Tag Archives: pets

Don’t have much time for anything today.  Already made the Vegan Mac&Cheese for C, while V is out picking up the ham for the meat eaters.  Gave the dogs their first Xmas present to keep them quiet, a new pull toy, but they got bored with it quickly.  I don’t like having to leave them in their kennels for so many hours when we go to Grammie’s but I have no choice.  Grammie’s cat does not like anyone and the house is to small anyway.  Now that I am done with the potato latkes for Hanukkah, moving on to the ham for the other side of the family (you know ham isn’t kosher right? – The photo below from Walmart shows how much people don’t know about other’s traditions.) Wishing all my cyber friends a happy day with whomever you spend it and enjoy the sounds, smells, and lights of the season.  It is not just the usual dogdaz but I like it! ❤

(I don’t own this picture, just in case someone cares)

Ah, vacation.  I wish I could say it gives me a lot of extra time, but actually this time of year it may be better to not take vacation since there is so much to do that one can not relax much anyway.  The dogs have been helping me cook and wrap presents.  I can’t use bows or ribbon anymore because the cats come and start chewing on the presents the minute they see them.  But I do a great job of wrapping and bagging.  Whoever came up with the bag idea was an absolute genius.  I remember, for years, trying to wrap strange toys, like fire engines, in paper.  Now, you can use giant bags, and voile!  The dogs and I took a really nice walk yesterday in the very strange 60 degree weather; warmer then the average first day of spring around here.  Weird, but nice.  I gave them some new fangled bone thing called ‘DreamBone,’ that I bought at the grocery store (yes this was the 3rd time I went this week) and they liked it a lot, but this morning, I found Sofie throwing up in the yard, so I think they were not very good for her tummy.  It was suppose to be ‘better than rawhide and digestible.’  To my dogs, nothing is ever better than rawhide, but I know that they are not suppose to have it because it gets lodged in their stomach, or something like that.  All my dogs have loved rawhide.  I am always looking for the alternative chew, but nothing, not plastic or marrow, will do for the long time chewing pleasure.   Not being a meat eater, big beefy bones just don’t work well in my house, and they probably are messy anyway.  Someday I will find that long lasting dog chew that will keep them busy for hours.  Well, here comes the sun after an evening of torrential downpours, so maybe the dogs and I will go play in the mud.  Just another dogdaz morning. ❤

‘Got a bone for us?’

Long day.  Vacations are really hard for me because I am a workaholic, I really do not know what to do with myself when I am not suppose to be working.  So I tumblr.  Took the dogs for a super nice walk this afternoon; through the neighborhood, then to the park.  It was overcast but not to cold.  Lately Louise is really pulling on her harness.  I have been using this chest front Easy Walker since she was little (it was recommended by Larry the Trainer at the PetSmart puppy class we went to), but I don’t think it ever fit her right, and really does not seem to give me any additional control.  I guess if I was the true pack leader (ala Cesar) they won’t pull me anyway.  So much for that!  Sofie is on a Gentle Leader (nose harness), and that works a little better, but not great. She has been trying to get it off her face for a year and people always say ‘that’s so cruel, she hates it,’ which makes me feel guilty. Neck collars are worthless except to hang tags from for my dogs, so the harnesses at least make it doable.  And then I do the 2 leash dance, one hand, pass it around the back, the other hand.  I tried a 2 leash one handle thing and they almost killed me when they went around behind me and each came out the other side.  Better doing the hand dance.  Well, just another dogdaz afternoon. ❤

I tried an experiment last evening and left Louise’s kennel door open all night, even though I put the sheet down. (I keep sheets over the kennels for warmth and also so they do not get disturbed by my walking around the room.)  V was really worried that she would wander around the house and that Sofie, who’s door was closed, would whine because she would want to roam too.  But Lulu stayed in her kennel all night and came to wake me up (put her paws on me from the floor and hits me) about 10 minutes before the alarm went off (5:50 am).  I told her not yet and she went back into her bed. She is such a good girl! When I opened Sofie’s door around 6:15, she actually was still asleep and didn’t come out right away. Sofie still needs to be confined at night or I might find a cat missing in the morning (or more likely my fuzzy slippers).  I figure Lulu is old enough not to be confined.  Lulu won’t get into any trouble. I kennel her at night because she is a fearful dog and that is her safe place, and also so that she doesn’t bark at something that scares her in the night and wake everyone up.  Lulu has the deepest bark for a little 55 lb girl.  Sofie, Miss Fearless, on the other hand, would get into endless trouble.  Just another dogdaz morning. ❤

Louise, about 5 mo old, the day we brought her home (April 2009).  Afraid of her shadow, neglected and abused.

Lulu Belle, today (2 years old), a happy, funny, super girl. (But still afraid of many scary humans, but getting better)

I know I was suppose to be on vacation as of last Friday but there was no way that I could finish everything by then.  So, I actually worked today even though I wasn’t planning on it, which did not leave much time for Lulu and Sofie.  We took our usual 1 mile walk (it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be), but I broke down around 3 PM and gave them each these really nice braided rawhide bones I was holding for their Xmas stockings.  I know that I am not suppose to give them rawhide, but they love it so much.  Well now it is 6 and they are just finishing the things and I am just finishing all the work stuff, so we are all happy.  Just another dogdaz afternoon. ❤

Lulu with last year’s Xmas bone.

So we went and got a ‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas tree again this year (small enough to fit in the trunk of the Prius).  It fits on top of a little table so that Sofie doesn’t knock it over or eat it.  Last year it was because Lulu was a puppy and now it is Sofie’s turn.  It is much easier, even though I do love the 7’ trees.  Years ago I had to give up tinsel because it is dangerous to the cats.  Then I gave up the bottom section of the tree for any good ornaments, because the dogs and the cats like to play with them.  Now, I have almost given up the tree in total.  For years, I have had an eye hook in the wall where we put the tree to ensure that it does not come tumbling down when someone climbs it.  And you know some silly cat always has to decide that the humans have moved the bathroom inside for a few weeks.  Ah, holidays with animals.  Actually, they are great fun.  I love to watch the cats try to get into every box they can, and well the dogs, they just love being in the middle of all the unwrapped wrapping paper.  If you ever get a gift from me you may note the teeth marks in your ribbon; I will apologize now publicly, so that we can get past it. Its just another dogdaz evening at our house. ❤

Noel, the Christmas cat, fast asleep among the presents

So Santa came on top of the neighborhood fire engine last night (like he does every year), with flashing lights and sirens and loud speaker ‘Ho, ho, ho,’ which is great for all the little children (and big one’s too), but really really upsetting to many of the dogs.  Sophie never heard something like that before and was so upset she cried and tried to get away from it. I had to hold her close and finally got her to lie down with me on the floor.  But then it came back around the block and she started all over again.  Lulu was OK it seemed, but she stayed close too.  C was across the street dog sitting Mojo and said he wanted to eat Santa.  I remember it used to really bother Squash too when he was alive.  He would howl.  There must be a certain db that the sirens put out that is really painful to the dogs ears.  I wonder if they can control the siren levels and change them so that dogs don’t get hurt like this?  Sofie has incredible hearing.  She can hear animals outside and trucks way before Lulu can (or so it seems).  A dogs hearing is such an incredible thing.  I know about there smell ability being 25X ours, but I wonder about there hearing.  I recently met a deaf puppy at the store, and then another, and started to realize how hard that would be for them.  I don’t know what is worse for a dog, losing sight (Squash was blind) or losing hearing (Nikki was ultimately both deaf and blind).  Do they lose scent with age too?   Well next year on Fire Truck Santa night I think I will take the dogs on an outing somewhere away from the sirens.  2 days until Hanukkah and 7 until Christmas, so there are many sites and sounds of the season that we encounter.  Wishing everyone a happy whatever you celebrate and a merry new year!  Just another dogdaz morning. ❤

Waiting for Santa.

Visited cousin Pickles this afternoon.  Pickles is a Boxer-Mastiff; does that make her a Boxstiff or a Maxer?  She is 90lbs of pure muscle with this incredible sweet disposition.  Pickles is 2 now and all she wants to do is play, play, play.  It’s a little hard to play with a dog when you think she might bite your hand off, not intentionally of course, just because she is still a baby and so excited to be playing.  When I came home Louise went crazy because she smelled another dog on me. Both Sofie and Lulu followed me all around and would not stop licking my pants until I put on my PJs.  I tried to convince Lulu that I was not 2 timing her with another dog, but she really did not believe me.  Just another dogdaz afternoon.