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

You Make Me Smile – July 5, 2015

 

Emma said, “Lots of us are nervous around those walker thingys as the people who use us seem to have a knack for running over dogs with them. I would sleep with one eye open around one too.”

This Grandma is very good about watching for four-leggers, (Sampson and Delilah trained her well.) Delilah’s eyes are open because she heard the phone snap on. LOL

Jan said, “She just needs a little metal cage to protect herself from any evil forces that might crop up when she is out of her comfort zone. I love the eyes.”

It has taken her a very long time to feel comfortable at Grandma’s, I was so proud of her and wanted to snap a photo, but she heard the camera app turn on. 🙁

Jan K said, “Even our beagle Kobi was restless when we went to other people’s houses, and he was our most easy going dog. I don’t think he liked being away from his food, and worried we wouldn’t get home in time for his next meal.:-)”

LOL You have to love a dog that loves his food!

Jen Gabbard said, “It’s amazing to me how long it can take dogs to finally settle in and relax. ”

It is surprising. Some dogs seem to do it with ease, while others struggle. I think her inability to relax stems from whatever went on with her before she came to us. I’m glad she’s finally doing it, just sad it’s taken so long.

Honey, I Lost the Dog

Phew, I don’t feel so bad. Almost every one of you has lost their dog or cat in their house at some point. Some of the stories are hysterical so I recommend you go back and read those comments!

Paved by Paw Prints said, “When I started reading your post, I was like ‘oh no, please have a happy ending!’ ”

I’m sorry, I should have begun the post letting you know he was okay.

Lauren Miller (ZoePhee) asked, “What is it with husbands that go, “What do you mean X is lost? Are you sure?” ”

No idea. Like we wouldn’t have looked everywhere we could possibly look before involving them!

Jen Gabbard asked, “Well your mothers dog is certainly living the good life now, isn’t he?”

He sure seems to be. LOL

Lauranne said, “I have done it more times than I care to admit. It’s awful isn’t it! It’s when you check the usual spots, and they aren’t there so you check them again, and again! Each time feeling the panic rising!”

The first time through I thought I must have missed him, then I thought he’d slipped outside while I wasn’t looking, then I panicked. It’s a terrible feeling.

Monika said, “Totally and more than once. I laughed out loud throughout your entire post because I have been there, done that, bought the tee-shirt to prove it. ”

Oh my. I’m so glad I’m not the only one.

Jenna, Mark “HuskyCrazed” Drady said, “That reminds me of a time when my hubby was driving home, and he called me. He had asked if my one dog Koda was here, I said ummm yea, duh, of course he is here, where else would he be? He said because I swear I just saw him walking around with some guy. I literally had to get up and look for him because I didn’t see him laying where he usually does. Luckily he was laying out in front of the air conditioner, but it did scare me for a moment hahaha!”

Nothing worse than that is there? Your story reminded me of a story from when I was a kid. My mom had this orange cat named Thomas. She absolutely adored this cat. Well one day my father called her from wherever he was to tell her that the cat had been hit by a car and killed.  He told her he had buried Thomas in the backyard.

My mother looked over at her sleeping cat and had to tell my father that he had buried someone else’s cat in our backyard!

Pamela said, “It’s always the good ones that get you the most scared. Because when they disappear, you know it’s gotta be something terrible.”

My mind automatically thought he was hurt somewhere. Or worse.

Elaine said, “Oh my gosh, that’s kind of like when you put your purse somewhere different in the car than you normally do and suddenly you panic thinking that you left it somewhere, lol!”

Oh yeah! Or you put your credit/debit card in the wrong place and freak out thinking someone will be raiding your accounts.

2 Brown Dawgs said, “I haven’t lost the dog in the house, but one morning (I think it was a Saturday) I got up and did my normal morning stuff. Eventually I noticed no Thunder. Thunder Thunder where could he be? I called hubby. He decided to take him to work with him and left before I got up. Yes there was momentary panic.”

HOLY SMACK! I think I would have freaked out! Did he not even leave a note?

Fuggin’ Cats

Lauren Miller (ZoePhee) asked, “So what happened next!?! I’m dying to know if you were able to get the special present and get away!”

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom asked, “So, how DID you manage to clean up after Sampson with him, Delilah, and the “fuggin’ cat” all ready to lunge at any moment?”

I’m sorry you guys! I shouldn’t have left you hanging like that. I ended up getting them both to sit, told them to stay, picked up the ‘goodies’ and then took out the camera. And would you believe that Fuggin’ Cat that stared down my dogs, couldn’t be bothered to even look at the camera? LOL

Lauranne said, “Mity used to love cats, he wanted to be their friends and would try and lick them. One day he rounded a corner and a cat was sat there. He licked the cat. The cat just had a WTF look on it’s face, while Mity continued happily on his walk. It was soooo funny!”

OH MY GOD. I laughed so hard when I read this. I can only imagine the look on the cat’s face!

Jan K said, “I ass-ume everything came out OK? Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

There’s one in every crowd. 😉 LOL yes, everything came out just fine!

Well folks, that’s it for me. Have a great 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 28, 2015

Taryn said, “We don’t do Kongs but my guys (and especially Jimmy) ask for help with stuff all the time. Just yesterday, Jimmy woofed at me with an expectant look on his face. I asked “What’s wrong?” and he turned and pointed at a spot on his back leg with his nose. I could see the fur was messy and wet. OK, let me check….sure enough, he had a tick (yuck!) embedded!”

Yuck on the tick, but the rest is adorable. I love how they find ways to communicate!

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s mom said, ”   I love the look on Delilah’s face! She has you well trained in the art of holding her Kong! BTW, is that a PURPLE Kong? ”

It IS a purple Kong. It’s the only purple Kong I have and I make sure that one is Delilah’s.

Monika said, “Oh Jodi, your dogs always make me smile too. I don’t get a present, just that ‘look.’ Hard stare at the empty treat delivery system switching over to a hard look straight at me, repeated over and over again.”

Awe, thanks Monika! Poor, sweet Sam, I bet that tugs on your heart. Delilah gives me the Lab Death Stare until I give her what she wants. Sampson just lies there patiently staring at me with sad eyes until I realize he’s looking at me. LOL

Hailey and Zaphod said, “Our angel pups use to like us to hold the rawhide. They would get really annoyed if you didn’t hold it right. The habits they develop crack me up!”

I’m sorry about your pups, but what a really sweet memory. And you are right about the habits, they really do have a mind of their own.

Jan said, “My dogs have learned what “Take it in the kitchen” means when they bring us empty Kongs.”

Very impressive Jan! Delilah cracks me up because she knows what it means when I say, lift it up (so I can slide a towel under it) and the other night she had her Kong on the floor and I said, “Delilah put it on the towel” and sure enough, she picked up that Kong and moved it to the towel! 

Jackie Bouchard said, “Rita doesn’t bring me her Kong for help (but we only fill it w/ Kong easy-cheese, so it’s easy to get out on her own). But she does look to me for help with other things – like the ball just barely under the sofa (so annoying – I swear she kicks it under there on purpose) and help with food puzzles.”

I’m curious Jackie. Do you freeze the cheese filled Kong or do you just fill it and give it to her?

Last week I asked Jackie if she ever tried to give Rita pineapple. Would you believe she actually did and made a blog post about it? So do you think Rita ate it or not?

My Mom Has a Dog and I Call Him…

Lauren Miller said, “LOL! Isn’t it funny how those things happen?”

 

I’m glad he is happy and comfortable, but I do feel a bit badly for Delilah.

Clowie asked, “I think most dogs would take that as a compliment! And what do you call your mom?”

LOL Clowie, are you asking what I call her to her face, or in my head? 

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s mom said, “Aw, how can you call Sampson “Asshole” when he’s your heart dog? Oh wait, that’s a “term of endearment” for you! ”

LOL Sue, you know me too well. Once I had a problem with something I ordered and I called the guy a dickhead. He got so pissed and I was like, “But I call my husband that all the time and it doesn’t bother him.”  I honestly didn’t get what tweaked him off so much.

Beth said, “He’s one smart dog! I wonder if he calls you “Sucker!””

I’m often glad they can’t talk. After listening to me, I can only imagines what they’d call me. LOL

Pamela said, “Bwa ha ha! This is such a classic Jodi post. Love it….BTW, does your mom read your blog? Does Sampson?”

Thanks Pamela. Yes my mom does read the blog (Hi Mom!) but unless she’s reading it to Sampson, he would be a no. 😉

Jenna, Mark, “Husky-Crazed” Drady said, “Thats ok, I call mine assholes every day! hahaha”

LOL sometimes I call them far worse!

Houndstooth asked, “How did you end up with that deal?!”

KimT said, “I had that situation with a dog my daughter brought home. I call her CindyLu 😉”

OMG you stole her dog?! If my mother renames my dog, the fur will really fly in this house. Do you hear that mother?

Keeping Your Pets Safe on 4th of July

Paved by Paw Prints said, “I really like the idea of having the TV or music on to muffle the noise. I will try it next time!”

There is also a CD you can order called “Through a Dog’s Ear” it is music designed to help sooth your pooch.

Emma said, “Bailie started to be a bit scared this year, so Mom got right on it with treats for every bang and she seems to be fine with it now as long as she is in the house.”

That’s a smart Mom you have there Emma. Desensitizing is also an option. It’s what I did with Delilah when she first came to us and she barked at the microwave making popcorn. A few nights of redirecting her and treating her and she stopped doing it.

Flea said, “Our dogs will be inside. In fact, Patches will be in the tub. It’s her safe place.”

That’s awesome that she has a safe place. Do you line it with blankets or is she content to climb into the cool tub?

Kimberley Gauthier said, “We have a huge industrial fan that we place in front of our french doors in the morning and evening to cool the house off. This will also help decrease some of the fireworks (but not the ones next door).”

Fans are a great option, but as you said, the ones right next door can be troublesome.

Taryn said, “Both Jimmy and Wilson hate/fear fireworks, but my first corgi LOVED them. He would go with us to the fireworks shows and watch them launch from the ground and them explode overhead. You could see the wonder in his eyes. The only problem was he would cheer them on quite loudly to the annoyance of the crowd.”

LOL that would not bother me, I would think it was adorable!

Monika asked, “Excellent advice! Are these the same neighbors who don’t pick up poop off their deck by any chance? :-)”

NO. Those people are across the street. The firecracker guy is two houses up.

Ronda said, “Socks really hates loud noises. We give her a 3mg Melitonin and we have a Thunder shirt for her. You can get them lots of places but the best place is Bed Bath & Beyond because you can use a 20% off coupon. They really work good. They hold them real tight and press on certain nerves to calm them. I got my first one from the vet.”

Thank you for sharing that Ronda, I forgot about the Melitonin and I did not low you could get the Thunder Shirt at Bed Bath & Beyond! They almost always have a coupon too, right?

Well that’s it for me folks, have a safe and happy 4th of July!

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 21, 2015

Rebekah said, “My dogs don’t give up until each bit of goodness is gone.”

Delilah will not either! She will hand you a seemingly empty Kong, but when you smack it on your hand, a tiny bit of something will fall out!”

Jan said, “My dogs have learned to get up as high as they can and bounce the Kong off the floor to get stuff to fall out.”

Sampson will do that sometimes as well, I guess it just depends on his mood and how much he actually wants what’s in the Kong.

Jackie Bouchard said, “Pineapple in the Kong? Rita would look at me like I was insane if I put fruit in her Kong. I think she’s part cat. Fruit (and most veggies) are NOT on her menu.”

Have you ever tried pineapple? She might actually like it. 🙂 So what do you put in her Kong?

Meagan and Merlin said, “Merlin has a treat ball that he rolls around. If it gets stuck, he whines for help. Once Merlin rolled his treat ball into his ceramic food bowl that hard it smashed and then he growled at the broken pieces lol.”

Oh my goodness, I would have laughed like crazy at that.

Jenna Mark “Husky-Crazed” Drady said, “Koda will stare at the door knob on the front door when he needs to pee. LOL I think he is trying to “use the force” hahaha!”

Hahaha he is like Sampson with his Kong!

2 Brown Dawgs said, “LOL he has you well trained.”

He sure does! And Hubby will help him out too. LOL

Team Sampson – #MultiPetMania

Lauren Miller (ZoePhee) said, “Go Team Sampson! 😀 That’s so cute! I come up with weird stuff, too. Like my recall somehow became “this way!”…There’s an awesome kikopup video for training dogs to not mug the treat hand if you’re interested, I can share it with you! :-)”

I’m glad to discover that I am not the only one that comes up with random sayings for commands! And yes please! Please share the video and thank you very much (and I’m sure my fingers will that you too!)

Paved by Paw Prints said, “Delilah actually walks beautifully on a lead! It was too cute when Sampson joined in!! I don’t have the problem of training multiple dogs, it sounds a little difficult! ”

She walks beautifully on the lead in the house. In. The. House. Outside she dreams of being a sled dog.

Jan K said, “I think you’re pretty good at training multiple pets, because in that video you actually had two dogs heeling, without even trying for that!…BTW, I’m running into the same treat motivation problem when trying to teach Luke to put his toys away. He won’t even pick a toy up if he knows I have a treat (or that they’re even nearby), he just wants the treat.”

LOL Sampson was so smooth in that video, wasn’t he? He just looked and thought, “Hey, there might be something in this for me.” As for Luke, what do you suppose the solution is? Do you think maybe putting the treats in a little dish near by and then reaching into the dish would work?

Monika said, “I love it-Team Sampson! That video was so priceless, I snorted water over my keyboard.”

Bwa ha ha, did you need a new keyboard? (At least you didn’t inhale crackers or something!)

Jan said, “Team Misty here…I rely a lot on sibling rivalry when training multiple dogs. The Poodles catch on faster than the dogs so it motivates the dogs to focus more. Also the Poodles model certain behaviors and the dogs follow them.”

That’s awesome. Do you rent them out?

Sand Spring Chesapeakes asked, “Did Sampson really give you a high five cuz he couldn’t stand Delilah taking so long?”

He sure the hell did. I wish I’d had THAT on video!

KB said, “Outdoors is waaay harder. Both dogs are “reactive” to other hikers when they’re on leash. Shyla’s reaction is fear and R’s reaction is barking. So, I make an arc around the other hiker that keeps both dogs outside their “threshold” zone for their reactions. I’ve been doing this consistently for about 8 months, and it’s really worked! We can now walk right past many hikers without cowering from Shyla or barking from R! I consider that a victory in my small world 😉…

I’ve blurted out some funny commands too. In the kitchen, “leave it” has been replaced by “snoots ahoy”. I have no idea where in my brain that one came from!!!”

That’s a great way to handle reactivity. Can you get closer to the hikers now, or do you still need to maintain a healthy distance? AND snoots ahoy? I love it~

Jen Gabbard said, “Every single fenced dog in my neighborhood has major barrier frustration and it makes me want to shit my pants as well.. ”

It can be oh so frustrating. I’m lucky in the fact that only the dogs in the e-fence are in the front of the yard. The rest of the dogs are in the back and the fences are set far back, so it’s rarely a problem, but damn, those e-fence dogs can really startle a person. Once, one of them snuck up and all of a sudden I heard heavy panting behind me. Tell me that wouldn’t scare you! LOL

Wrapping up Engagement

There really is a whole lot that can add to engagement, after writing the posts about this and chatting with you all, I sort of wish I’d offered it as a full on session.

Weliveinaflat said, “I used to blog maybe 4-5 days a week when I was new, just to create that bump in traffic that needs to help drive the SEO. Now that the SEO is pretty on track, I’m good to cut back without seeing a decrease in blog traffic. Now that I’m only doing about 1-2 posts a week, it just frees up my time for the engagement piece. Largely that does happen on social media and Instagram, because these come in bite size nuggets and are very visual and shareable/taggable, it’s just easier to engage with new friends that way. I agree that comments on the blog is still important, but somehow, at least locally, people tend to stalk blogs rather than comment on blogs”

That’s awesome that you’ve found the sweet spot. I think what your talking about regarding social media is considered micro-blogging. I’ve thought about maybe trying small chunks of it on Facebook. I am on Instagram but mostly use my camera for pictures so I rarely post there.

Lauren Miller asked, “How do you feel about blog hops that have a break in them? I always try to put breaks in my post so only the main photo and a bit of text shows through and you have to click to get to the blog hop, that way readers who are not interested in them don’t have to see the full link list without clicking? If that makes sense?”

Personally, I like it, and if you like it and your readers like it, then it’s a win-win.

Steven asked, “Do you look at your blogs Google Analytics to see which posts get the most views, most time spent reading etc – just interested in your opinion.”

True confession Steven. I have looked at my GA but I can never remember how I signed up for it, so when I do find it, it’s pure luck. I’m really not very good with the technical side of blogging at all.

2 Brown Dawgs said, “I probably should have added to my comment that it helps to add a new post to the hop and not just recycle a post for the sake of joining the hop. People enjoy new content and that is a huge way to engage the reader.”

You are right there.

Pamela said, “If you discover the secret to writing shareable posts, I’d love to see it. Everything I think will capture lots of traffic doesn’t and I’m very surprised by what does.”

It is the same with me, the posts I often think will get the most engagement or shares, is often the ones that don’t.

Emma said, “We find commenting and responding to comments is really important for us and people really like it. As for what we post, sometimes the posts we can’t wait to publish turn out to be bombs, and others we almost delete because they are so bad are a huge hit.”

I think it is different for everyone and if that is what your readers like, that’s awesome And I am with you on the bombs, I have no idea sometimes.

Jan K said, “I used to reply to all of my comments, but I wondered how many people ever really saw the replies. So when I re-did my blog, I had it set up so that people get an email when I reply to them. But that means I no longer reply to every comment because I don’t want people to get an email for something like just thanking them for their nice comment (unless it’s someone new to my blog, and I’m thanking them for coming by)… I think that has made things easier for me…it was hard to keep up with replying to every comment (it amazes me that blogs like Emma’s are able to do it!), now that I get more than I did before… I will go back to a blog if I’ve asked a question in their comments. If they don’t reply to me in some way, that really turns me off.”

I do like that feature Jan. There are a couple of other blogs that use it as well and I think it’s great.

Monika said, “You took the question right off my lips! How DO you engage readers on social media without just pasting links to blog posts? Most of the time I feel extremely lucky just to get a blog post written, let alone work Facebook or Twitter. I realize we all get the same 24 hours a day, but I feel like I need staff to handle social media since Sam points out that he has no thumbs and can’t help.”

I’m not really sure, but I’m going to start putting something like this in my posts. “Did you enjoy this post? Did it make you smile or think? If so, would you consider sharing it on your social media?

What do you think?

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