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 – July 26, 2015

Taryn said, “Neither one of my guys is much into de-stuffing their toys. However they have de-stuffed a real rabbit or two 😉”

Oh my. I’m not quite sure how I’d react to THAT.

Jan K said, “That is so cute! I’ve seen this done at times too. There is something pretty special about an empty stuffie….it smells good inside or something. :-)”

I have no idea, but in our house, just because a stuffie is empty, does not mean it’s no good. No, they continue to play with it and tear it until I finally have to take it away.

Elaine said, “Haha, I love that bearded guy! I’m probably the only weirdo that re-stuffs my dog’s toys so she can pull it all out again and again…until I’ve finally given up on the poor creature and hide it in the trash can under some other garbage so she doesn’t know that I’ve thrown it away (while she’s outside peeing, of course.) I always feel a little guilty when I do that, lol!”

No you are not! I’ve actually re-stuffed the stuffie. I mean unless it’s so torn up it won’t hold the stuffing, why not?

Jen Gabbard asked, “Aww, how long did he have it before he decided the stuffing had to go? I do like the bearded look if I do say so myself.”

I want to say he’s had that Hedgehog for close to a year, (I think it was last year’s birthday present.) It’s been torn, but as long as there is still form or stuffing in it, we hang on to them.

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Omegease…

You should know that Steve is reading the comments and answering questions, so if you left a question, please go back and check to see if he responded.

Monika said, “Wow that stuff sounds fabulous! Sam will be 10 in October and despite his pogo sticking ways, will no doubt need something like this.”

I think it’s very important especially for a dog that does a lot of jumping! Why wait until there is a problem? Get him started on it early.

Hawk aka BrownDog said, “By the way, the Humans have read a couple of articles recently suggesting that “farm raised” fish has little or no benefit and can actually be unhealthy because of the conditions in which they are raised. ”

I absolutely agree with your humans Hawk. Most of what I read indicate the area they are raised in is very small, which also means it gets very dirty and I can’t imagine how much of that ick is absorbed into the fish.

Sue said, ” I shouldn’t even enter since I won the weekly Rejenease giveaway, but what the heck. I’d like to try this with Jeffie, but maybe Rudy and Rosie, too.”

You absolutely SHOULD enter!

Sherri said, “You had me at less shedding……it looks like it’s snowing dog hair in my house. Lightning the Lab Mix sheds like a Husky in the south. Can’t wait to see if it helps him! Plus he will be 9 this fall, and I’ll do anything to keep him going strong. ”

Strong is good. Good luck in the giveaway!

Jan said, “I don’t know what your day job is but you have a great talent for advertising copy writing.”

Well thank you very much! My actual day job is an Administrative Assistant, I do have a degree in Communications and I really love advertising. You think I could parlay that into a job? 😉

Tenacious Little Terrier said, “We used to give Mr. N fish oil but stopped after he had a case of acute pancreatitis. Not sure if this would be too high in fat to give him or not?”

Steve has responded to this comment and suggests checking with your vet before giving it to Mr. N.

Becky said, “We use Alaska Naturals Wild Salmon Oil for Shadow, our 12 year old, Roxy, our 14 year old and Kingsley, our 10 year old. Both Roxy and Kingsley have congestive heart failure and Shadow pup has major skin allergies. Steven, can you tell me if this will add more of what my pups need to help them live well? Oh, arthritis is a factor too. Roxy is my main concern. Thanks Jodi. You always share great information!”

Becky I see that you and Steven have connected via the comments. 

The One – Barks and Bytes

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes for my boy. It was a low key kind of day. He got a new toy (which Delilah promptly took away from him) and of course, lots and lots of love!

This is not the picture I wanted to post. I have one of me sitting on the floor in front of the couch with him curled up in my arms and I have the biggest smile on my face, but I couldn’t find it!!

Kari said, “Aw, this post makes me so happy. Surprising though, that you didn’t already have a Delilah in mind when you named him!”

Oh but we did! Originally we intended on taking two puppies, but were advised against getting litter mates. Once we saw him, we fell in love and he was the one. When I decided to get Delilah, Hubby only agreed if her name could be changed to Delilah. Somehow Toby and Ginny just don’t seem right. 😉

Jan K said, “Our late Maggie was Lab/Golden (with a little shepherd) and she was an awesome dog too.”

I don’t want to say it too loud, but it really is a nice mix.

Taryn said, “And I bet those 11 years have just flown by in the blink of an eye!”

I wish I could have slowed them down.

Flea said, “LOOKIT BABY SAMPSON!!! *squeeee* He’s so darn CUTE!!”

Isn’t he just?

Monika said, “♪ღ♪░H░A░P░P░Y░ B░I░R░T░H░D░A░Y░░♪ღ♪ Sampson :-)”

Thank you! And how pray tell, did you make it look like that?

Jan said, “That was beautiful, Jodi {wipes water from cheek] Happy birthday to a special dog. I didn’t realize he was a product of a mixed marriage. :-)”

Thank you Jan, shh, don’t tell anyone, but his parents weren’t married.;-) His mom was scheduled to be bred to a Golden but some neighborhood scalawag got her. We actually didn’t know until she’d had the litter if we were getting a Golden or a mix.

Jen Gabbard said, “Some dogs just have a way into our hearts like no other, it’s beautiful & frightening at the same time.”

It sure is. Our bond is so strong and so amazing and I’m terrified of the day when he will no longer be with me.

Talent Hounds said, “I know what you mean as my girls are pretty well out and Kilo is my baby (and my project). It is his birthday and Gotcha Day next week. He will be 3. Hopefully love, patience, treats and training will help him become the good boy he is meant to be. XS”

Oh he will! It takes time and patience but it is so worth it. Our little aloof Delilah has turned into quite the love bug.

Well that’s it for me folks. I hope you have a nice weekend! Remember to enter our contest for the Omegease and please share it on Facebook for an extra entry!

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 – July 12, 2015

Lauren Miller said, “Mine run circles around me! They come back when I whistle and then take off again. People always ask me where they are and I say, “WAIT FOR IT!!!” and then they pop up.”

That makes me laugh…”WAIT FOR IT!!!” Dogs are so silly sometimes.

Jan K said, “Sheba is the only one ever allowed off leash, and she usually runs ahead. I’ll keep calling her back to me, so she runs back and forth a lot!”

On the rare occasions I do let Delilah off leash (at least lately) she herself has been so good at checking in that I don’t get the opportunity to call her back! Sampson thinks that every time I call him, someone is nearby. He’s such a tool.

Hailey and Zaphod said, “Hailey has to be on leash as she would run way to far away. Phod never goes to far, and if he thinks he is too far, he comes back.”

That’s sweet of Phod, Hailey is like Delilah. I can’t tell you how many times she’s taken off on me.

Jan said, “Off leash my guys mostly forget I’m the pack leader. They become feral until I call their names.”

LOL I just can’t picture your dogs as ‘feral’.

Jen Gabbard said, “Aw that’s so sweet, he looks so chill. Laika will run ahead but instead of sitting she turns around & silently barks at me.”

Does she just open and shut her mouth with no sound? That’s adorable!

Karen Dibert said, “Louie is the same! He’ll run ahead, then stop and look back as if to say, “are you even coming?” Margo, on the other hand, will keep running to find the end of the earth. She can’t be off leash.”

It seems you and I have two dogs with similar personalities. 😉

Cats, Cats and More Cats! – Blog the Change

Before we hit the comments, I want to thank all of you who shared this post. Donna updated me yesterday.  When the rescue came out to de-flea the cats, they agreed to take two more cats, and the owner is keeping one, which means they are still looking for homes for nine cats. Sadly some of the cats are too feral and they will be trapped, neutered and released.

Sue said, “I tried to take off my judgey pants, honest, but I sure wish that lady had spayed/neutered 🙁 We’ve lived in the country for years and like someone else said, we’ve fed a lot of feral cats over the years. S/N is our friends and the cats’, too.”

It is hard not to be judgey, Sue, I know. From what I know of hoarding, it appears to be a mental illness and based on some of the pictures of the house that I saw, I would say hoarding wasn’t their only problem. Don’t get me wrong, my housekeeping is far from perfect, but based on the pictures I saw, this couple was in way over their heads. (God forgive me for saying it.)

Jan said, “I saw a TV special on the number of kittens one unneutered male cat can produce and it was phenomenal. I’ve been working with our shelter to try to solve the same problem you cite where one lady fed all the feral cats in the area and when she was not able to care for them there were over 30!!”

THAT’S a lot of cats Jan! I often wonder how people get in so far over their heads.

Cathy Keisha said, “Unfortunately the best intentions can go wrong. Someone we know is in a similar situation. We’ll share and hope someone gives those kitties a place to live.”

And I do believe this woman did have good intentions, but it would seem like they really didn’t have the money to care for all those cats, never mind have them spayed and neutered. I hope the person you know can find homes for their cats.

Jan K said, “It is too bad when someone tries to do the right thing but it gets out of control. It is also sad that people are dumping cats and that the shelters are full.”

I think it’s easy to lose control and I agree, it’s sad that our society feels like animals are disposable.

Jen Gabbard said, “There’s never enough people to foster, donate, or adopt. But I have to remind myself that we can each only do so much, and when we each do something for at least one animal in need it is making the biggest difference in the world to that animal. I try not to let negativity get to me when it comes to animal advocacy, but somedays I realize how daunting it is. ”

It is so hard not to let it drag you down, but all we can do is the best we can and that is how we make a difference.

Sand Spring Chesapeakes said, “I know those people mean well but if they could just get the animals spayed and neutered it might not get out of hand. Wish there was a less expensive spay neuter clinic for people in this situation.”

I think there are places around that do low cost, but I also think a lot of folks don’t know where to find such resources.

2 Brown Dawgs said, “I hope they can find homes for those cats. It does not sound like an ideal situation for a happy outcome.”

I agree.

She Walked Away – Barks and Bytes

Lauren Miller said, “They might not hate him as much now that he’s older. Zoe doesn’t like puppies, either!”

That would be nice, since she is more than likely going to be staying with us for a couple of weeks while we work on removing a tenant.

Emma said, “We learned early on that other dogs get to play with us in the yard and then come into the house too, so we always let them in. Mom is happy our lives started this way so we don’t have any issues. No, Mom isn’t super clever or smart, it just happened because in Germany dogs are everywhere, go everywhere and most of our friends had dogs so it just happened and turned out to be a good thing.”

I think that’s awesome, I wish the states were more like Germany in that respect.

Taryn said, “LOL! Isn’t it annoying when the dogs don’t do their park and provide blog fodder?!”

And all this time I thought I was the one who lost my mojo…maybe it’s her. 😉 LOL

Mary said, “I suppose you just need to be proud of Delilah for keeping her shit together.”

Honestly Mary, these days she keeps her shit together better than I do. 🙂

We Live in a Flat said, “I thought this was rather humorous. 🙂 And aren’t you glad Delilah was so chill?”

Thank you. Humor seems to be harder for me to come by these days, and yes, I’m so glad she was so chill!

Repoleon said, “They are a mystery aren’t they…. I can’t count the times I have expected things to be fine and they have gone terribly wrong or the times I expected the worst and it was all good.”

Yes, exactly! Although I have to say, I tend to lean towards things going badly and end up pleasantly surprised.

Flea said, “I do believe Beau is the cutest bulldog I’ve ever seen.”

He is pretty damn cute. 

That’s it for me folks! Have a wonderful weekend!