years old now, but in many ways, she still has a lot of puppy in her.
The current puppy, Sofie Bear, turned 1 in November. We rescued her at about 12 or 14 weeks. I always wonder why a puppy ends up in a kill shelter, but I guess we will never know. From the way that Sofie acts, I think she may have run wild until she was brought into the shelter. If it was up to her she would still run wild today. Sofie is the most strong willed little bit that has ever come my way. She loves to carry around my slippers when ever she can and has a real affinity to chewing on things she shouldn’t.
Sofie Day 1
Ah! Puppies…..
Just another DogDaz morning from the road ❤
Tags: animals, cute dogs, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, Pet, pets, postaday2011, Puppies, Puppy
DogDaz Zoo 