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Tag Archives: Pet

Wonderful Wednesday: Bearnard’s Weather Report

Hey, it’s Bearnard!

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!

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! ☀️🐾

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

 
6 Comments

Posted by on November 12, 2025 in Dogs

 

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Monday Mischief: We Slept Thru August

August came and went. Mom says we slept through August. It seems like we are always napping somewhere. There is a fight for the bed at the top of the stairs. Usually Mini wins, since no one wants to cross a cat. How was your summer?

For Mom it has been endless repairs and replacements since the lightening surge. The stove finally got repaired on Friday, so Mom can start making us chicken again. The fixer guy said he never saw a surge not only take out the electric panel but also the thermostat. Another TV died yesterday (so that brings it to 3 out of 4 that needed to be replaced). Mom said she didn’t realize that the surge could have such a delayed result and take out an HDMI port a month later, but now we know. We keep hearing her say ‘if the thunder don’t get you the lightening will.’

We are just going to hunker down here at the DogDaz Zoo and hope for a calm hurricane season. Wake us up when it is over! – Jolie, Bearnard, Mini Cooper (& Stella)

Stella turns 14 on Labor Day. We can’t believe how well she is doing considering she has GI Lymphoma. It is now almost 2 years since her diagnosis and she is still enjoying her life thanks to lots of love and modern medicine. Happy Birthday, Big Girl!

What kind of mischief did you get into today?

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

 
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Posted by on August 25, 2025 in Dogs

 

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DogDaz Zoo: July 4th – Keeping Your Dogs & Cats Calm

Inky & Stinky

We hope that you have a wonderful holiday. Remember that many animals (and humans) are afraid of fireworks, so keep everyone indoors and safe.

PREPARE YOUR DOG (& CATS) FOR LOUD NOISES!

The 4th and 5th of July are the busiest days of the year for animal shelters and emergency vet clinics as frantic animals break in or out of houses and yards. Early preparation for the Fourth can save you and your pet a lot of grief. Here are some articles to help you prepare your dog.

http://thebark.com/content/reducing-fear-your-dog#.T_JOd3hgggh

DogDaz: Keep Your Pets Safe

The 4th is Bearnard’s 4th Birthday!!!

Now that is something to really celebrate!

We love you Beary, Bo Bo Bear, Barkasaurus!

 

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2025 in Dogs

 

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Wonderful Wednesday: BRRRRRR

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.

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 ❤

 
7 Comments

Posted by on January 15, 2025 in Dogs

 

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Thankful Thursday: Welcome 2025

We wish sunshine and happiness to you all. May you find that special sunspot in the year to come. We know where the good ones are at our house.

Happy New Year!!

2025

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

 
4 Comments

Posted by on January 2, 2025 in Dogs

 

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Wonderful Wednesday: Don’t Eat The Sheets: Bed Making In 4 Acts

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 ❤

 
9 Comments

Posted by on November 20, 2024 in Dogs

 

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Monday Mischief: Toothless

I was unhappy last week when Mom took me to the Vet for yet another major dental cleaning. This time the Vet pulled the incisors I had left and a pre-molar or 2. She told Mom that my bad teeth are probably genetic, but that little dogs also tend toward dental issues.

When I first came to rescue Mom 2 years ago (see picture below), my teeth were so rotten that the Vet had to remove a fractured molar and 5 or 6 teeth immediately. Remember that I lived in a cage for my first 6-1/2 years, and Mom suspects I got no healthcare. It’s a good thing that dogs have 42 permanent teeth (unlike humans with 32). Originally my upper jaw had 20 and my lower had 22. But as you can see in the picture when I first came (below), there were big gaps and crookedness.

Every tooth I have had a purpose – incisor, canine, pre-molar, and molar. Now I have no incisors, the little teeth that helped me scrape at meat and groom my coat. What will I ever do if I have to catch my own dinner? But Mom says that will never happen; I will never live in the wild and have to tear things apart. Let’s hope so.

Well, at least I have my fangs!

I must say that the pain drugs worked fine. And I got a lot of apple sauce and pumpkin.

What kind of mischief did you get into today? Remember to BRUSH YOUR TEETH!

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

 
11 Comments

Posted by on September 16, 2024 in Dogs

 

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Wonderful Wednesday: The Vacation

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 ❤

 
11 Comments

Posted by on August 28, 2024 in Dogs

 

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Wonderful Wednesday: Splooting

The other day, V took a picture of a squirrel splooting on our deck.

What is SPLOOTING you may ask?  Splooting is when a four-legged animal kicks out one or both back legs behind its body.

In general, there is no cause for alarm. It could be just a stretch for the hips. But because of the terrible heat caused by climate change, many squirrels are splooting all over the place. This usually means they are trying to cool their body temperature by exposing their bellies to a cooler surface like grass. When humans are hot, sweating cools us down. But animals that can’t sweat have to resort to other behaviors to cool off. Dogs pant. Birds dunk themselves in water. And squirrels sploot. 

I have had many dogs and cats that sploot.

Here is Bearnard splooting (with one of my socks-LOL).

According to the internet, there are various types of sploots: a one-legged sploot, a side sploot, and a full sploot.

Here is Louise in a classic sploot with one leg remaining beneath her body and the other leg kicked out.

Charles was a big splooter (I couldn’t find a picture, sorry). I thought it was mostly a thing that little male dogs did. But now I know even cats sploot.

Do you sploot? Show us your pictures!

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

 
7 Comments

Posted by on July 24, 2024 in Dogs

 

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Wonderful Wednesday: Leash Knots

Many people have asked me why I put knots in my dog leads.

I always do this to any new leash.

Specifically, it is so that I can step quickly on the leash if I drop it and it won’t travel under my foot. Thereby, stopping a runaway dog.

If spaced properly, it is also a quick way to jump to a shorter place on the leash to manage the dog better.

Some knots do happen by themselves when you have multiple leashes.

Then there is the 3 dog leash tangle; knots don’t help with that though.

Have a Wonderful Wednesday.

 

Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤

 
6 Comments

Posted by on July 17, 2024 in Dogs

 

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