Something else to think about besides high gas prices when you plan your vacation this summer: how can you protect your pet while you’re on the road?
Tag Archives: dog
Life with Jake III
Those of you who are faithful readers will remember my friend Wendy’s dog Jake, who is taking her through the trials and tribulations of puppyhood. This time, Jake actually embarrased himself!
Continue reading Life with Jake III
Dixie can see!
Dixie. Picture courtesy of Iowa State University
Vets at Iowa State University have performed the first canine corneal transplant in the United States.
Poisonous Plants
We’ve all heard that you shouldn’t let your dog chew on your poinsettia because it will kill him. But, is that really true? According to the ASPCA’s website, you should be more worried about the following plants:
Lilies
Marijuana
Sago Palm
Tulip/Narcissus bulbs
Azalea/Rhododendron
Continue reading Poisonous Plants
Giles the Aerialist
A friend of mine lives with a huge black lab mix named Giles. When their neighbors bought a trampoline for their kids, everyone was surprised when Giles got onto the trampoline with them.
Giles had played with the neighbor kids on several occasions, even taking their small toys home to play with. Soon, he was going over to jump on the trampoline, even when the kids weren’t home.
The fun finally came to an end though, when Giles decided the trampoline was his! He wouldn’t even let the kids get on it at all!
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
The World of Dog Fashion
This is Baron, all dressed and ready for his close-up, but he’s not exactly what I had in mind when I thought I’d write about dog fashion.
I remember when it used to be considered humiliating to dress your dog up, but now dog fashion is big business. No more homemade knit sweaters from Grandma! You can buy everything from jewel-encrusted collars to hoodies to holiday gear to hats for your favorite four-legged friend. And really, who doesn’t look good in a hat?
Below are just a few of the over 1 million pages dedicated to the dog who has the right outfit for every occasion (and the owner who has way too much disposable income!)
http://www.doggiedesigner.com/
http://www.platinumpuppycouture.com/
Most of these sites have figured out that no wedding is complete without dogs (perish the thought!). With June fast approaching, they are featuring tuxedoes, veils, and even gowns for Your Big Fat Greek Wedding. No word yet on matching shoes.
If you aren’t planning a walk down the aisle anytime soon, maybe you’d prefer some “everyday” clothes. My favorite pick? The rose and lace biker dress that all the girls will be wearing in Sturgis, featured here: http://www.kooldawgtees.com/images/BlkLeatherDress_1_.jpg
Now, I love shopping as well as the next girl, but I really never knew I could spend this much money dressing my dogs! Live and learn.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
A sad tail…er…tale
Have you been following the news of pets that are being abandoned at record rates due to the economy? Seems that those who have lost their jobs can’t afford to keep their pets, which makes sense, but boy what a hard choice to make. I know, you have to feed your kids and pay your electric bill, but it sure would be hard to have to give up Fido just to make it through. Continue reading A sad tail…er…tale
New Blog Editor
Hello, readers! My name is Beth (a/k/a The Dog Lady), and I have been asked to begin blogging on doggies.com, so I thought I’d start by telling you a bit about myself and the dogs I have known.
I grew up with a beautiful tri-color collie named Lady. A sweeter dog has never been born. We got her when I was about 6 years old, and she passed after I had left for college, so I cannot imagine any part of my childhood without her. Even though I have 5 human brothers and sisters, Lady was my best pal. Seems like I was the one she always woke up at night when she had to go outside.
Now that I’m grown and have my own kids, we have developed quite a menagerie. In addition to three kids and two cats, we now have four dogs! My oldest is Maggie, a 7-year old golden retriever. When we got Maggie, we already had 2 or 3 dogs, but I really wanted a golden – the quintessential family dog. One day, while we were driving through Amish Country in Ohio, we found a sign for a breeder, and stopped in, just to see what he had. He met us at the door with, “I’m sorry – we don’t have any puppies right now.”
“Perfect,” I said. “We just got new carpet. Would you happen to have any older dogs for sale?”
As it turns out, Maggie (then four years old) had been bred twice, but had never been able to bring down enough milk for her pups, so to a breeder, she wasn’t worth much. So, we loaded her into the car for a bargain basement price and took her home to meet the kids. She is so patient with them, and believe me, my kids are wild!
Next in line is Kayla, a mixed breed (probably shepherd and either chow or huskie – she’s got the curled tail). She is five years old, but we’ve had her since she was a pup. We got her the day BEFORE we found out we were getting a new foster infant. I’d never do that again! Kayla was my “out of mourning” dog after we lost our foxhound Molly to cancer. We got her from a lady who takes in strays and had Kayla’s mom as a pregnant drop-off in the middle of the night.
Third in line is 2-year old Cooper, a beautiful Vizsla from a breeder in Southern Ohio. We drove about
5 hours each way to pick him up because we just had to have a Vizsla after being introduced to the breed at a relative’s house. He is very active, and his best trick is holding down the picnic table whenever he’s in the back yard. It’s his favorite perch – he can see the whole neighborhood. No doubt mapping out his route for the next time the kids leave the gate open.
Last, but certainly not least, is my baby Beagle, Penny Layne. She stands up pretty well, considering all the other dogs in the house weigh at least 3 times more than she does. My middle son, who is autistic, has really taken to Penny. I think we will train her for agility so Jimmy can work with her – it would be good for both of them!
So, that’s a little bit about the craziness that is my life. I hope to share lots of stories with you through this blog. I’ll be doing about five posts a week, so check back often. I’ll do the surfing to find all the wild, wacky, funny, serious, and helpful information you need to know. Between this blog, the rest of doggies.com, and breeders.net, you’ll have a full resource for everything dogs!
Good day and good dog!