PHOTO OP: Camo Cat
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Tag Archives: pets
6.26.12 The Walking Bond
Walks are a really important thing at our house. Not only because they provide much needed exercise for me and the dogs, but because of the solace and peace they provide us. My daily dog walks give me an opportunity to focus just on them, as well as be alone with my thoughts. I work a very hectic schedule, so my time with the dogs is sacred. I work 10 to 12 hours or more almost every week day and many weekends. This does not leave a lot of time for me to be with the animals or my other humans. I make sure to carve the 1 mile dog walk every morning out of my schedule. This is how we all stay in balance. When I don’t do that the dogs and I both go crazy. Rain or shine. Many days Mojo and his humans joins us for our walk, those days are a little more social than reflective, but that is nice too. The walking bond is very special between me and the girls. Louise is the kind of dog that really needs her walk daily. She likes to run around in the yard, but she looks forward to the walk with me and saves her ‘personal business’ for that endeavor. When I am not around, it is really hard for her. Sofie just comes along for the ride. She enjoys the sniffing and exploring, but I am not sure she would miss it that much if she did not have it for a while. Taking time to reflect, smell the flowers, and commune with my animals, keeps me whole. Do you have a special routine with your fuzzy?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
6.25.12 The Street Animals of Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey is a beautiful city. The city is actually where the European and Asia continents meet and is divided by the Bosphorus Strait. A fishing town, you would expect to see cats. But there were feral cats everywhere. In all the outside spaces and many of the indoor also. The street dogs, though I did not get to take many pictures because mostly I was being whizzed by in the Taxis that go way to fast, seemed to be of Shepard, working dog, type bodies, with brown and black short fur. “One estimate is that in Istanbul, a city of 11.3 million people, there are at least 150,000 free-roaming dogs. Rabies is endemic in Turkish dogs and every year there are a small number of people who die from the bites of rabid dogs. The Turkish federal government passed a law a few years ago requiring cities to control the roaming dogs. But as in America, few cities have all the resources they need to effectively control the loose animals.”(Managing-street-dogs-cats-turkey)
I was really glad to see stray dogs with ear tags. It made me realize that the city may have a “trap and release” program to spay/neuter/vaccinate strays. I checked and it does and I think that is a great step in the right direction, especially after reading about some of the shelter tragedies in Turkey. Unlike Americans, the Turkish people appear to tolerant the free-roaming animals. I assume that has a cultural basis due to religious heritage and current beliefs. Until this trip, and I travel a lot, I never really thought about another countries challenges with animal control, this is a huge problem worldwide. In Istanbul there appeared to be a calm coexistence (I did not see even one cat/dog fight). Lessons from the street animals of Istanbul.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
6.24.12 Reunion
It is funny when you are a traveler. I am always the one leaving my other humans and my animals behind. I get to see different sites, sounds, and smells, while they stay in their same world day to day, with mostly one thing different: I am not there. I think it is harder for those that are left behind. Thier world continues but there is a hole in the routine once filled by the missing person. People understand travelers, though they may be physically lonely and miss you, they know in their heads that you will be returning. They can talk with you on the phone, text in words, or even Skype with you over internet video. But, to the animals, the hole is just there. They know that another being, in this case me. the feeder and the giver of walks and hugs, is not immediately present. They do not understand that I went on a business trip to Turkey (13 hours away in a metal container with wings). They do not know that I thought about them everyday because, unlike my humans, I can not tell them virtually that I love them. Animals can only receive what is present, immediate, and there. You can not hug your dog with virtual arms.
Another interesting thing is how each animal responds to my returns. Louise goes crazy with jumping and nuzzling (she tries to get inside my flesh she wants to be so close to me). Muffin ignores me for about 24 hours and then, when he is ready, acknowledges my lowly existence. Sofie whines to be in my presence and won’t let me out of her sight for a really long time (and this return showed a new behavior, she actually nibbled on my arms to make sure I was really there, like she preens the cats). I even woke up this morning with Noel, the alpha cat, who rarely will grace my bedroom with her presence, staring at me (probably wondering why I have not been in my office upstairs all week, where she primarily lives, and not happy that she had to come and find me).
The animals (and humans) appear to be relaxed this morning and smiling a lot. For all of us things are back in balance.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
6.22.12 Rain, Rain, Go Away! Again
From 2.26.12 Rain, Rain, Go Away!
My toy! It’s in the rain!
It was raining. Not something that happened very often this winter in the Mid-Atlantic.
Lulu our toys are getting wet!
Sofie was very distressed that her toys were getting wet.
Lu get Mommy & tell her we need our toys!
Lulu did not really want to go out in the wet stuff but Sofie just had to get the toys.
I don’t like being wet Mommy, let me back in!!!!
Ok, so I let them out to go get the toys, but Sofie was not very happy about that idea either. Louise is no fool, she ran out and ran right back in (my princess). She was not going to play with Sofie in the rain. Lulu likes it in the house with all the warm and dry toys. So Sofie Bear decided that maybe getting wet was not as much fun as it looked and begged to come back in for the dry toys. You have to love the way dogs are so in the moment. So the lesson they taught me today – it may be fun to dance in the ran, so try it, maybe you will like it, maybe you will want to come inside where it is dry.
Just another DogDaz morning at our house ❤ 
6.16.12 Leaving On A Jet Plane
Mommy is on her way to Istanbul, Turkey today for work and won’t be back for a whole week. She is not taking us and we are very sad that she will be gone but she said 13 hours on an airplane is no place for dogs. (What’s an airplane?) She told us to behavior ourselves and look after the humans, the cats, the blog, and each other. We are not happy about having all this work to do while she is gone and have decided that we will post some of her more interesting blogs instead of trying to paw new ones. We think Mommy travels to much and should just stay home with us. We miss her already. Maybe she will bring us some exotic bones from wherever she is. I wonder if they have dogs in Turkey and what they look like.
“Take pictures Mommy so we can see Turkish pets. We are going to sleep in your office and not move until you return.” Love, your adorable sweet doggies – Lulu Belle and Sofie Bear
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
