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Sofie has decided she will not speak again until the Russians end this stupid war in Ukraine.
I can’t blame her.
DogDaz stands with Ukraine.
No mischief today!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tag Archives: Dogs
Monday Mischief: SOFIE ON STRIKE UNTIL THEY END THE WAR
Black and White Sunday: Easy Like Sunday Morning
You just have to love that face!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Wonderful Wednesday: Charles Immortalized
I was so surprised when I got an unexpected package from Chewy.com, the pet supply service, and it contained a real painting of Mr. Charles on canvas. I guess we were the lucky recipients of a customer service initiative where they paint a picture of your pet from its profile picture and send them to random people. They really know how to do customer service, that is for sure. Now I want one for everyone at the zoo, but they actually don’t offer it as a service.
Isn’t he handsome?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Monday Mischief: Care Package for Lulu
Louise received an awesome care package from the Live Like Roo Foundation for pets with cancer. They help people offset the cost of caring for their animals when they receive this terrible diagnosis. We had fun opening it and finding all these fun toys and treats. Louise (and everyone else) especially likes the pumpkin cranberry treats that were in the box (I am going to have to find them and get more). There was a handmade blanket, Theo the Octopus (which I think was Roo’s favorite toy), another squeaker toy, more treats, a McDonald’s gift card (I guess to get her a happy meal hamburger), and a wonderful card made by a 4-year-old wishing Louise well.
Everyday with Louise is a gift!
What kind of mischief did you get into today?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Black and White Sunday: Lulu & Theo Octopus
The LIVE LIKE ROO Foundation (#livelikeroofoundation) for pets with cancer sent Louise a wonderful care package including Theo the Octopus. She used to love toys with squeakers before the mouth cancer. She is just so cute even though she did not understand why I made her stand there with this thing. I will post more pictures with the care package next week. 🙂
Have a wonderful Black and White Sunday!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Wonderful Wednesday: Size Matters For Age
I came across this picture from winter 2017 when we first got Charles. 5 years is a long time in ‘dog years.’ A dog year is an interesting concept. In the 1950s, A. Lebeau, a French researcher created a system to determine the age of a dog. No one really knows where the ‘multiple each dog year by 7’ comes from, that wasn’t what Lebeau did. He had “life-stage markers” to determine dog age by life events, like puberty, old age, etc. That was OK but around 1997, a bunch of veterinarians created a chart to do it more accurately (via National Library of Medicine NIH).
Where ‘dog age’ is the chronological age of the dog and ‘human years’ is the physiological age by weight group. The scientists decided that size matters when it comes to two dogs the same age unlike with humans.
So, that means Charles, who is 13 and 17 lbs is about 65 years old, Sofie at 11 and 60 lbs is 62 years old, and Louise at 12 and 65 lbs is about 66 years old. I guess they all could apply for social security payments (Bark Out Loud). Actually, I would have thought that size would have made a larger difference.
How old are you in ‘Human Years?’
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Monday Mischief: Snow Nose
Some people ask me about Sofie’s nose. She has what is called Snow Nose. I started to notice her nose change from black to pink in January 2013, when she was 2. I was worried at first that she was doing something to herself, like scraping off the skin (ouch!), or was she sick? Did she have a vitamin deficiency? Was there something wrong? I knew that many animals do lose pigment in their noses, but she was only 2 at the time. So I did what any internet, research-loving, pet-parent would do, I ‘googled’ the heck out of the question and found a lot of interesting facts.
Black Nose
April 2012
1. Some dogs lose pigment in their noses in the winter. (Which is what I think might be going on here.) This is called ‘snow nose’ or ‘winter nose.’ Who knew? Though it seems to be something that is more common to dogs like Labrador Retriever, Golden, Bernese, or Husky (Sofie being none of those that we know – well maybe Golden?), the seasonal variation is no cause for alarm and usually goes back to black in the warmer months. Which it did for many summers, but no longer does.
2. Age is another reason. There is an enzyme called Tyrosinase which produces pigment. As a dog ages, the nasal plenum (that is a cool word, don’t you think?) might change from black to brown or pink, as less of the enzyme is produced. Interestingly enough, Tyrosinase is also sensitive to temperature. This may be why the fading of the ‘plenum’ in warmer months happens too.
Pink Nose
January 2013
3. Dermatitis, especially from plastic bowls, has been found to temporarily cause this. Or a real trauma, like an abrasion. If allergies are the cause the dog’s gums will possibly be red or inflamed too.
4. There is an immune disease that can cause a pink nose, called Vitiligo. (That is the disease that Michael Jackson said he had that turned his skin from black to white. I wonder if Sofie can sing?) But if a dog has this, there would be white patches usually throughout its body and white hairs. This seems to be found in Doberman, German Shepard, Rottweiler, and Dachshund mostly. It appears to be a rare problem, but I was happy to know that it can be managed by nutritional supplements (if you’re worried about the color of your dog’s nose). Show dogs can be disqualified if their pigment is not exactly right – so this might help in those cases.
Any changes in our little furry charges are always a cause of concern. Sofie’s nose did go back to black for many summers but now stays pink in the center year-round.
What color is your nose?
What kind of mischief did you get into today?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Monday Mischief: You’re Crowding Me, Kid!
Mini just loves Charles. I am not sure that it is reciprocal. Charles loves two beings in this world, well maybe three. He loves his human, V, he loves me, maybe because I am the feeder, the walker, the one that handles any booboos or scary things, and he loves Sofie, the dog (who mostly hates his guts).
I think Charles is the first, One-Person dog, that I have ever had. We got him because V wanted a little dog, more like a dog cat, for some strange reason. It is really weird when you understand that V doesn’t even really like dogs (which is crazy when you are married to an animal-obsessed person like me). I have never considered a very small breed, I tend to go for the bigger dogs, and I never really thought about dogs that are attached to only one human.
Charles is a Pomeranian Chihuahua mix (as far as we can tell – no DNA test ever done). These breeds tend to show extreme loyalty toward and preference for only one person above all others. They will try to rule the household if that person lets them (which is definitely a problem here at the zoo). Charlie is extremely strong-minded and wants to rule the couch, especially if there is food anywhere around, which has caused several fur-raising situations.
Enter, fearless Mini Cooper. She just wants to be friends with everyone. She really likes Charles and wants to be near him. We have tried to arrange the couch pillows so they can be on different levels. They all want a lap, which is impossible. He may roll his eyes, but she will never stop trying to be near him. As you can see in this group of pictures, Mini is holding her ground (or lap as it may be). Ultimately, however, she will leave and he will get his way. Ah, the life of a small tyrant at the DogDaz Zoo.
What kind of mischief did you get into today?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ i
Black and White Sunday: Sofie Button
Some dogs get gray with age, Sofie gets black. Do you see the fuzzy wisps on her ears? She has black on her back and her tail now where she used to be blond. Maybe she is Benjamin Button.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Wonderful Wednesday: 2 Headed Hydra
In ancient mythology, hiding in murky waters near Argos, was a nine-headed serpent with poisonous venom, called the Lernean Hydra. My monster only has 2 heads, 8 legs, and 2 tails and will lick you to death but I thought they looked kind of similar to the one in the Hercules tale. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
DogDaz Zoo 