Thursday, February 20, 2014

It's A Doggy Dog's World


As a blogger and key canine in the family business, I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with dogs of all breeds, from all over the world.  To a dog, they have been very supportive of me in my work and in my personal growth and have taught me many things.  Today I want to tell you about two of my friends who live half way around the world in India.
Their names are Bumo and Miu.  They are sisters, both 6 years old (Bumo proud to be the older by 2 weeks) who live with their human mama, a graphic designer and illustrator, near New Delhi.  They are Himalayan breeds so their mama gave them Tibetan names.

Miu, is a Tibetan mastiff mix whose name means “doll” and Bumo is a Himalayan Sheepdog whose name means “girl”.  I’ve seen photos of them and they are both so pretty it is easy to see how they got such pretty names.
We met on Dogbook and continued our friendship through emails.  We shared lots of information about our homes and families.  Here is what Bumo had to say about her home in New Delhi.

“We live in the National capital Region of New Delhi. New Delhi is the capital of India and is situated in the plains of Northern India.  It is a very beautiful city.  The National capital region includes the city of New Delhi and lots of satellite town and is HUUUGGGGEE.”
She goes on to say: “Although New Delhi is sadly one of the world’s most polluted cities, we live in a satellite town where there is a lot of greenery, and it is still relatively quiet and less polluted.  There are a lot of birds and insects to chase, and monkeys too!  And of course nice stretches to walk in.”

We’ve had many discussions comparing the chasing of moneys in India and squirrels in New England.  No matter where we live, we dogs have lots in common.  As Miu reminded me, much of what we discuss is how we fit into the human world. We agree that we have mixed feelings about things like holidays.  We love the food but if they involve loud noises or lots of people singing and cheering, we’ll stay home.

“New Delhi has people from all over the country and world.  Our mama is a Tamilian from the South of India.  But she has always lived up north in Delhi.  New Delhi sees a lot of celebrations because of its interesting mix of people from all over.”
She goes on to say: “The noise pollution is very high and that disturbs me a lot.  Bumo doesn’t mind it very much.  We have a gas company guest-cum-ware house next door with lots of people in it.  And they practically live outside in their yards.  Huge scary vehicles come and go at all times of the day, I am constantly barking at them till I get sore. Very annoying!”

Half way around the world and we have so much in common like big noisy trucks and people walking on OUR roads.
Food is also something we dogs all have in common.  We can’t get enough.  Bumo favors Pedigree  dentastix and real bones while Miu prefers Chewbones and dairy products, particularly paneer made with curdled milk.  Breakfast at their house sounds wonderful!  They get an omelet each and Miu gets a bowl of milk while Bumo prefers water.  While busy guarding the house while their mama is at work, Bumo has a bowl of kibble and Miu gets toast.  After all, guarding a house is hard work and a girl does need her strength.

As Bumo tells it, their days are pretty typical of many dogs I’ve met.
“We get up very early, at 5:30 am and ask mama to let us out.  We ensure that no one disturbs mama while she is getting ready, which she does by 7:30 a.m.  We know the regulars who come early in the morning like the help, the gardener, and the car cleaner and don’t bark at them.”

Then it’s a yummy breakfast and after kisses from their mama, they settle into their beds (in different rooms cuz they tend to fight like most sisters).
According to Miu, “We sleep most of the day or sit on the desk and peek out of the window and bark if necessary to keep the house safe (It is our job and an important one, wouldn’t you agree?).”

Absolutely!  That’s why we get the big bags of dog food.  Speaking of food, wait until you hear what they get for supper!
According to Miu “Dinner is chicken and rice which is simply YUMM!  The chicken is prepared on Sundays.  Fresh chicken is pressure-cooked with fennel, salt, oil and turmeric (heals tummy problems nicely says mama).  This is then refrigerated (frozen) and micro waved daily as required.  2 days a week we get chopped plain pork salami and rice (Lip smacking YUMMM).  Our food is fortified with fish oil, Omega 3 fatty acids for shiny fur and good immunity.  Bumo’s food gets a dose of some edible tooth paste since she won’t brush her teeth.  She actually snaps at mama!”

What a great mama they have, cooking them all that good stuff when she is a vegetarian!
Bumo tells how they finish up their day. “Our food is gone in no time and then it is garden time again till it gets dark.  By 8 pm we are sleepy.  We curl up with mama in her bed. She watches TV while we sleep. Did you know that Miu snores?”

(I have it on good authority that Bumo snores too).
You know… all this talk about omelets, chicken and pork salami is making me hungry.  I think I’ll grab a bit of dry dog food from a bag, MOM and continue our interview with Bumo and Miu again next time.

Your starving friend,

 Zeva

 P.S.  If you would like to share your story, give me a bark and we’ll talk.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

The Topic Is Toys

Today I wanted to talk about something that is very, very important.  Toys.  Next to cuddles and treats, toys are the most important consideration in a dog's life.  We can never have enough of them.  I always had lots of toys. I had inside toys and outside toys and toys that stayed at the office.  I had toys to play catch with, toys to play tug with and plush toys to cuddle.  Life was good.
And then, along came my sister Dixie.  When it comes to toys, I call her Dixie the Destroyer.  My favorite rag tug toys got shredded in one day.  My plush teddy, disemboweled in a flash.  Plastic squeaky toys didn't stand a chance.  Even my tennis balls were ruined.  She even ate the basket we kept them in!
Mom went on a crusade to find indestructible dog toys.  She asked the people she talks to on LinkedIn (they are professional dog people) and a nice lady said we should try toys made out of fire hoses.
Dixie managed to destroy toys made out of car tires but we decided to see if fire hoses were stronger.  The nice lady told us about a company called Kyien that makes fire hose toys so we got two.  Now, I usually don’t do endorsements because I don’t want to ruin my chances of a major company coming along and signing me up.  But, I have to say, the Kyien toys are pretty much Dixie proof.  I say pretty much because we’ve only had them for about two months, which is a record, but still, that isn’t long enough for scientific proof.
Mom also found a toy called Big Brute which is also pretty good.  I like this one because it looks like a person.  It’s made out of something called nylon and seems to be pretty strong.  It’s made in China so Mom is not thrilled and Dixie has managed to fray it a little in one spot, but it is holding up pretty good.
Kongs, especially the King Kongs, are pretty good but unless they have peanut butter or treats inside, they’re kind of boring.  We like to play tug of war with our toys and Kongs don’t work so good.
I’d be really interested to know what your favorite toys are.  I am always looking for new products to use in our pet gift baskets and knowing what toys are the most favorite would be helpful.

You can write to me at this blog or on DogBook.com, PetPav.com or my email at info@laurelmtbasket.com.  Love to hear from you

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  Our Dogs In Toyland Gift Basket is Sooooo full of toys!