There is a great deal that goes on at the DogDaz Zoo from month to month. We sleep; we eat; we walk; we nap; we find the sun rays; we eat snacks; we sleep; we walk – you get the idea. The wonderful thing is that we do it together. Yesterday was the IDES of MARCH. They say that you need to beware because people could be out to kill you. Being little, we think people and things are always out to kill us; I guess it was no different than any other day.
Today is Mommy’s birthday so we are giving her lots of hugs and love. She was born between the Ides of March and Saint Patrick’s day. Does that make her a Roman Mastiff or an Irish Wolfhound? Either way, she is the best dog Mommy in the universe. She gives us lots of everything and in return we cuddle and lick her endlessly.
Next week is finally SPRING. It has been a cold winter and we are done with it! We are ready to move on to the flowers and the bees.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day – let’s party like a leprechaun.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tags: Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, Ides of March, lorian lipton, papillon mix, pet blog, shih tzu, St Patrick's Day
Today is Jolie’s 9th Birthday!
It is hard to believe how fast time flies with this wonderful, silly, little creature. She came to us when she was 6-1/2 years old but it feels like she has always been here.
We love you, Jojo!
1st day home July ’22
Charles and Jolie Sept ’22
Noel and Jolie March ’23
Summer ’23
Noel and Jolie ’23
Jolie and Charles March ’23
Jolie and Bearnard Nov ’23
Jojo bday Feb ’24
Jolie & Bear April 24
And Happy Valentine’s Day!!! From DogDaz Zoo
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Birthday, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pet blog, valentine's day
It is crazy cold here at the DogDaz Zoo. We received about 10″ of snow and then 2″ more and then it all froze.
Bearnard had never seen snow before and was not sure what to do with it, especially, where to go potty. It took about a week before he realized he could follow me under the pine trees and there was less snow there. The snow is taller than us.
Bear testing out the snow
Beary hates wearing sweaters and coats (he is such a boy!). Here in Maryland, boys and men wear shorts all year long, even in the snow. It is odd (aren’t they cold?)
I like my sweaters. You see I have fine Shih Tsu hair, not tons of fur like the butterfly, Papillion, Bearnard. Mom makes me wear a sweater anytime the temperature outside drops below 45 degrees. But I don’t mind. Aren’t I the cutest? Mommy says that I look like someone called “Dobby” when I wear this one with ears.
We sure make a mess of the house with all this snow and ice and snow stuck to our furs, and the musher’s gunk she puts on our paws. It takes 15 minutes before she is done suiting us up, then we take a 10 or 15-minute walk, and then it takes 15 minutes to clean up once we are inside again.
Next week we are expecting an Arctic blast or Polar Vortex or something like that. They say it will be the coldest weather of the season. I am freezing already! Stay warm, friends! – Jolie, the Pupsicle
P.S. Mom’s furnace died in the middle of this and we went 4 days with only little oil and electric heaters – now that was not fun. Beary was sure glad to have a sweater on then.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, dog, dog coat, Dog People, dog rescue, dog sweater, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, dogs in snow, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, Snow, winter
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:
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
May 2025 be filled with wonder and joy!
Stella
Mini Cooper
Inky & Stinky
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, cat blog, Cat People, cat rescue, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, Holiday, lorian lipton, New Year, pets
ACT 1: The Workout
Jolie here – You know that Mom needs help whenever she changes her bed. It is my responsibility to ensure that the mattress gets a good workout.
ACT 2: Bearnard the Useless
Bearnard is not very interested in domestic activities.
I invited him to join me, but he thought it was a photo shoot for a centerfold of DOG Monthly.
ACT 3: TEACHING the Mom How
I explained to Mom that she was doing the sheet thing all wrong but she won’t listen.
ACT 4: FINI
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, papillon mix, Pet, pets, shih tzu mix
October is our favorite month at the zoo. Not only because the nights are cooler but the colors are all turning. And Mom gets to dress up the yard with spooky things.
This year Theodore, the skeleton, is walking JoBoo and ScaryBeary, who chased Henry up a tree.
Then we have the Skeletor-Louise and the skinny-kitty watching the front. Can you find the big spider?
The usual grave yard.
Falling leaves and pumpkins make the days sweeter.
Time to try on our costumes: angel and devil, of course.
What are you going to be for Halloween?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ Oco
Tags: Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, Fall, Halloween, Halloween cat, Halloween costume, halloween dog, lorian lipton, pet blog
This has been a crazy weather week in the US. We are fine here in the mid-Atlantic. But Hurricane Helene has caused many people to need support in many ways: food, housing, medical, etc. They say it could be years before some towns recover.
Here at the zoo, we worry about humans but, we also worry a great deal about all the animals. Please contact your friends and family in the regions most devasted and do what you can to support the relief efforts.
We pray for a calmer week weather-wise so they can start to clean up but we know that nature has more things planned in the coming weeks. Stay safe friends. And when you can please donate to the rescues that are caring for both humans and animals affected.
Please have a portable kennel for each of your animals, in case you ever have to evacuate. We have one for each dog and cat and have tested that they all will fit in the car. It is a great deal easier with all little animals now. When we had the big dogs, 2 cars were required. If you have to get out fast, preparation is key!
Bearnard likes to get into deep conversations with me. We were discussing what a hurricane is. I am not sure he understands what I am telling him, but it makes him happy to listen to my stories.
Stay safe as the world climate changes and evolves. Be prepared!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal welfare, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, Helene, Hurricane, lorian lipton, nature, pet blog, rescue
Bearnard here. I want to tell you the story of our vacation. Someone thought it might be a good idea to take us on vacation with the family this year. Mom had been training us for months to ride nicely in the car with seat belts in the back seat (the blue straps). The first leg of the trip was from Annapolis, Maryland to Raleigh, North Carolina. That was about 5 hours. We did great. It was not Mom’s fault that Hurricane Debby was traveling with us. It rained 80% of the way. But we finally took a break in the drizzle and smelled some new stuff in a picnic area. Then we got to Aunt B in Raleigh and met her and her cat, Gracie (who did not like us much). It was our first time in a hotel and Jolie was terrified of the elevator. Mom had to carry her in and out.
We also hated all the noise in the hotel and I especially went crazy when people were making noise in the hall late at night. Mom did not get much sleep because she had to leave the TV on all night to try and keep me calm. We really liked being on the back of the couch in the hotel room and we took turns looking out the window at the parking lot.
The next day we got back in the car for another 3-hour drive to Sunset Beach in North Carolina. Mom had a nice apartment for all of us to stay in and we took lots of walks around the property. However, Jolie started to get really sick after a day or 2. Mom emailed the vet who said to put her on the usual rice and chicken tummy diet and try some CBD chews. She thought it was stress. She had already planned for me to take more of my stress medicine (which I live on anyway) but she thought Jolie would be ok. Then V figured out it was the WATER. Mom drinks bottled water all the time, so why not us! Once we switched to bottled water, in 48 hours she was much better. Mom never brought us to the ocean beach because we were having so much trouble just on land.
After a week we were back in the car but this time for a 9-hour drive: it was horrible. About 5 hours in, I could not deal with being in the back seat any longer and needed to be upfront with Mom. Finally, Mom gave in and let me be in the front (against her better judgment). She always has the passenger front airbag turned off because she worries about us being in the front if there is a car accident. The airbags would kill us instantly she thinks.
Did you know humans cannot pee at the rest stops along the highway with their animals. They actually have guards sitting there to make sure that people don’t bring their animals in with them even in the 100-degree weather. So Mom has special signs for the car. She carries 2 car keys with her and locks us in with the air conditioning and radio on. She puts signs on the windows because she drives a hybrid and people can’t hear the engine and figure we are in trouble. (DO NOT LEAVE YOUR DOG IN A HOT CAR – EVER!!!!)
Mom also downloaded an app for her iPhone called ‘iEXIT.’ This tells her where stores are off exits on major roads. This way she was prepared to stop at a PET STORE or HARDWARE STORE because they allow animals to be inside (so we could go to the potty with her). It is terrible that she can’t just go under a tree like we do.
Truthfully, we love being with the family, but can you leave us with a pet sitter next year. It was exhausting!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, papillon mix, Pet, pet vacation, pets, shih tzu mix, sunset beach, vacation
Hi. Bearnard here. Mom says that I always look like a ‘deer in the headlights.’ I am not really sure what that means but it can’t be good. I guess it is because I am a little nervous most of the time – OK all the time! Well, people I don’t know make me nervous. Dogs, other than my sister, Jolie, make me nervous. The FedEx person, the Mail Person, the Doordash person, actually almost any person I don’t know makes me nervous. Once Jolie says they are Ok then I might calm down (or not). Even though Mom tells me it is all right to ‘walk away’ from the things that scare me, I still like to bark my head off. Well, the world is a terrifying place when you are 14 lbs and a foot tall. I don’t understand why Jolie is so friendly.
Did I tell you that when Mom makes her bed that scares me. Jolie on the other hand thinks it is hysterical and undoes all the work that Mom just did by rolling and knocking all the pillows off and undoing the covers.
Being out in the yard is super scary. (Let me in!!!!) I bark at the neighbor’s dogs and freak out if someone walks by. And don’t get me started on people jogging!
I guess, pretty much, unless I am in a really feisty mood, I worry about everything.
But the newest thing that Mom found I am terrified of is flies.
@iphoto.com
The other day Mom was looking all over for me and I was hiding under the bed. You see, I was so scared of that buzzing noise that I couldn’t stay in the same room with it. Mom thinks it may be because of my supersonic hearing or the fact that flies are so erratic and unpredictable and that is very unsettling to me.
Last night V had to trap a fly in a jar so that I would settle down and go to sleep (I bolted out of bed and ran away when I first heard it). That buzzing is crazy! V thinks maybe I had a bad experience with a fly (like being bitten or stung) before I came to live with my wonderful family. Don’t they understand that those horrible things appear out of nowhere and fly at you!
Underneath all this nervousness I really am brave.
Does anything scare you?
DogDaz is going on vacation until later this month. Look for some great stories of how we did on our first hotel adventure. See you soon!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: black dogs, dog fears, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, flies, insect fear, little dogs, lorian lipton, papillon mix, pet blog, scared dog
DogDaz Zoo 