Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Follow-Up Friday – November 8, 2013

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the blog hop that let’s you “wrap up your week, and leads you right into the weekend!”

Follow-Up Friday Blog Hop

Follow-Up Friday Blog Hop

 

I’m excited to welcome the delightful Emma from My GBGV Life.  Right.  I had no idea what a GBGV was either.

Well GBGV is short for “Grand Basset Griffon Vendeén”   Um…Okay.  I don’t know about you, but I got Grand and Basset out of that.

So in Emma’s own words, ” the Grand refers to our size in the whole group of BGV hounds, Basset refers to our shorter legs, Griffon to our coat, and Vendeén is the area of France where the breed originated – basically a French Scent Hound.”

Ah, that explains why her book is titled “Tales of a French Scent Hound.”

Anyhow, Emma is a fun-loving little dog and she shares her life with her mom, her big sister Katie (a Kuvasz) and her newly adopted little sister, Bailie (who is also a GBGV.)

Emma shares her exploits and adventures on her blog along with a whole lot of great information.  If you don’t know Emma, I highly encourage you to go over and introduce yourself.  You won’t regret it.

Thanks so much for taking the plunge and agreeing to co-host Emma, I hope I made it super easy for you.

Reminder if YOU are interested in seeing your name up here next week, leave me a message in the comments or drop me an e-mail at stone.jodi@ymail.com

You Make Me Smile – November 3, 2013

Jen said, “Leroy spits treats at me! Good times.”

Well this just made me laugh.  Sampson used to be super picky with treats.  Milk Bones.  NO. THANK. YOU.  Once the drive-thru teller gave him one and he politely took it.  I found it in my purse a short time later.   What a picky boy.

But his tastes have changed, because our vet’s office has those very same Milk Bones and he would gobble up the whole thing if we let him.

Good times indeed!

Emma said, “I concentrate on chewing really hard. I have to always be careful that no one steals my stuff.”

Delilah is the same way.  She LOVES her some treats.  If you approach her, her tail wags a mile a minute and her jaw keeps up.

I’m a Lepto Maniac

I was so please to read how many of you actually space your dog’s vaccines weeks apart.  Besides giving your dog’s immune system proper time to do its job, IF your dog were to have a reaction, you should be able to tell which vaccine was the culprit.

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom asked, “Is Sampson a black belt in karate now? :-) Just curious as to what the black belt around his midsection is for.”

That is his leash.  It somehow got wrapped around him.

Jackie asked, “Ticks are not too bad here either, as long as you don’t go off-trail when hiking. (What is the natural treatment you use for that?)”

I’ve been experimenting with various natural flea and tick sprays for the last few months.  The key to using a natural spray is you have to do this every day.  Which is not a problem for me, I just add it to my getting ready to walk routine.  I had a pretty good spray that I used over the summer but its base was rubbing alcohol, which I thought might be contributing to Sampson’s itchies.

I found a natural flea and tick spray at my local pet store.  It is comprised of a bunch of different essential oils but the base is water, which I thought would be far better, if it touched their skin.

So I publish the Lepto Maniac post and sure enough I pull four ticks off of Sampson in a 24-hour period, and one off Delilah.

Back to the drawing board.

Besides the spray, I also keep the dogs on a low dose of Bug Off Garlic.  I really should increase it during April/May and September/October but I worry about gas.

The garlic makes my dogs very gassy.  And I worry because we do close our bedroom door at night.

They’re All Urgent

Jan said, “I’m trying to get back into the Tuesday blog hop, but all the shelter Chihuahuas in
CA just breaks my heart as well as their being used for celebrity photo ops.”

I agree Jan, I really do.  I love Tuesday’s Tails blog hop.  But it’s hard for me to look at all the dogs in my area and know that some of them are not getting out.   And as of yesterday, she hadn’t been pulled.  I pray she made it.

Maybe if my shelters were no-kill it would be easier.

It’s Not a Toomah

Jackie shared, “One “bad” sign the vet shared with us is if the bump on your dog changes size suddenly. Bailey’s cancerous lumps would sometimes be small one day, and then big the next. Then they’d go back to being small again. If you’ve got something like that on your dog, get it checked right away! It could be nuthin, but it could be a toomah.”

Good to know Jackie, thank you for sharing!

Frankie and Ernie said, “Ernie had a BUMP that had to be removed… when his Boy Baubbles were.. The bump was caused by is INFANT shots… That is ANOTHER reason that OUR mom won’t let us have Multiple Shots in a day.”

Okay, first I’m glad that Ernie is okay, BUTT “Boy Baubbles” made me laugh.  Just like when my sister refers to her “Hey Nonner Nonner” as “Girly bits.”

And yes, Sampson had a lump that was caused by HIS infant shots.  Which is why I try and limit vaccines to the really essential ones.

Jan K said, “I believe that vaccines contributed to my golden’s death from cancer….I do not think they caused it but I suspect they accelerated it.”

It wouldn’t surprise me Jan.  I work next door to a pediatrician’s office and the office manager keeps telling me there are all kinds of things in the vaccines that have no business being there.

Slimdoggy said, “Labs notoriously have a lot of fatty lumps. Sally had so many that I had to draw a little outline of her body and mark where the were so we could keep track.”

Wow, what a great idea.  So if you had the lump checked did you identify it on the drawing?

Lauranne said, “However my favourite of all his fatty lumps are the first two he grew… you see he had the op as a young pup however it would seem that now he is a man of senior years he has decided he would quite like them back and so has grown his own pair.”

OH. MY. DOG. I’m sorry to laugh, but I did.  Holy smoly, he grew his own nuticles. BOL

Blogville ROCKS This ‘N That Thursday

Frankie and Ernie’s mom said,”…Each month we will see a New Pic of one of our Friends.”

That is the great part!! I look forward to turning the page so I can see which of my friends is next.

April - Susie "Sweet Petunia" - The Mad Scots

April – Susie “Sweet Petunia” – The Mad Scots

Friends like Susie!

That’s it for me, many thanks to my friend Emma for agreeing to co-host!!



Follow-Up Friday – November 1, 2013

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the blog hop that let’s you wrap up your week and leads you right into the weekend!  Today I am joined by my friend JoAnn from Sandspring Chesapeakes.  If you haven’t met JoAnn and her dogs Norman, Nellie, Gambler and Glory, well what are you waiting for?  JoAnn can get those dogs to pose for some crazy photos!

Follow-Up Friday Blog Hop

Follow-Up Friday Blog Hop

 

Thank you JoAnn for joining me today!

About Those Wooly Bears

Gizmo asked, “The “punk” effect is so cool…and your camera has a setting for that?”

Yes, my camera has a setting called “Magic” and within that setting are about 12 different options, one of them being “punk.”

Jessica asked, “Is Delilah good with other dogs?”

It depends on the dog and the situation.  Delilah does not like certain dogs while she is on leash.  I always have to worry whether she will snark or not.    Having been to Blog Paws last year and observed the people and other dogs, I prefer not to bring my dogs there.  I think I would be too nervous.

Such Intensity

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom said, “There are so many things my girls do that make me laugh or smile — I wish I had a camera handy EVERY second of the day to capture it all!”

OMD I so agree with this!  The last couple of days Delilah has sat in the kitchen and ripped a long, loud fart and I so wished I could have caught it on video.

Jan asked, “That’s a cell phone shot?”

S and D

Yes, that photo was taken with my iPhone.

Animal Couriers said, “Lovely shot – looks like Sampson is doing a ‘lazy’ sit as we call it.”

Sampson has always sat like that.  He has never been a ‘strait’ sitter.

Val asked, “Did you have a treat in your hand?”

I believe I was working on getting one of their meals ready and they both just sat.  It was a perfect photo opportunity.

Heeeeeeeeere’s Jackie

2 Brown Dawgs said, “I still have not had a block of time to start the book. I need a maid.”

You and me both, sister.

I Have a Crap-load of Pumpkin

Emma asked, “Do you have Aldi in your area? Mom bought some all natural pumpkin in a can (15oz) yesterday for 89 cents.”

We do Emma, I’ll have to check that out, thanks for the tip!

Jen K asked, “And yes, that’s definitely a crap-load! (Is that a metric measurement?)”

It’s an industry term. 😉

Carol Bondy asked, “There…did you use the unsweetened one???”

Yes, the shredded coconut was unsweetened.

Lily asked, “Does punkin make you guys poopy more?”

No, actually pumpkin is full of fiber, which helps make the poopy firm.  Because my guys get chicken necks in the morning, I like to give them a little pumpkin to help them feel full.  I’ve also heard that pumpkin can help with an upset tummy, but don’t quote me on that.

Jan asked, “Do you ever start with fresh pumpkins?”

Actually I did last year.  I have hopes to have a pressure cooker for next season so I can make my own pumpkin.

Julie asked, “Hmm, I wonder how applesauce and banana would work for sweetness?”  I bet that would help.  Jodi also suggested some cinnamon and a little maple syrup.

Oz the Terrier said, “Oh Miss Jodi, what’s stopping us?! The fact that my Ma does NOT bake ever.”

Oz, you’ve got to get your mom on board.  It is such a satisfying feeling knowing what are in your dog’s treats.

Donna said, “(personally I prefer reeses pieces)”

That’ll work too!

The Post Where the Mama Learns a New Trick

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s mom asked, “What I want to know is WHO was recording the video while you and Sampson were torturing your Mama and “her creaky knees”?”

The Daddy was.  After the Mama gave him explicit instructions on how she wanted it recorded.

Emma said, “Has your mom tried walking you two in the creepy dark woods in the morning rather than the evening? We love walking in the dark in the morning, it is so peaceful and Mom says the chances of criminals being out in the early morning are slim to none, they prefer evening and night.”

It’s not the criminals that the Mama is worried about, it’s the coyotes and the fishers.

Jan asked, “That is a great trick, but shouldn’t you reward the mama with a treat when she does it the right way?”

She is being rewarded.  She actually believes she’s teaching us. BOL

Jessica asked, “Wait, you go up and down the stairs, too?”

I have too, it’s a great motivator for the Mama.

Sue said, “Love the video, but Delilah…. hobbit feet?! That’s no way to get more treats!”

Hey, I’m only repeating what the Mama says.

Happy Halloween!

Emma asked, “Can’t you get the postal supplies at an Office Max or other office store?”

I suppose I could.  I was planning on using priority mailers, but envelopes with priority stickers will probably work just as well.

Okay, so this Halloween photo:

Halloween

Is the exact same photo as the one above it.  I just edited it differently.  Typically I edit my photos in PicMonkey, but when I was looking for the Halloween theme, I wasn’t finding what I wanted.  I googled and found another editor called Fotor.  It’s got a lot of fun things to play around with.

Pamela asked, “Will we be seeing the blooper reel any time soon?”

There was no blooper, it’s such a great photo I am going to use it for many different things. 😀

Jan said, “Was there a bribe involved?”

Nope, it was a candid shot.

Roxy said, “Hey, you have the same mask as me. Aren’t we stylish!!”

Pretty neat huh?  I guess your mom found out about Fotor too.

Gizmo said, “Jodi Halloween is fun and all but the best thing I read today is that Arista is safe.”

I 110% agree!

I am now way over my word limit, so I shall stop here.  Many thanks to JoAnn for agreeing to co-host.  If you are interested in co-hosting next week’s hop, let me know.



About Those Wooly Bears

By

Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the blog hop that let’s you wrap up your week and leads you right into the weekend.

Follow-Up Friday Blog Hop

Follow-Up Friday Blog Hop

Follow-Up Friday

About those wooly bears:

Sue said, “When the brown bands on woolly worms are narrow, it means a harsh winter. The wider the brown band, the milder the winter will be.”

I knew it was something like that!

Frankie and Ernie had a great post with detailed information about what the stripes on the wooly bears mean.

You Make Me Smile – I’ll Always Want a Lab

Houndstooth asked, “Delilah is one dog I would love to meet in person! Can you bring her to Vegas for me?”

I know that anything goes in Vegas, but honestly I’m not sure even sin city is ready for this dog!

Blueberry’s Human said, “Nose prints on my clothes though – or nose juice running down my neck in the morning from B’s head being under my chin – that makes me smile every time. The first time it happened I thought I was sweating and then realized, ‘Nope, that’s from her nose!’.”

Now that made me laugh!  Neither of my dogs have ever dripped ‘nose juice’ down my neck.

And here is the punk picture as promised.

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA I love this photo, it looks to me like she’s smiling!

I Spy With My Little Eye

So here is the original photo.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

And here are the comments:

Jackie said, “Yeah – how do we get the average non-picker-upper to pick up? Those are probably the same “the rules don’t apply to ME” people I see all the time doing stuff like texting while they drive. How do we get them to stop doing ALL the bad things they do?”

I wish i knew.

Oz said, “I snoop, and I snoop but I cannot locate the poop (in the photo)!”

I love this Oz!  Even when it’s not limerick month, you are still a rhyming kind of dog!

Donna said, “Ugh. I can understand losing it in the leaves, that happens in my own yard, especially with Miss Medi the walk-while-she-poos dog, but in the middle of the path??”

Delilah does that too.  In fact, sometimes I call her “Delilah shit-walker.”  Shhh, don’t tell her.

Sugar asked, “Yikes on Delilah … did it smelled?”

I didn’t smell it, but I think it was a couple of days old and had lost it’s potency.

I’m pretty sure that some of you spotted the poop, only you know for sure.  Let me know if you did.

Click on the photo to enlarge it.

She Just Needed a Chance

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom asked, “What I can’t figure out is why the adoption fee at your pound is 10 times higher. For residents than it is for non-residents. Shouldn’t it be at the very least only a few dollars higher; and more logically a few dollars lower??”

You know, I really wanted to call the pound and ask them, but then I knew I’d ask about her and I was afraid of the answer.  I’ll try and call this week.

Jessica asked, “Is there any way you could get a group together to advocate for longer hold times?”

We do have some really great animal advocates in this state.  I’ll see what I can find out.

My other thought is, their website says, “Can be euthanized” at the 10th day, and I’m wondering if that is dependent upon how many animals they are housing.

2 Brown Dawgs said, “I don’t understand the thinking of removing a dog from any given situation only to euthanize it. Or maybe euthanizing this dog was what they had in mind when it was removed? That to me is the question.”

Another really good question.  My thought is euthanizing the animal is more compassionate than letting it die slowly and suffering.

Fetch Mama

Gizmo said, “Delilah you’re a great coach but like your mom there are some pounds on Momz that won’t come off no matter how hard I work her…She tells me it’s cause she’s older than dirt and her metabolism is broken…Now I don’t know what that means, but I think she’s just lazy.”

Delilah here:  I wonder if that’s not the case with my Mama too, she seems to always have an excuse for not doing something.

And Mama?  I read that and that’s just mean.

Which Way Did He Go?

Chipmunks are cute, but they can be very destructive.  Sadly we need to find a way to remove them.

And on another sad note, Bennie the Frenchie, the little hero of our calendar fundraiser, lost his fight yesterday.   Our hearts and prayers are with his Mama and Lily.

That’s a wrap for this week’s Follow-Up Friday.  If you are interested in co-hosting, please let me know either in the comments, on facebook or drop me an e-mail.



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