A Girl and Her Dogs

“You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, `My God, you’re RIGHT! I NEVER would’ve thought of that!’”

Dave Barry

Berkeley got spayed a few days ago! YAY! (Well, not yay for her, I guess!)

She’ll be 8 in August, so I guess it’s about time, eh?! Anyway - just wanted to post a pic of her tummy scar!

How many dogs does it take to screw in a light bulb?

GOLDEN RETRIEVER: The sun is shining, the day is young, we’ve got our whole lives ahead of us, and you’re inside worrying about a stupid burned-out bulb?

BORDER COLLIE: Just one. And then I’ll replace any wiring that’s not up to code.

GERMAN SHEPHERD: Who gave that light bulb permission to burn out?

DACHSHUND: You know I can’t reach that stupid bulb!

RAT TERRIER: In a minute…..I’m not quite done shredding this magazine…..

ROTTWEILER: Make me.

LAB: Oh, me!! Me!! Pleeeeeeze let me change the light bulb!! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I?

PUG: Hold on, let me catch my breath.

MALAMUTE: Let the Border Collie do it. You can feed me while he’s busy.

JACK RUSSELL TERRIER: I’ll just pop it in while I’m bouncing off the walls and furniture.

BOSTON TERRIER: Hey, make it stop spinning…..or is that me?

POODLE: I’ll blow in the Border Collie’s ear and he’ll do it. By the time he finishes wiring the house, my nails will be dry.

COCKER SPANIEL: Why change it? I can pee on the carpet in the dark.

SCHNAUZER: Will I have to let go of the mailman?

YORKIE: Sorry, I’m not quite done with my hair.

DOBERMAN PINSCHER: While it’s dark, I’m going to sleep on the sofa.

KEESHOND: Later….I’m busy shedding.

BOXER: Who cares? I can play with my squeaky toys in the dark……

SHIH TZU: I’m SURE that’s the butler’s job…….

MASTIFF: Mastiffs are NOT afraid of the dark.

CHIHUAHUA: Yo quiero Taco Bulb.

IRISH WOLFHOUND: Can somebody else do it? I’ve got this hangover and…

POINTER: I see it, there it is, there it is, right there!

GREYHOUND: It isn’t moving. Who cares?

AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD: First, I’ll put all the light bulbs in a little circle….

OLD ENGLISH SHEEP DOG: Light bulb? That thing I just ate was a light bulb?

HOUND DOG: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Of all the many, many, many, many toys we have tried - the following toys did not meet our standards. It’s not that they were bad toys (at least not all of them), but they just weren’t tough enough to stand up to the teeth my goldens and golden mixes have!

Here’s the toys that we won’t be buying again:

• Good Cuz Bad Cuz (ate through the rubber right away!)

 

• Fill-n-Freeze Bone (one tooth mark and the whole plastic bone leaks!)

 

• Crazy Dog Bumble Ball (it scared some of them and the others ate the gumdrop-looking nobs off!)

 

• Giggle Ball & Wiggly Giggly (got water in it and stopped working)

 

• Rubber Chicken (was tons of fun for about 2 days, till it became shredded chicken!)

 

• Swirling Whirling Bongo Ball (chewed into pieces)

 

• Orbee Tough Christmas Bulb (um…tough? ha!)

 

• Orbee Tough Nut and Bolt (looked tough, but wasn’t!)

 

• Tug-n-Toss Jolly Ball with handle (they ate the handle off)

 

• The Stick & The Twig (they ate right through it!)

 

• Tractor Roller Bone (we found out it can’t roll very well without tires…)

 

• Boinky Babble Ball (the outer shell lasted about 45 minutes)

 

• K9 Flyer Jr rubber frisbee (chewed through it - doesn’t fly right with holes in it)

 

• Orbee Tough Bone (found pieces of blue Orbee bone all over the yard!)

 

Oh - and as far as treats go…one they have disliked so far are Durango Chiplets - they are tasteless (yes, I often taste the treats before I give it to them!!) and they are VERY tough to break (even though they look thin).

Hope this helps when deciding which toys to give your tough or persistent chewers! I will definitely be posting more of these as I try out new toys (I have a batch on their way in right now!)

Also, I welcome your comments on which toys you have found that work for your dog and which ones didn’t! Remember, these may work for your smaller, gentler dogs - they just didn’t make it through the 1 month challenge for our kids!

Our baby boy’s finally home!!!!!!!

We can’t believe it! It’s an honest-to-God miracle!!

Cow, Sibby’s 6 month old puppy, has been missing for nearly a month…here’s what happened:

On the morning of March 19th, around 8 am (or so we were told by our neighbors) one or more of our dogs decided they wanted to explore the world and pulled a Houdini on us - they managed to push up the screenless window in the gallery (the big room they stay in that has a dog door connected to our fenced in yard) - and 13 of our dogs escaped out into the woods nearby. We were still asleep, but when we woke up 2 hours later (to let the 3 that sleep with us out to pee) they were gone! Over half our dogs were gone! We were panicking! This had happened before (not the window - that time was because the wind blew a fence panel over) but not as many got out and we caught it right away, so all but 2 were back inside within the hour.

This time not a single one of the 13 dogs were in sight! We ran around calling and shortly we got Lisie, Piper, Libby and Tequila back. A Little bit later Cashleigh came running home. Then right about dark Killian and Chaser made it back. A few hours later Fedor showed up, followed by Gizmo. But then night turned into morning, and no more had come back. We spent the next day looking for the missing pups (all 5 months old) - Nia (who had just had surgery on her head to remove a blood clot), Mikeylah and Cow. It had rained that night and I was so upset and worried that they were hurt and lost (or worse) in the woods (we live out in the country by a lot of thick woods, cow pastures and creeks).

I had walked miles looking and calling for them when my mom suggested we drive around to the closest neighbors and ask if they’d seen them. It was a longshot but we did it. We talked to one guy who suggested we call another guy or his sister, neither were home so I left a message. The sister, Ann, called me back and told me she had seen 2 puppies about half a mile down the road by an old holding pen, not two hours earlier - we went there and there was Nia and Mikeylah!! We were ecstatic! Needless to say I was balling my eyes out! But there was no Cow anywhere to be seen.

After I brought Nia and Mikeylah back home, we went back out to look for Cow, but didn’t find him anywhere. I put up posters and fliers everywhere and even offered a reward, but no one called. We were heartbroken and mourned the loss of Cow for weeks - we held out hope and ran to look outside every time we heard one of the dogs bark, but we were getting more and more worried that we’d never see him again.

Then yesterday afternoon one of my elderly neighbors called and said her cousin was walking down the road, about 1 1/2 miles away, and saw a puppy beside an old wooden bridge. She thought it might be mine so she told me to follow her down there. I was trying so hard not to get my hopes up! But when we got there, I jumped out of my car and ran over to the bridge and my heart went into my throat! MY BABY WAS THERE! Cow was laying underneath a wooden plank, surrounded by brambles - he had a bag of trash opened by his feet (I guess what he’d been living off of, along with creek water). I screamed his name over and over and cried and ran to him, picked him up and just hugged and kissed him so hard!

We took him immediately to the vet, and other than being malnourished, filthy and worm-ridden, he was fine!!!!!!

He’s now bathed and full and happy - safe at home and back with his family!!! We missed him SOOO much! We are SOOOOO happy he’s back - and he’s SOOOO happy he’s home! He keeps running to me and kissing and jumping up!!

I just can’t tell you how much of a miracle this is!! It’s amazing!!!

Tiffy

This was one special little Pomeranian. When I met Damien she was the love of his life and his best friend. She would sleep on his feet and then move to his head when it stormed. She couldn’t stand to be ignored - if you were reading a book, she would come and lay down right on top of it. On New Year’s Eve we would dip our fingers in champagne and give her a taste. Her favorite thing was butter pecan ice cream, and she only ate boiled chicken and rice (never dog food!) And whenever we’d bathe her, she’d always hold up one paw (she hated water) and she looked like a wet rat! She would tip toe in wet grass and always kick up the ground to cover her ‘business’. When she got riled up, she would paw at the ground with her front paws, just like a bull - we called her El Toro! And when she wanted her tummy rubbed, she’d roll over on her back and stretch out and wait - we called it ‘assuming the position’ - it was too cute!!

Tiffy was, by far, the prettiest pom I have ever seen. Pretty and prissy and feisty for such a little dog! She knew what she wanted - her daddy’s love and attention - and she always got it!

I loved that little pom, too - she never took to me as much as her daddy, of course (poms tend to be a one person dog), but we had a special little bond.

When she was 13, she passed away from tracheal collapse, just 2 days after Tyson passed away. It was one of the most painful and difficult things Damien has ever had to go through - it just broke our hearts.

We love you, Tiffy. You were (and still are) our Fla, Schniggs, Tiny Tiffy Tiff, Pom Pilot, Pom Tree, our Foxy Fox. We know a good pom never goes bad. We will miss you always and you know we will always have a very special place in our hearts. And we know you visit us through Sibby often - and we thank you for those pieces and aspects of you in her. We will never forget you, Baby.

Tyson Cole

If it wasn’t for Tyson, we wouldn’t have the majority of our dogs!

He showed up on the doorstep of Damien’s mother’s home during a hurricane - he was just a few months old. She named him Ace and fed him for 3 months. We saw him one day when we went to visit, and it was love at first sight! We bathed him and brought him home. He became Tyson Cole - one of our family. At that time we only had Brittini, Tiffy, and Berkeley.

A few months later, Berkeley came into heat - she was almost 5 and had never had a heat yet, so we thought she never would. Much to our surprise, a month later we found out she was pregnant! We were SO excited!

Two weeks before she was due, we let Tyson out to play like we did often. We lived on a short, quiet country road with only 3 houses (and we were renting) so we had no fenced in yard yet. Out of nowhere a car came down the lane just as Ty ran in front of it. He passed away in our arms almost instantly.

2 weeks later - on the 4th of July, Berkeley had a litter of 11 pups. One didn’t make it, but the other 10 grew to be healthy and happy babies - 5 of which are still with us today! From Berkeley and Ty we got Sibby, TyGirl (firstborn and named after her daddy, of whom she looks just like), Nikki, Jenna, Libby, Nate, Liam (gave to a loving home), Mikey (now lives with my mom - he looks so much like Tyson, too!), Coleson Ty (he got loose right after we moved our new house 2 years ago), and Criss (who passed away 1 1/2 years ago).

Since then, Jenna Bean gave birth to a litter of 7, and we kept Piper Maru and Fedor. A year later she gave birth to another litter of 7, and we kept Jilly Bean. Sibby gave birth to a litter of 6 and we kept Nia, Mikeylah and Cow. TyGirl gave birth to a litter of 7, and we kept Cashleigh, Lil’ Hugs and Lisie. And Libby gave birth to a litter of 3, and we kept Gizmo and Lil’ Bear.

We don’t know what breed Tyson was. One vet said Newfoundland mix, and another said Field Spaniel - but we believe that he had a bit of wolf in his blood, too (only because of how he looked - not his temperament! He was the SWEETEST boy - and full of mischief!)

I remember how much he loved his moo cow woobie - the one that was berber fleece and had 8 legs that rattled. I remember when we dressed him up in my LSU t-shirt and it swallowed him but he ran around in it anyway - it was so funny! And I always knew who the culprit was when my bread and hot dog buns (and even the hot dogs - or anything for that matter) were missing from the kitchen counter top! I even caught him ON the countertop eating the buns once! And I LOVED how he would rest his face on the top of the gate and peer over it. TyGirl does that, too! And I miss the way his paws felt when he would walk on my back when I was laying down on the bed - they were like furry little spiders! We loved that boy, and always will.

Sadly, we didn’t take many pictures of Tyson at the time, so we only have a few. Here are the best ones:

We love and miss you, Tyson. Thank you for our babies - it was the best gift you could have given us!

Here are some ADORABLE shots of Sibby as a little puppy!

Oh MAN did they love these!!

The Peanut Butter ones were their favorites (and mine, too, as far as the ease of prep and the yummy smell). This is my first time making homemade cookies, so they look a little frumpy. And the mini bone-shaped ones look deformed because Nia decided to run off with the little metal cookie cutter! (And I cut myself in 3 places trying to pry it back into shape - but I digress…)

Here’s the recipes:

Peanut Butter & Honey Biscuits

3/4 cup of flour (wheat or white - I used wheat)

1 egg (or1/4 cup of Eggbeaters)

1 tbs honey (or molasses)

1 tsp of creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup of shortening

1 tsp of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup rolled oats (wheat or regular - preferably quick cook)

1/2 tsp vanilla

Heat honey & peanut butter until runny (about 20 seconds in the microwave). Mix all ingredients together and drop by the spoonful onto a lightly greased cookie sheet (or roll with rolling pin between 2 sheets of floured and/or greased wax paper and then cut into cookie shapes) and bake at 350 degrees F for 8 t0 10 minutes. The recipe says it should make 40 - 50 small biscuits, but I had to double it to get that many. But these were their favorites! Also, I added about a 1/4 cup of Reese’s peanut butter chips to the mix and it came out great! I even melted some peanut butter, table cream and honey together and made a coating to spread on top (and then I added sprinkles!) In the photo below, the PB & H ones are the tall skinny bones and the weird squatty bones. They are actually pretty soft, too - so great for puppies and older dogs!

Cranberry Pumpkin Treats

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup of dried cranberries (optional - but my dogs LOVE them!)

4 tbs Crisco or shortening

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg (or 1/4 cup EggBeaters)

1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, cinnamon & nutmeg then cut in shortening (I used a pastry mixing tool). In a separate bowl mix egg, milk, pumpkin and cranberries. Then combine both mixtures and stir well, until soft dough forms. Drop by the spoonful onto lightly greased cookie sheet (or roll with rolling pin between 2 sheets of floured and/or greased wax paper and cut into cookie shapes) and cook for 12 - 15 minutes. For a special touch, brush a mixture of egg and a dab of milk onto each cookie and sprinkle with cinnamon or carob powder to give extra shine and flavor. Makes 2 - 4 dozen cookies (depending on how big you make each cookie). In the pic below, I used a mini bone, heart and paw shaped cookie cutters - they came out cute! And they weren’t too crunchy, either!

Try these and let me know what your dogs think or if you added any other ingredients!

This is a toy even I love to play with! It reminds me of that old website HamsterDance (anyone remember that one?!) It makes such a cool sound (though if you leave it on the floor during the night and one of your dogs find it - it’ll scare the crap out of you!)

Anyway - it’s not the longest lasting toy for determined chewers (and those addicted to de-stuffing woobies), but it’s so much fun! To make it last I just give it to them every now and then and watch them while they play with it. If I see one going in for the kill, I distract them and switch it out for another toy.

I got ours at Petsmart for $9.99, but here’s a site (for the same price) that let’s you hear the song:

http://www.dogtoys.com/deedledudes3.html

Here’s what the Woobie Hunters have to say about Deedle Dudes ‘Willie’ the Singing Snake:

“I just love to eat the stuffing out of his head - piece, by piece, by piece…” - Sibby

“Falling asleep with Willie hanging from my mouth is one of my favorite things to do! And I love making him sing at 3 a.m. when Mommy & Da are sound asleep…” - Schtick

“He was too big to fit in my mouth, so I just bit off his tail and now I have my very own piece of Willie to carry around!” - Cashleigh

“Momma won’t let me even come near Willie - she says I’ll shred him to pieces in 2 seconds flat. That’s not true! It would take me at least 3 minutes! (I like to savor my kills and spread the stuffing carnage all over the house!)” - Berkeley

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