Two Dog House Redux

This might just work.  A while back I wrote that I was getting a sister.  I was kind of excited since I would have someone to play with all the time but then I would also have to share things like my toys and my Mom and Dad and I wasn’t so sure about that.

Well, Dixie, that’s her name, came to live with us a couple of days ago.  Mom and Dixie’s foster Mom were only a little concerned about introducing us at my house.  It’s way better to introduce strange dogs in an neutral place like a park but since Dixie was used to living with other dogs and I am very socialized, we met at my house.
 
Of course, Mom picked up my food bowl and toys but we barely noticed.  It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes of checking each other out that we started playing.  And playing, and playing.  I have had other dogs come to my house so I was a little surprised when her foster Mom and Dad left and she stayed.  I guess that’s what it means to have a sister, not just a friend. 

Mom kept my schedule pretty much the same.  I got to eat at the same time and we went to sleep at the same time.  Going to sleep the first night almost didn’t work.  Dixie couldn’t settle down so Mom finally brought her crate in the bedroom and Dixie went right to sleep.
 
The next night, she jumped on the bed with me and went right to sleep.  I am going to have to talk with her cuz she is a bed hog and she snores.  She wants to sleep on Mom’s feet and that is where I like to sleep.  I’ll just cuddle with Dad until she gets more used to us then I’ll get my space back.

I still get to eat at the same times but Dixie doesn’t know how to eat nice.  She gets way too excited, jumping up and down, and she eats way too fast.  Then, when she is done with her food, she tries to eat mine.  Mom says the people who owned her probably didn’t feed her nice so she is helping her to have better manners. Dixie gets fed in her crate so even when she finishes first, she can’t come and try to get my food and I can take my time and enjoy my food.

Mom makes sure we each have alone time with each human.  Yesterday Dad took me to dog-park while Mom took Dixie to see our Vet.  I also get to spend time by myself on the deck.  It’s my thinking time.

Enough work for now.  Time to get back to playing and then a little nap. 
Let me know what your experience has been with having a new dog come live with you.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Shameless self promotion… Our To The RescueDog Gift Basket

 

My Friend Charles

I love dog park for a whole bunch of reasons. There are no cars in the park so I don’t have to be on leash which means I can run fast and far and Mom doesn’t worry. There are big hills to climb, woods with lots of trees to sniff and grassy fields to play in. There is a place where the little river comes up near the path and we dogs can jump in and swim or get a drink of cold water. I could be at dog park all by myself and have a fun time but the very best thing about dog park is that there are always lots of other dogs who go there too.

There are all kinds of dogs.  There are big dogs and small dogs, old dogs and puppies. Some dogs like to play tag, others like to carry sticks or chase tennis balls. When I go to dog park, I see some of the same dogs and we are now old friends. Even better than seeing old friends, every time I go, meet new friends. And you know you can never have enough friends.

One of my friends is named Charles. That’s Charles in the picture above. Charles goes to dog park almost every day with his mom and his sister Em. Charles and Em are both rescue dogs and have lived with their mom for a long time. He’s eleven years old and his back legs don’t work good any more but that doesn’t stop Charles. He gets around just fine with his special cart. He goes so fast some times that his mom has to make him slow down. He can go up and down the hills, run in the fields and even go in the water.

All the dogs like Charles cuz he is very friendly and happy.  Some times when we walk with Charles and his family, we meet people who ask about his cart.   Charles has a sickness that makes his back legs not move but his front legs work just fine.  His mom straps him into the cart so it keeps his whole back end up and his front legs make the wheels carry him around.  I am happy he has his cart because otherwise, I would not get to see him and play with him when I go to dog park.

Today is a beautiful day and Mom said we are going to dog park.  I hope I see Charles there and we can walk the paths and go to the river to get a cold drink.

Charles' Friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Shameless self promotion -  I think special dogs like Charles deserve special treats like our Dogs In Toy Land Gift Basket.  What do you think?

Dog Park - Staying Fit and Having Fun

Anyone who follows me on Dogbook knows I love going to Dog Park.  It is a lovely place, over seven acres of fields and woodlands that follow a river.  Dogs can run in the fields and swim in the river or just walk along the wonderful paths with their humans for miles and miles. All filled with such great smells!

I love going to Dog Park because there is soooo much to do.  I get to run free and don’t have to worry about Mom or Dad getting lost.  I have to wear my leash when we get out of the car, although it is a hassle, but our dog park is not fenced in so Mom wants to make sure I am away from traffic before I can go off leash.  It seems like a long time but it is not because most of the property is far away from the road where there are cars so when Mom feels safe, she takes my leash off and I am on my own!

 There are lots of different tails so we, usually Mom or Dad, can decide how long we can stay at Dog Park.  I like the really long one that run by the big hill and then to the swimming hole cuz that’s where most of the dogs hang out.  Sure, we meet lots of dogs along the trails but the swimming hole is where the action is.  On the weekend, you can find 20 dogs and their humans hanging around the big field by the swimming hole.  The humans are all drinking their coffees and talking and us dogs, well; we are having lots of fun!  Nobody cares if we dig holes or run around with big sticks.  Some dogs like to jump in the river and splash around.  In the Summer I will go in up to my knees but even though I’m part Lab, I’m not crazy about water.

Sometimes I meet up with old friends but lots of the times I get to play with new dogs.   I love playing tag and chase and there is usually someone who wants to play.

Even when we go on a weekday and the park is quiet, I still get a lot of exercise so when I get home, all I want to do is nap.  Somebody said that a tired dog is a good dog.  I guess I can’t get into too much trouble if I’m sleeping.   Mom says going to Dog Park is good for humans too cuz they need exercise too.

I love Dog Park but it is not for everyone.  Dogs are social beings and like to be around other dogs.  Living with humans is nice but we need to talk with other dogs sometimes. Just like human females need a “Girls Night Out’ and male humans need “A Night Out With the Guys” Dogs need to be with other dogs sometimes.  If you are thinking of taking your dog to a dog park, you might want to check it out alone first.  Some dogs are really shy and would not like being at a dog park. If you see that your dog is not having fun, be a good human and take them home where they feel safe.

Some parks, like in cities, have supervised play.  I had supervised play when I went to day care and it was nice but we don’t have that at Dog Park.  At Dog Park all of the humans need to watch their own dogs to make sure they are playing nice. Mom almost never takes calls on her cell phone when we are at Dog Park.  She says even she deserves an hour or so away from business.

I try to play nice with all the dogs but I know Mom is always watching to make sure.  Once or twice when she thought I was having too much fun, she called me away and made me sit for a minute until I calmed down.  What can I say, some games are quite intense.

A couple more things:  there are hundreds of dogs that visit dog parks every day and you can’t know where some paws have been so make sure you are up to date on all of your shots.  Also, your humans should be prepared to clean up after you.  My Mom carries poop bags in all of her jacket pockets. It gets kind of embarrassing when she tries to get a business card out of a pocket and a bunch of poop bags come out too.   It's about priorities…

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Shameless self promotion ... After a walk in the park I am ready for a snack and we keep my snacks in My Own Cookie Tin.  You can have your very own cookie tin too ....

Better than Cookies!

I never thought I would think there was anything better than cookies but I would give up half of my cookies (maybe not exactly half) but some of my cookies if I could go to the dog park every day and have as much fun as I had today.

There are so many good things about the dog park that I go to.  First of all, it's seven acres which is really, really big.  We live in a place that my Mom calls "rural".  That means that there are more trees than people so our dog park has room to be really big.  It is so big that there can be lots and lots of dogs at the park but there are so many different trails that you only see one or two dogs at a time.

Another best thing about my dog park is that we get to be off leash.  I only wear my leash when I am going in or out of my car because there are lots of cars near ours.   Some times if Mom sees a dog that is shy, she will put my leash on so the other dog is not scared.  I don't know why anyone would be scared of me, but it happens.

When I do meet a dog that wants to play, most of the time our humans let us play together. Then Mom and I go on our way again until we meet another dog and I get to play with them. Not all dogs get to play but most of them do say hello before they have to run after their humans.

There is a river (not very deep) that runs along the side of the park and there are lots of places where the paths lead to beaches.  We always meet dogs who have been swimming.  May be next summer I'll try swimming but for now, I just like to run in the big fields and along the trails.

Today I met a lot of dogs and got to play with some of them.  Just before we left the park I met a Pitbull mix named Dakin.  He is only one years old and loves to run.  Mom and Dakin's dad talked for a long time so we got to play forever!  Dakin is a rescue dog too.  He got his name because he was born at the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society shelter.  I know where that is because Mom and I collect food and supplies to bring to the shelter all the time.

Mom says as long as the weather is nice, we can go back to the park. I hope we find more time to go again soon.  Any of you who go to the Northampton (Massachusetts) Dog Park at the old State Hospital grounds, let me know and maybe we can have a play date.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Blatant self-promotion.  After a nice day at the dog park, a bubbly bath and nice brushing are in order.  Our Spot's SPA Gift Basket  (shown) is perfect for such an occasion.