Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.

You Make Me Smile – August 5, 2016

Taryn Tipton said, ” I like it best when Jimmy rests his head on Wilson or vice versa.”

My dogs never do. In fact, they rarely, if ever touch when they are sleeping. I think I would smile at that myself. 🙂

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s mom said, “Shadow will rest her head on my knee at times when she’s looking for attention. And Ducky will rest her head on her daddy’s stomach when she’s laying between his legs on the recliner. That always makes me smile. Callie used to sleep on the living room floor with her head resting on the dog bed. I used to laugh at her when she did that.”

Sampson sometimes rests his head on his bed too and I find it so adorable.

Emma said, “Life is full of places to rest heads, but humans don’t seem to take advantage of it like dogs do.”

Right! What’s up with that Emma?

DogDaz said, “Sofie loves to put her head on feet and the coffee table, Lulu loves your knee when your sitting.”

Do you take pictures of that? That sounds so cute!

Monika and Sam said, “Sam will do that on my knee or thigh, to which I instinctively reach down to pet him. I think he’s actually put 2 and 2 together and figured out if he does it, he’ll get the attention he wants.”

Sampson will put his head on one of our knees with a similar result. They really have us trained. 😉

Cupcake said, “My head is surprisingly heavy considering that my brain is so tiny. So, yes, I need to rest it – on Mom, the arm of the chair, the side of my bed, or anything on the floor at my level.”

Oh Cupcake, you always make me laugh.

Delilah gets a Birdie

Meagan Maher said, “My last dog dropped a baby pigeon in front of me once unscathed and Merlin, well birds could be splashing in his water bowl (which they do) and he wouldn’t care (which he doesn’t). He likes to hunt and eat moths though.”

OMG a baby pigeon! That’s amazing that it wasn’t hurt! These past couple of mornings we’ve had birds hopping in front of us. I haven’t a clue what that’s about, but if those birds went into their water bowls, I’m pretty sure my dogs would take issue with it.

Taryn Tipton said, “One time when I was walking with my friend and her chocolate lab, we were along the edge of the big lake in our neighborhood. Mousse (the lab) was walking along in the shallow water when a HUGE bull frog jumped up in INTO his mouth. Yes, right in his mouth! It took quite an effort to get him to drop it. And ever after that happening, he was obsessed with hunting bull frogs!”

See a person would be freaked out by that, but a dog, no. A dog would be like, “Bring that shit on!”

Beth Patterson said, “When I was a teenager we had a Bullmastiff named Angel. One day we were in the back yard and a baby bird was taking its first flight. Unfortunately, he flew right in front of Angel who just opened her mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. It was very sad and unexpected.”

Oh my gosh. How horrible. I had a dog many years ago that could pluck low flying birds right out of the air. It makes you feel so sad.

Cupcake said, “Once I ate a butterfly. Mom saw it flying and then it was gone and I was chewing. She said, “Oh no you didn’t.” But oh yes I did. Maybe that was an accident….”

Ha ha ha, I took a picture once of Sampson with a moth right near his nose, as soon as I snapped that picture….Delilah ate that moth. 

Sue said, “Living in the country with a huge backyard we frequently have whole huge flocks of birds come in, especially in the fall and spring as they’re migrating. Years ago there was a day when a huge flock of meadowlarks came in. I let Lucy and Tucker out to “clear the yard” and they stormed out of the house. They reached the back fence and Lucy turned around to look at me… and had a meadowlark in her mouth. She looked wide eyed and shocked (just like me). And dropped the bird. After that she wasn’t as keen on “clearing the yard.” LOL”

Oh poor Lucy! They probably haven’t thought what would actually happen if they caught one!

Two French Bulldogs said, “Oh the poor birdie. We don’t go after them but we would like some tree rat stew.”

You and most of the dogs I know. 😉 Mine would like some chippies with that stew! Haha

Jan K said, “Oh, poor birdie! It probably was a young one. We had a lot of birds nesting around our yard. One day I came home and as I was letting the dogs out one flew right into me! Of course at first I didn’t even know what it was so put my hands up to protect myself, and I’m not sure if I hit him or if he just kept going the other way. He landed a little ways away from me, and luckily when I checked on him he seemed to be OK.”

Dear lord, I scream like a girl when shit like that happens. I’m glad you were both okay!

Sand Spring Chesapeakes said, “Preacher is trampling birds all the time and bunnies and moles and and and…..”

Oh Preacher! 

Anonymous said, “Send D over to my house, I’ve got an effing woodpecker pecking the crap out of my house! He goes from one end of the house after I chase him away, to the next! Peck off you bloody woodpecker!!!!”

I had a woodpecker too, I hung a wind sock type of thing made of metal which seems to have kept it away.

Peace of Mind

Pamela Lucas said, “I get your every word and feelings. Brodie deserves the best handling that fits him. I am lucky that my dog walker, who has a huge amount of clients, understands what I want and what Brodie needs.”

That’s amazing! You really have to feel comfortable with the person you entrust with your baby.

Misty Shores Chesapeakes said, “I know how you feel, when I go away and I can’t take all the dogs with me I call and check in on them everyday. Now mind you I don’t have a stranger or someone taking care of them, it is my own family that live with me and the dogs and I am still nervous about it lol…It is just no one takes care of them like I do!”

Amen sister. Don’t think I won’t be calling my husband and reminding him to read the list I left him. 😉

Genevieve said, “When I had knee surgery 3 years ago, ALL of my friends (and some acquaintances I don’t even consider friends) wanted to take care of Cupcake for the 8 days I’d be gone. I had to say no to all of them and picked the dogmom of Cupcake’s friend Lila. I knew Lila had the run of the house, was allowed on the beds and furniture, and went everywhere with her mom in the car. That’s what Cupcake needed, so that’s where she stayed. She did great. (And that dogma went on to become a trainer at The Seeing Eye – with my recommendation!)”

I totally get that. I could never leave my guys somewhere where they couldn’t sleep on the bed. I think if Hubby and I ever went away at the same time, I would pay someone to stay with the dogs. 

Emma said, “Oh boy, my mom is a nervous Nellie too! The only one she ever lets walk us besides herself is her cousin and in a pinch the neighbor. Mom is afraid we will get loose, or dart out after a squirrel and knock a person over, she is just plain afraid to let anyone else go out with us.”

It’s hard not to worry about that. Trust me, they will be with my HUSBAND and I will be worrying!

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom said, ” You’ve known Emily for quite some time; and you trust her with Sampson’s and Delilah’s lives at the hospital. She is the right person.”

Plus she LOVES Sampson, LOVES him, and he LOVES her.  I will have a post next week about Emily, she did the sweetest thing for him at the vet yesterday.

Two French Bulldogs said, “Our last dog walker payed more attention to her cell phone than us.”

Um…I’d have a problem with that and I’m assuming your mom did as well.

Jan K said, “I was the same way in finding a groomer for Sheba. I wouldn’t trust anyone with her until the vet tech at our vet’s office starting doing it. Sheba knew and loved her, the feeling was mutual, and I could feel comfortable leaving her in her care.”

It’s so hard. And the worse part is that they can’t talk and tell you if something is wrong. I’m glad you found someone for Sheba.

Taryn said, “LOL! I think lots of us share your angst! I have not taken a vacation without our dogs since we got Jimmy nine years ago! Wilson is a sweety and anyone could take care of him. But adding Jimmy to the mix is where things get dicey. He is what I call a 50/50 dog. He snarks at other dogs who get too close (or, heaven forbid, sniff his butt), but it isn’t every dog. So I can never trust him. I can’t expect someone else to be as cautious as me.”

Can I tell you a secret? We take separate vacations. IF we have to be somewhere together, I make sure we fly on different flights.  And Delilah is similar to Jimmy. I’ve worked really hard with her, but if a dog surprises her with a nose in her ass, she’s going to give him a face full of chocolate he won’t soon forget!

Monika and Sam said, “I think that little assistant that resides in each of us was trying to tell you something by making you feel uneasy about the original walker. Sadly those ‘helpers’ have no volume button that can be turned up-they just make you question yourself. Good thing too since they always seem to know what’s on the up and up.”

Sometimes I wonder if it’s really my assistant or just my paranoia. 😉 Either way, I usually listen. 

Jackie Bouchard said, “Oh, I feel your worries! I was recently in a very similar situation! I went away for a week, leaving the hubby and the dog alone for the first time (well, the first time where it was more than just one night). The hubs had time to take her for a quick walk each morning, but we knew it was going to be a crazy week for him at work (he’s often gone more than 12 hours) so couldn’t leave Rita home along that long. It took me a long time to find a place that I felt okay with – and I scheduled both a walk and training session with them ahead of time to make sure I’d be okay with them. Still… it was worrisome…The place I used would send me photos and texts each day, so I was able to see/hear how Rita was doing.”

Ugh, it’s so hard. Especially if you’ve never done it before! I’m hoping I can convince Emily to send me pictures. 🙂

Well that’s it for me folks! Have a fabulous weekend!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.

Once Upon A Time

Thank you all for the nice comments and birthday wishes for Sampson. He started his day with a bit longer walk, and then in the afternoon, I loaded him into the car and drove him to the woods, so he could enjoy one of his favorite places. It turned out to be not so much walking and a LOT of sniffing, but he enjoyed himself.

For dinner that night, he got steak. 🙂 You know your dog is spoiled when the Peeps are eating hotdogs and the dogs are eating steaks.

All in all, I think he had a great day.

You Make Me Laugh – July 31, 2016

Sue said, “We got the hot and humid weather, too, with the heat index 100 and above.”

Ugh, if there’s anything worse than heat, it’s adding the humidity to it. It seems I can’t walk anytime of the day without sweating. 

Jan K said, “We’ve had some hot and humid weather, but most days haven’t been oppressive. We haven’t had to even get out the A/C units yet, fans alone have been enough so far.”

Oh Jan, that’s great! We were so spoiled last year, I rarely had to use the air conditioning during the day.  So far this year, it’s been brutal.

Cupcake said, “The Dyson fan in Mom’s room makes my ears twitch. She has to aim it away from me, otherwise I shoot her the skunk eye.”

Bah ha ha. When I ride in Hubby’s jeep with the top off, my head pulses when we stop.

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom said, “It’s been “gawd-awful” around here since the beginning of July, though we did have a few days’ break before it came back. Thankfully we have central air, so it’s not quite as expensive as window units. But every time I take the girls outside – especially these last few days – it feels like I’m stepping into a sauna. Ugh! Callie used to squeeze herself between the tea cart and the vents and hog the cool air when the fan was running.”

UGH, that scratches South Carolina off my list of retirement places. 😉 Central air does sound heavenly though.

Jan said, “We’ve been in triple digits but with low humidity and cool mornings and evenings to get all our “business” done.”

Heat is one thing. Humidity is another, but when you combine the two, it’s absolutely hideous. I’m jealous, if I could only get California weather on the east coast. 😉

Alexa88 said, “it’s been brutal here the whole month of july. we’re all suffering from cabin fever as even the nite’s are hot an humid. in addition to central a.c. we have ceiling fans. i’m dreaming of a white Christmas lol.

Ceiling fans and central air are nice and so is a white Christmas. 🙂 I’m dreaming with you!

Rebekah said, “My dogs and I are all Freon-dependent.”

LOL we are too!

Monika and Sam said, “Still hot in the 303 but in the good news column, only 53 days to the official start of autumn.”

Oh dear dog, I hope we have an early autumn this year. 🙂

Jen Gabbard said, “It always makes me laugh when Laika & I come in from outside and she plops herself right over the entire vent.”

She’s a very smart girl!

Around the Yard

Meagan Maher said, “You are lucky you don’t live in Australia. Here we have the most poisonous snakes and spiders.I live about a kilometer from a Marina and the other day there was a 4 meter great white shark swimming around.”

NO THANK YOU! I don’t like spiders or snakes! And sharks, fugeddaboutit.

Sue said, “Lots and lots of wildlife here: coyotes, bobcats, possums, raccoons, armadillos, ground hogs, squirrels, rabbits, voles, snakes, turtles, toads, frogs, and even a bear once! Hmm, I bet a bear sighting would vanquish your writer’s block!”

I did see a bear!! Not too long ago either. It was the coolest thing, but I didn’t think to grab the cell phone and get a selfie picture. 

Emma said, “That little guy is adorable! I would probably hunt him and get in trouble, but Mom would want to make him a house pet!”

I was afraid Delilah would hunt him, but I’m with mom, I could see me trying to make him a yard pet. Not in the house though.

Taryn said, “Possums are always around, they just don’t tend to make their presence known. We have them and also raccoons who I rarely spot either. Fox, deer, thousands of squirrels and bunnies, an occasional wild turkey, and recently a young black bear I wasn’t lucky enough to see.”

Mostly we see deer, and squirrels around here. I’m sorry you missed the bear, my sighting excited me to no end.

Mary Hone said, “Today, we have birds and bunnies outside. Last night I heard an owl.”

Isn’t it cool when you see things you don’t normally see? But don’t forget, you see WILD HORSES and Bison and those goat things with the long horns. (I have also heard an owl in our neighborhood and I saw one in the woods once too!)

Two French Bulldogs said, “Oh my dawg! Mom rescued one of those things once.”

When you say ‘rescued’, does that mean she kept it?

Jan K said, “If I get writer’s block I’ll usually just scroll through photos and try to find something that gives me at least a little bit to say, and if it’s not much, there’s still a cute photo to share.”

Sometimes I have something in my drafts, and other times I do what you suggested. There is no sense in pushing myself into something.

Jen Gabbard said, “As for writer’s block I like reading blogs in other niches. Whether it’s a gardening, parenting or science blog – something about reading stuff outside my “norm” gets ideas going. Lately I’ve been looking at funny dog memes a lot as well – those seem to spark some great ideas.”

That is a great idea Jen! Thank you for sharing it!

Seven Ways to Pissed Off – Throwback Thursday

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom said, “I DO remember this post! I remember all those idiotic signs pissing you off. But better to be pissed off than pissed on, though. (Unless you’re kinky.) 😝”

Comment of the week right there!

Jan K said, “I can see why it riled you up, they did go kind of overboard with the signs, and with so many other things going on at that park picking on the dogs alone doesn’t seem right. But the idea to have the poop station there is a good one. Did they ever put one at the other entrance you were talking about though?”

It was a little OVERKILL. No, they did not put one at the other entrance. Apparently the James Family pay $150 per year to sponsor that poop station. The man that lives next to the park (not the James) volunteers to empty it, and put the trash bin out on garbage days. For them to put another station in the park, they would want someone to sponsor and someone to be responsible for emptying it. 

Sue said, “FTR, Sue’s comment might be my favorite blog comment ever: “But better to be pissed off than pissed on, though. (Unless you’re kinky.) 😝” ”

I’m with you there sister!

All Things Collie said, “What pisses me off…we live near the beach. And on more than one occasion the dogs have discovered fried chicken bones either on the road or on the sidewalks! We all know the danger of cooked chicken bones. Why people have to toss them out car windows is a mystery to me.”

I don’t understand that either and it would piss me off also. They throw food stuff up in the woods too. Once I pulled a pepperoni in the package out of Delilah’s mouth. And don’t get me started on the glass. They are not content just to drink up there and leave the bottles, no, they have to smash them on the rocks.

Monika and Sam said, “I can only guess the James family is not on your Christmas card list. 😈”

Actually, at first I was so pissed. I thought Who the fuck are theses James people and WHY are they picking on dog people. But once the signs came down, (really, that was TOO much) I’ve learned to appreciate the station. There have been days when I’ve run out of bags, or forgot to grab one, and it has saved my skin. Not to mention not having to haul that stinky bag back home.

Emma said, “We are all for poop stations, but we also don’t think any signs really will change the behavior of those who choose not to scoop, sadly. More trash cans would be more effective most likely.”

Exactly Emma. Either they will scoop or they won’t, but signs and poop stations won’t make a difference. Honestly I’ve gone into the park and ten feet from station is a big pile of dog poop. I mean, how lazy and inconsiderate can you be?

That’s it for me folks, have a wonderful weekend!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer reader’s questions and generally, just wrap up my week.

You Make Me Smile – July 24, 2016

Meagan Maher said, “Yes i would and do. Last night when i turned over i slipped off the bed. A yellow labrador decided to sleep horizontally across the top of the bed so i had barely any room.”

He he he, that made me laugh, but I hope you weren’t hurt. I’m not sure if I ever slipped off the bed, but there was that one time when the dogs had the whole bed and I laid across the top, with my head on a chair. 😉

Emma said, “My mom always puts up with discomfort if we furs are comfy. It’s what moms do.”

Yes, yes it is. It’s what moms do. 🙂

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom said, “I miss the days when Callie and Shadow tried to take over the bed. Shadow used to get too hot – even in the winter – and would get back down on the floor next to the bed; but Callie usually spent the whole night next to my feet. God, how I miss that girl!”

🙁 I know, but she’s always with you. Sampson usually gets too hot too and at some point will get off the bed, but that is usually only in the summer.

Genevieve said, “Would I??? I DO – every night of my life! And I wouldn’t have it any other way….”

It’s the best, isn’t it?

Jan said, “I know of no other way to sleep. But I try to stake out my position first.”

That’s key! Always stake out the real estate first. 

Hailey and Zaphod said, “Hailey is my leg sleeper and I will lie there until the pain comes!”

I can until I get a cramp, if I get a cramp, it’s all over!

Jen Gabbard said, “Do you feel guilty when you move, too? I think it’s sweet when Laika falls asleep on some part of me, but I always feel bad when I have to get up to pee or something.”

I do feel bad. Luckily, Sampson usually only stays that way for so long, then he gets up and move. Delilah will let you love/snuggle her, but when she’s done, she lets you know by turning away.

Cystocentesis a.k.a. A STERILE Urine Sample

Jan K said, “Having a vet that gets you has to go a long way towards making you more comfortable when going through these things….I also wondered if the location of the parts on a female dog had to do with this. Sheba has so much fur back there, things get stuck in it too, so I’m trying to do better at keeping that area clean (we’re planning to give her a bath this weekend but sometimes we just use wipes and trimming to clean it up).

See, this is something I’ve never thought of before. Dear lord, not only do we need to ‘landscape’ ourselves, now we have to worry about our dogs too! 😉

Sue said, “Poor Delilah and poor you! So glad you have such good vet! I wouldn’t have been able to be Zen at all through that – my nerves would be shot.”

Now that I know how well she did, I might consider it next time, but I’m really not sure how zen I can be.

Sand Spring Chesapeakes said, “Great explanation! We always try to get a sterile sample on the first urine sample, it really tells you a lot.”

Thank you! I was trying to remember it all. I’m glad I got it right. 

Jan said, “Great post Jodi. Funny and informative. I learned some technical terms too: pee-shooter and poop shooter. I can’t wait to use them.”

Ba ha ha, don’t you love it? I cannot wait until you use it either! Did I ever tell you how excited I get when I see ‘siriusly’ on your blog? 

Peyton said, “I am always amazed by vets. Not only do they have to deal with someone who can’t tell them where it hurts, they also have to deal do with frantic but loving owners.”

I’m pretty sure in most cases, it’s me that’s the worst. 😉

Monika and Sam said, “Gawd…I love your vet as much as you, Jodi. 😉”

Right! How can you not love a vet that says pee and poop shooter?

Dachshund Nola said, “And I’m sorry, but that visual of wiping off her bits is hilarious, haha!”

The funny thing was that she stood there and let me do it, then she took off like a bat out of hell, and don’t ever be sorry for laughing at something I wrote. That is my goal when I am writing.

Jen Gabbard said, “Right by the poop shooter… I need your vet, seriously. Glad to know they identified the infection, but holy crap coli is not something I would have ever expected.”

Yes poop shooter. I had all I could do not to laugh when she said it. And I’m with you, I was shocked when she told me what it was.

Lost Dog – Found Dog

Emma said, “My mom is terrified at the thought of either of us running way. We lost a cat and never saw him again and that was bad enough. This is such a wonderful story with a great ending.”

It is terrifying. My mom had a cat that was lost and it still breaks my heart to think of him.

Sue said, “That was a very, very long 12 days.”

It sure was.

Mary Hone said, “It is truly amazing how resilient they can be.”

They never cease to amaze me. 

Clowie said, “5 pounds is a lot of weight for a small dog to lose!”

Yes, it is, poor guy was very thin!

Jen Gabbard said, “The most shocking thing I learned about lost dogs is how quickly many of them start to adopt “feral like” behaviors. It can make getting them back so much more challenging since many of them don’t approach strangers, and sometimes they’re even skittish around their owners.”

I’ve heard that they adapt quickly, it must be their wild ancestors. As for being skittish around their owners, when Mel’s dog was missing I remember Mel saying that once she was found, it took a few minutes of her sitting quietly on the ground, before Lady sighed and recognized her. I think they are in that flight mode and can’t recognize anything else.

Jan said, “Small dogs seem to have wild animal instincts that allow them to survive for surprisingly long times in the wilderness or in urban settings. “Found dog” are two of the most beautiful words in the language.”

I think their size has a lot to do with that. And I agree, “Found dog” ARE two of the most beautiful words.

Jan K said, “I know of some people, through Granite State Dog Recovery, in your sister’s area who lost their dog and he was never found. I can only imagine the horrible feeling when this happens, and I’m so glad it ended well for Bandit!…It can be great to look for a group like GSDR because so many people who have been through it are willing to help. They’ve had a lot of success with traps too but you have to have sightings for that to really work. Bandit really went far – it is amazing (and scary) how far dogs can go sometimes!

I can’t imagine it myself. There is a woman in my area who had her house broken into two years ago while she was at work. In the process, her dogs either got out, or were stolen. 2 1/2 years later, she is still looking for them. And you are right, those groups are invaluable. I bet most animal control officers know of groups in their area that work on finding lost dogs.

Well that’s it for me folks, come back tomorrow for a very special post, for a very special boy who is turning 12.