Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Animal Kindness times 100
I'm not going to do much writing here. This story really says it all. Now, have the tissues ready and have a seat for the fewer than 15 minutes it will take to watch this video. It will warm your heart - I promise!
Monday, March 23, 2015
Spring has Sprung, Melting Snow has Created Mud
Let me start off by saying that I am not complaining. While I do love the cold (coming from a middle-aged woman, remember), I also love Spring! Now, here in the Northeast, the first day of Spring brought with it 6" of snow. Happy "living in the Northeast" weather, where you never know what to expect. I think we could create a game show of some sort.
Now, take 6" of snow and add in a pinch of above-freezing temps and we have a melt. Now, before I had dogs (as an adult) I never considered the ramifications of this melt. Melt=Mud. It's as simple as that. For my pups, Poly in particular, this means that digging creates a gargantuan-sized mess. Casey will come in and I'll have to wipe off his feet. While it's not his favorite thing in the world, he tolerates it. Heck, I'll come in and find that I have to wipe my shoes off to avoid trampling mud and muck into the house.
Enter Poly. Today I had an appointment so I left her outside to let off some of the energy she had from a whopping 2 hours in the kennel. I checked on her several times and all appeared well in her kingdom. One time, though, things were amiss. There was dirt on the ramp to the shed. This can mean only one thing. Digging! Fortunately she came in when I slid on a pair of shoes - she knew I meant business and that she was coming in one way or another so it was best if she didn't fight it. What I saw was nothing short of .... well, ICK! I pulled solidified mud (though not as dry as dirt) in pieces as big as one square inch. Gross!!!! There was mud going in all directions. She isn't a fan of the paw-cleaning to begin with and this was that multiplied by 50! It wasn't long until I was going to be leaving and neither she nor I could tolerate any more, so I put her in her kennel. There was just enough time to get the hand vac out and clean up the big pieces that were strewn about the nook. I have to say, she was not happy about that noise.... and she couldn't escape. At the time I wasn't terribly sympathetic, but now I do feel sort of bad. However, there wasn't a better option. She couldn't go running free around the house with her dirty toes and the mud had to be cleaned up.
I wish I'd taken pictures. It was quite the scene, although I have already admitted my terribly inconsideration of any sensitivities the vac may have caused to her ears. It's just hard to describe the amount of mud that could garrote itself into those toes of hers!
On another front, Casey continues to sleep upstairs. He also continues to sleep parallel to the head/foot boards, leaving little room for hubby and me. Last night I got up for some reason and came back to zero room. Do you have any idea how hard it is to move an 85-lb dog from your area of the bed? He wasn't super co-operative, but some excited calling of his name and some physical encouragement got the job done enough that I could squeeze in. No complaints though, not big ones. It's nice to have him snuggling with us at night and this morning I woke up to him with his head on Daddy's pillow and somehow under the covers - just like a human. So cute :)
Now, take 6" of snow and add in a pinch of above-freezing temps and we have a melt. Now, before I had dogs (as an adult) I never considered the ramifications of this melt. Melt=Mud. It's as simple as that. For my pups, Poly in particular, this means that digging creates a gargantuan-sized mess. Casey will come in and I'll have to wipe off his feet. While it's not his favorite thing in the world, he tolerates it. Heck, I'll come in and find that I have to wipe my shoes off to avoid trampling mud and muck into the house.
Enter Poly. Today I had an appointment so I left her outside to let off some of the energy she had from a whopping 2 hours in the kennel. I checked on her several times and all appeared well in her kingdom. One time, though, things were amiss. There was dirt on the ramp to the shed. This can mean only one thing. Digging! Fortunately she came in when I slid on a pair of shoes - she knew I meant business and that she was coming in one way or another so it was best if she didn't fight it. What I saw was nothing short of .... well, ICK! I pulled solidified mud (though not as dry as dirt) in pieces as big as one square inch. Gross!!!! There was mud going in all directions. She isn't a fan of the paw-cleaning to begin with and this was that multiplied by 50! It wasn't long until I was going to be leaving and neither she nor I could tolerate any more, so I put her in her kennel. There was just enough time to get the hand vac out and clean up the big pieces that were strewn about the nook. I have to say, she was not happy about that noise.... and she couldn't escape. At the time I wasn't terribly sympathetic, but now I do feel sort of bad. However, there wasn't a better option. She couldn't go running free around the house with her dirty toes and the mud had to be cleaned up.
I wish I'd taken pictures. It was quite the scene, although I have already admitted my terribly inconsideration of any sensitivities the vac may have caused to her ears. It's just hard to describe the amount of mud that could garrote itself into those toes of hers!
On another front, Casey continues to sleep upstairs. He also continues to sleep parallel to the head/foot boards, leaving little room for hubby and me. Last night I got up for some reason and came back to zero room. Do you have any idea how hard it is to move an 85-lb dog from your area of the bed? He wasn't super co-operative, but some excited calling of his name and some physical encouragement got the job done enough that I could squeeze in. No complaints though, not big ones. It's nice to have him snuggling with us at night and this morning I woke up to him with his head on Daddy's pillow and somehow under the covers - just like a human. So cute :)
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Spoiled!
All of our furry kids are spoiled. The twins, Casey, and Poly. The way we see it, that had rough starts so we want them to live in the lap of luxury. Had it been children or Kilter the story would tell a little differently, but it's not.
In my last post, I said that Casey had most recently figured out how to open the gate and that we had to lock it; he figured that out, too; we added the bungee cord and he broke through that (without actually removing the cord). We have made a decision here in the "B" family and it's a big one, so...
<drum roll, please>
Sir Casey now sleeps upstairs with his Mom and Dad. In the bed. An 85-lb dog. In the bed. With two adults. In the bed.
Let me paint you a picture.... I sleep with a wedge pillow for reflux; I also sleep with a body pillow to help keep the pressure off of my arthritic back (yes, I really am 43); I have had to move more to the center of the bed for reasons I won't bother to describe here; finally, I am not a tiny woman, rather quite the opposite and I mean quite the opposite! MrB has 2 pillows and one of them usually winds up more towards the center of the bed. This is not a complaint but a statement of fact. Add in the big guy, who sometimes sleeps perpendicular to his parents and we find ourselves in quite the quandary. We do find ourselves in a king-sized bed so we humans do have that going for us.
I went out yesterday. When I came home, I found some of the kitty's toys in the living room, joined by a couple stuffed animals we keep on the steps (I mean, Dory has to keep an eye out, right?). Since I was gone, Poly was in her kennel, so the "injuries" done to our stuffed friends is all Casey. I put them on top of a cabinet which is about 3' high. I came down this morning to find the cat's spider toy being decimated. He was already missing a "pom-pom" foot yesterday, but this was the final blow. He was bleeding out... innards, that is. He flat-lined. He didn't make it. It was then I realized that the only way to keep everyone else (Dory, the turtle, and the monkey) safe was to put them onto the counter. I did have to be careful, though, since Poly has found a way to reach onto the counter and take things (to date, it'sonly been food, meat specifically). We'll see if these guys stay safe.
On another topic, I know I wrote a few days ago about how Casey ripped open the bag of jelly beans and spit out the black ones. Crack.Me.Up! Anyway, I saw this video of a dog with a lemon and think I may have to pick up a lemon next time we're at the supermarket!
Have your furry kids done anything funny with food? Had any adventures with those of the stuffed variety? Done anything funny at all (and the answer to this is always, always yes!)? I'd love to hear from you!
In my last post, I said that Casey had most recently figured out how to open the gate and that we had to lock it; he figured that out, too; we added the bungee cord and he broke through that (without actually removing the cord). We have made a decision here in the "B" family and it's a big one, so...
<drum roll, please>
Sir Casey now sleeps upstairs with his Mom and Dad. In the bed. An 85-lb dog. In the bed. With two adults. In the bed.
Let me paint you a picture.... I sleep with a wedge pillow for reflux; I also sleep with a body pillow to help keep the pressure off of my arthritic back (yes, I really am 43); I have had to move more to the center of the bed for reasons I won't bother to describe here; finally, I am not a tiny woman, rather quite the opposite and I mean quite the opposite! MrB has 2 pillows and one of them usually winds up more towards the center of the bed. This is not a complaint but a statement of fact. Add in the big guy, who sometimes sleeps perpendicular to his parents and we find ourselves in quite the quandary. We do find ourselves in a king-sized bed so we humans do have that going for us.
I went out yesterday. When I came home, I found some of the kitty's toys in the living room, joined by a couple stuffed animals we keep on the steps (I mean, Dory has to keep an eye out, right?). Since I was gone, Poly was in her kennel, so the "injuries" done to our stuffed friends is all Casey. I put them on top of a cabinet which is about 3' high. I came down this morning to find the cat's spider toy being decimated. He was already missing a "pom-pom" foot yesterday, but this was the final blow. He was bleeding out... innards, that is. He flat-lined. He didn't make it. It was then I realized that the only way to keep everyone else (Dory, the turtle, and the monkey) safe was to put them onto the counter. I did have to be careful, though, since Poly has found a way to reach onto the counter and take things (to date, it's
On another topic, I know I wrote a few days ago about how Casey ripped open the bag of jelly beans and spit out the black ones. Crack.Me.Up! Anyway, I saw this video of a dog with a lemon and think I may have to pick up a lemon next time we're at the supermarket!
Have your furry kids done anything funny with food? Had any adventures with those of the stuffed variety? Done anything funny at all (and the answer to this is always, always yes!)? I'd love to hear from you!
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