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 – June 19, 2016

Meagan Maher said, “Merlin likes to sniff grills and tyres too. He doesn’t pee on the tyres, just squats next to it. He also backs into trees and then squats.”

Does he pee when he squats? Or does he just squat? Delilah sometimes LIFTS her leg to pee on trees. LOL

Emma said, “Oh you guys read my mind! My first thought when I saw the photo was a nose work dog.”

You’d think she was looking for a hide, wouldn’t you? 😉

Sue said, “Interesting where she’s sniffing! My crew always sniff the tires … probably hoping for the scent of roadkill?”

She sniffs tires too. And the wheel wells. But this time, it was all the front.

Cupcake said, “I sniff an occasional car, mostly near the driver’s door (NOT professionally like Emma). Mom suspects it’s McDonald’s-related.”

Alexa88 said, “lily is a ground sniffer mostly. at the park she sniffs bushes and trees for messages from other dogs. leaves a few of her own in reply…jodi, have thought of you and your family often through out this week.”

Both my guys are ground sniffers as well. Thanks for thinking of us Alexa, we appreciate it.

Jan K said, “No car sniffers here. Delilah is just figuring out where those cars have been – she knows which ones came from nice places like New Hampshire!”

Well your comment gave me an idea, so I started watching WHICH cars she was sniffing. Like are they all from out of state, but no. There doesn’t seem to be a method to this, although who knows what goes on in that chocolate brain of hers.

Monika and Sam said, “Sam will sniff tires on ocassion-maybe it’s actually ‘special’ pee-mail and Twitter feeds showing up in unexpected spots. The OES’s however remembered every. single. cat. that went under cars in the ‘hood and therefore had to be NCIS’ed every. time. we. passed. They were true detectives, Sam however is just a pee-graffiti artist. 😉”

Hahaha, Sampson remembers where he saw people or animals too and always gets excited as we approach them. Silly dogs.

Jen Gabbard said, “I wonder if there’s some rodents camping out. Laika gets obsessed with certain cars as well, and one time as she was sniffing around the tail pipe we saw a mouse scatter away. Scared the shit out of me & of course made Laika even more determined to inspect every damn car for for weeks.

Holy crap. I never thought of that. Gah, whatever it is, I hope it’s small. Two weeks ago there was a chipmunk in the road. In. the. road. Just sitting there as still as could be. (I’ll have to post that photo because Delilah really wanted an up close and personal.) Any time something moves at me, no matter how small, I WILL scream like a girl. One time at our old house I opened the cabinet at like 5:00 am, (with only a night light on, mind you) to get a cup for coffee and a teeny, tiny spider smaller than the head of a pin charged me. At eye level. I won’t even tell you how long I screamed for or how long the hair on my body stood on end. 😉

Close Encounters of the Feline Kind

Monika and Sam said, “You know, I thought I was the only person who thought that cats seem to flip off dogs that aren’t all that keen on them with their little paws. I mean, they sashay around just out of reach and flip their tails like some sort of Burlesque routine all the while giving some poor upright heart failure (or worse) trying to corral what seems like 300 lbs. of sheer power and force trying to get at said cat.”

RIGHT?!?! It’s not just the cats in my neighborhood either! The squirrels and chipmunks are just as bad. I think they’ve all lost their little critter minds.

2 Brown Dawgs said, “Luckily we do not have any kitties in our neighborhood. We have bunnies. They are trouble too.”

Ah yes, we’ve run across one or two of those as well. Most of the time if they are super still my dogs don’t see them, but I do. We even had a groundhog run across our path once. That was a first.

Mary Hone said, “Cats, the bane of every dog and dog owner. I think they KNOW, they are causing trouble and act all innocent.”

I think you might be right. Cats are a unique breed…

Beth said, “Barley is usually pretty good about cats, but when she does show interest, I just remind her, “You have one of those at home. Leave it” and she trots right back along with me. There’s one bold kitten in our new neighborhood, though, that charged across the street and started going down the sidewalk straight towards us. I thought for sure it would turn around or veer off into a yard, but it just kept coming. Barley was so surprised for a cat to run at her like that that she had no idea what to do and just kind of yipped–and then the cat went into the yard.”

Sometimes I talk to them. “Have you lost your mind? You DO realize this dog is ginormous, don’t you? Run, run away you stupid cat.” My favorite is the squirrels, “You better run squirrel.” Bonus points to anyone that can tell me what movie that quote is from.

Emma said, “We would like to chase cats outside too, but cats are fairly boring and we prefer squirrels and wabbits. That being said, Bailie is trained to chase down and capture cat bro Bert. If he is in our dog food bowls, she may get him, and if he runs out the back door into the yard Mom says “get the kitty”. Bailie then races out after him, tackles him, and hold him down until Mom gets there. Bert is fine with it all. Those two are buddies.”

A ha ha, I love that Bailie can catch Bert, that’s some skill to have!

Jan said, “There is a cat that once chased the five of us away from their house. I have never returned to that neighborhood. I was tempted to drop the leashes and let the dogs have their way with the cat, but was more afraid that the cat would beat them up.”

Ugh, so tempted too! I’m also concerned that one of them would get hit by a car too. But I am tempted some days, sorely tempted.

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom said, “The only cat in our ‘hood belongs next door. Occasionally, when the girls are inside, I’ll see him in our backyard. As long as he’s not bothering the nesting boxes, I’ll leave him alone. But if he disturbs “my” birdies, I go out and chase him out of the yard myself.”

As long as you’re not running and barking at the cat. 😉

Blueberry’s Human said, “It’s a funny thing…ever since I have had Pistachio (since March I think) – Blueberry has had almost zero cat encounters in the backyard. Although, Blueberry did manage to catch and kill a bird yesterday…but not before it had a chance to peck her and draw blood within a quarter inch of her eye ball. I’d hate to think of the damage that would be inflicted on her if she caught a cat. (PS – I didn’t sit there watching her murder a bird. She came into the house with blood near her eye and later on, I found the dead bird and put two and two together. I’m crazy, not cruel.)”

Oh Lord. Blueberry, whatever will your mom do with you? Glad she wasn’t siriusly injured and yes, I do know you aren’t cruel, just crazy. 😉

Jen Gabbard said, “Dude some cats are assholes and like to mess with dogs, I swear. We have this idiotic black & white cat whose favorite place to lounge is outside our sliding glass door in front of Laika. And yes it’s pure chaos the entire time. I’m pretty sure that cat is going to give my dog a heart attack one of these days when she wakes up from napping herself just to see a big old cat that close by.”

Right? What the hell is wrong with that cat? The chippies do that to Delilah, stand right outside her window. One of these days she’s going to get the drop on one and then I have no idea how that will shake out. You need an air horn. 😉

Delilah’s Annual Check-Up

Emma said, “I now get the senior panel done.”

I’m not sure I know what a senior panel is Emma.

Rebekah said, “It’s good to know about grass being sweet this time of year, because I have noticed two of mine munching on grass as well, when they don’t normally do so.”

I wondered about it, because she is very particular about which grass she eats, so there must be something to that theory.

Taryn said, “At their ages, I no longer do vaccinations other than the legally required Rabies.”

Exactly. Except because where we live with all the raccoons and stuff, our vet recommends the Leptospirosis, if we lived in a differed area, maybe we wouldn’t get that either.

Well that’s it for me folks, but before I close I’d like to know if anyone is having trouble commenting? One of my out of the states friends is having trouble and I’m wondering if it’s WP or something else. 

That being said, if you CANNOT comment, please use the form on the contact page to let me know, or send me a message on Facebook. Thanks Meagan for hanging in there!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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.

Before I get to today’s follow-up, I wanted to share a post I wrote on my personal blog. I shared it on Facebook Wednesday night and debated posting it here, but chose instead to share it on Auntie Jodi’s Thoughts. 

You Make Me Laugh – June 12, 2016

Genevieve said, “When your dog is a diva – there’s no such thing as a candid photo. #dogkardashian”

Ahaha, yes, I guess my dog is a diva, or is that divo?

Emma said, “Bailie and I don’t mind the camera a bit, so it’s hard to give any tips. I run to be front and center any time the opportunity arises and I get mad when I hear the camera shutter and I am not the one being photographed.”

So I wonder which is harder, having a dog that shies away from the camera or having one that loves it? 😉

Sue said, “I’ve given up on candid photos. The dogs hear the zip of the camera bag… or the little ding when I turn it on… or even just see me touch the camera and they get excited. I’m sure they think we’re going to do a treat review. Oh, then they’ll sit or whatever I tell them, but that cute moment that I really wanted a picture of? Gone.”

I feel ya Sue, it’s the same way here!

Jan K said, “For some reason getting out the camera around here is reason to stop what they’re doing, and get up and move! I have to be very sneaky to try and capture what they’re doing.”

Oh yes, I’ve actually tucked the camera into the cushion of the couch to try and muffle the sound it makes when you turn it on. 🙂

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s mom said, “Sometimes I take the picture from a little further away – with my phone – and then crop it in the editing tools that pop up at the bottom of the screen.”

That’s a great idea! I am not real familiar with the editing tools. Guess I have to work on that, right?

Jen Gabbard said, “Since I have a big ass handheld camera (no smartphone) every time I pick it up Laika gets excited because she knows it means we’re going outside to do something fun.”

I have a small hand held, but I do get the more candid shots with the phone because it doesn’t make any noise when I turn it on. 🙂

Monika and Sam said, “Despite mental protestations to suggest otherwise, these are deviously clever creatures…we are just mere humans and quite unable to keep up with their brain power.”

They really are quite clever and their hearing….wow, I swear they can hear just about anything!

2 Brown Dawgs said, “LOL he is too smart for you.”

Yes, yes he is! 😀

I Like Sticks

Emma said, “Bailie and I both enjoy a good quality stick. I like to break them in pieces, Bailie likes to chew them up. Mom takes them away from us as soon as we start to do anything but carry them as she is afraid they will splinter in our mouth or throat.”

That’s a really good point Emma! Mom is so wise. I do remember how worried I was when Delilah ate all those colored pencils!

Sue said, “OMG, that puppy picture! 😀 Rudy was the most destructive puppy I’ve ever had and he focused on wood. Antique furniture wood 🙁 ”

Oh Rudy. I’m lucky, Sampson was really not a destructive puppy at all. Delilah on the other hand, well….she’s still one. 😉

Jan said, “One of my dogs was part beaver when I first got her. She never actually ate a tree but she would have if i hadn’t stopped her.”

Bah Ha Ha, Jan you should about made me spit food all over the place!

Monika and Sam said, “Sticks are pretty much “meh!” to Sam. Better to find a nice moldy partial burger in a wrapping paper on the walk for dramatic effect. *sigh*”

*Sigh* is right. Ugh, the stuff they come up with. I never know WHAT I am pulling out of Delilah’s mouth until it comes out. hehehe

Cupcake said, “I love eating ANYTHING off the ground. Let’s face it, it’s how I survived the first 3 years of my life! Mom says if there’s a chicken bone in a 10 mile radius of my house I will find it and try to eat it. Ummmm… Yes. What is her point…?”

I’m not sure, I think that’s a mad skill to have Cupcake!

Jan K said, “We still have some dining room chairs with chew marks on them – that was both Sheba and her late brother Moses.”

Do you treasure them? At our old house the door and door jam had puppy scratch marks from Sampson letting us know he wanted to go out. As long as I lived there I couldn’t bear to cover them up.

2 Brown Dawgs said, “I think all dogs like to chew on wood. Not sure why that is, but you should see Freighter and Storm’s dog houses.”

I remember you posting about that! If I recall, Storm really did a number on hers.

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom said, “Ducky likes to chew on sheets, pillowcases, bedspreads, and blankets. So, she is still confined to her crate at night (and whenever we leave the house without her). She also likes to chew on the carpeting when she’s really anxious, acorns and other yard trash, and any cloth-type toys. Thankfully, she usually spits out pieces, but now and then I find tiny pieces of her Kong Wubba toy in her poop.”

Oh Ducky. I’ve heard of other dogs that chew on material, thankfully Delilah doesn’t do THAT!

The Mate Was a Mighty Sailing Man – TBT

Taryn Tipton said, “We used to own a boat, but we downsized to a big jetski that can be stored in our garage. Both boys ride on it with us! Here are some photos/background (you’ve seen it before!):”

I remember those pictures! I was amazed that your dogs actually rode on them.

Check out her post of the dogs on the jetski!

Jan said, “Misty the alpha Poodle is a water dog. If she sees water she is in water like her hunting ancestors, so we keep her away from water. The other dogs hate the whole idea of wetness.”

Oh gosh! Delilah is the same way. Once she pulled hubby into the river in her desire to get into water and the year we went to the Llama farm, she almost climbed out the car window when she saw the lake. Thankfully I was right there and grabbed her.

Jen Gabbard said, “Oh man that would be so awesome, that’s my perfect idea of relaxation. I’d love to be able to take Laika out on a boat one day. She loves swimming, not sure how she’d do with a magical motorized car that rides on water though.”

It really was awesome. And because it was a pontoon boat, it didn’t go so fast it would scare Sampson and it gave us lots of room to move about. 🙂

Jan K said, “This brings back great memories for me. Back when we had Kobi and our Lab mix Maggie my hubby had a fishing boat. The dogs absolutely loved going out in it. Kobi didn’t like the water, but he loved sitting in the front of the boat with his ears flapping in the wind! Maggie would wait patiently for us to find a place to stop and let her go off for a swim…There was a lot of excitement if my hubby actually caught a fish, but even though he didn’t often, we still had so much fun out there!”

THAT is so awesome! It really is so much fun! I don’t know how Delilah would do though, I can imagine I’d need to keep a tight hold of her. She loves the water!

Well that’s it for me folks, have an amazing 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.

You Make Me Smile – June 5, 2016

Lorian Lipton said, “Louise always goes down to her kennel at 9:15 whether I come or not. She comes looking for me if I don’t close her door after awhile and looks at me strange. Sofie stopped sleeping in her kennel a few years ago and basically sleeps at my feet wherever I am. :-)”

Oh how sweet, it’s like Louise is asking you to tuck her in. 🙂

Emma said, “Mom says her dogs have always gone to bed on their own when they are tired. Years ago in Germany with Trine they were sitting outside at a restaurant with her under the table off leash (very well behaved dog) When they went to leave she was gone! They started walking towards the little hotel they were staying in and low and behold, she was curled up asleep in front of the door to the hotel! That was over the top in my book!”

Oh my word! That’s over the top in my book too! Was Mom worried at all, or did she suspect that’s where Trine had gone to?

Taryn said, “Wilson has always gone upstairs to bed on his own, even as a young pup. Jimmy is too dedicated to his people and will stay until we go up. Then he feigns being too sleepy to walk up by himself and wants to be carried. Grab a biscuit and head up, and all of the sudden he’s wide awake!”

Ah yes, the secret is in the biscuits. 😉

Sue said, “Rosie goes to bed with the Dog Daddy (very, very early). Rudy sticks with me. However, Lucy used to sometimes go to the bedroom and then come back to me – repeatedly – and I knew she thought we should go to bed! Just taking care of mama, you know 😉”

I think that’s sweet, I love when they ‘check’ on us.

Jan K said, “Both Sheba and Cricket put themselves to bed almost every night! Luke usually stays with us to watch TV for a while. I sometimes go to bed before the hubby, and then Luke doesn’t know what to do!”

Ohh, it’s like he has to choose…the Momz or the Dadz?

Alexa88 said, “there is just something about having one’s dog sharing the bed that brings it to a whole new level of comfort.”

It does for me, I love waking up and finding that sweet little soul right next to me.

Cupcake said, “I am not allowed on the bedspread, so even though I go in and out of the bedroom 57 times checking, I can’t put myself to bed till Mom turns down the comforter. Then I have to wait till she tells me it’s OK. #thestruggleisreal”

#thestruggleisreal Cupcake, you are right!

Jen Gabbard said, “Laika has a weird bedtime habit. She’ll jump up on the couch (her bed, she howls & kicks in her sleep so bed privileges have been revoked) when it’s time for bed, but she won’t lay down. She’ll sit up against the back of the couch and fall asleep with her head on the back of the couch.”

OMG it’s like she’s tired, but won’t ‘go to bed’ until you do.

Peyton said, “Had a Great Dane and he would put himself to bed when my son went to bed. Picture a huge Great Dane sleeping with a six year boy in the lower bottom bunk. By morning there was not much room for my son.”

LOL I really can picture that. I have a 90 pound lab and there are some nights where there is no room for ME!

A Story of Dogs and Pancakes…

Emma said, “Mom says most men just don’t pay attention like women do. We are always excited when left under the care of a male human as we know we can get away with a lot!”

In my experience Mom is right about men. However since these were for his breakfast, one would have been paying attention. 😉 Which is why he got the FIRST pancakes. 😉

Sue said, “I didn’t know you back then and had never read this. I kind of knew you weren’t going to say she was snatching half cooked pancakes off the hot griddle, but I was still cringing! 😉”

She didn’t do it with the pancakes, but don’t think she hasn’t done it! She’s taken hot dogs and chicken directly out of a hot pan. That was many years ago, hopefully she has settled down some. 🙂

Taryn said, “Since my blog is mainly photos with small snippets of writing, I don’t think mine has changed much. It’s been going for 7 years now though! Thanks for reminding me I missed that date on June 1st!”

Congratulations Taryn! Seven years is amazing!

Beth said, “Barley LOVES pancakes–she always gets the first one. I laughed when I read you still ate the pancakes–Barley’s put her paws up on the stove to devour the end of banana bread that was cooling–I cut off end she’d sampled and ate the rest 😉”

Well I didn’t want to throw out the whole bowl of batter. Besides, I figured cooking it would probably kill any dog cooties. 😉

Jan K said, “I think one of the first posts I read by you was when Delilah stole the chicken out of the kitchen sink. So no, she sure hasn’t changed! Your writing does seem a bit different. I think if you told this story now, there would be more cursing. 🙂”

Oh God yeah! At first I was terrified to use swear words (especially on the free WordPress, I thought they would close my account.) But the more I blogged the more I saw other blogs (not usually pet bloggers) that swore. Then I said, Fuck it. This is who I am. And I’d like to think that I use them discriminately enough to be humorous and not offensive. (At least I think it’s funny.) 🙂

Jan said, “It reminds me of why I prefer little dogs who can’t reach very high. I like to look back at posts I’ve written in the past but it get scary when I can’t remember writing them.

I hate when that happens Jan, the ones I forget is titles. I wonder how many times I’ve used a duplicate title. As for the dogs, haven’t you ever heard of the dogs that figure out how to climb on counters and refrigerators?

Monika and Sam said, “LOL, a gal after my own heart (still utilizing the pancake batter). You absolutely make me laugh out loud, Jodi.”

Thank you Monika, my goal is to make people see how our pets can enrich our lives and how you can find humor in some of the most frustrating experiences.

A BIG Thank You!

Tori Mistik said, “I’m happy to hear she’s doing better. My 13 year old lab is having a rough week. I’m debating if I should take her to the vet today. Last night she wouldn’t put any weight on her back right leg. She’s on Tramadol for pain, but maybe there is something better. I’m going to see how she does and maybe call the vet this afternoon.”

Oh no, I hope she’s feeling better. Please keep us posted. Does she have arthritis? Sampson’s had some good results with Rejenease, Dasaquin and Natural Stride. 

Jan K said, “Yes, that did bring tears to my eyes as well. What a wonderful community this is!…It is a blessing to be able to be here for pets through the tough times. As much as it’s difficult to see them aging and having issues, it’s far better than losing them at a young age. We lost three dogs at young ages (5, 6, & 8), so being able to help Kobi through his old age was truly a blessing, and both girls now too.”

It really is an amazing community. And I have to agree with you, just being able to help them is such a blessing.

Emma said, “Blogville is the best “ville” around! Everyone is so wonderful, and the help and support from others is always amazing! You are never alone!”

You are right Emma, Blogville is the best, and you always have someone that is willing to reach out and help.

Beth said, “It’s never easy watching our pets age, but it’s a little easier knowing what a great support system we have!”

Support is key. So many times people don’t understand that bond I have with my dogs, but I know that you guys DO!

Jen Gabbard said, “That’s the sort of comment that makes blogging all worth it. Seriously that’s awesome, and I’m so glad for the update.”

Amen sister. 

Well that’s it for me friends, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!