Help Me If you Can...Where Do You Bury Your Bones?

I need your help.  Where do you bury your bones?

Only a few more days and Dixie is coming to live with us.  If you follow my blog, you may remember, Dixie is a Ditch Dog (i.e. dog abandoned by the side of the road).  Mom’s friend found her and got her heartworm treatment and everything but she can’t keep her cuz there are already two rescues living in a very small house with two humans.  When Dad saw a picture of Dixie he said she could come and live with us. Okay, so she is “cute” but cute isn’t everything.  I’m cute ….

I guess it will be fun to have someone to talk to and play with all the time but I’m not sure I want to have another dog living in MY house with MY humans.  Mom says she will have her own dish and her own crate but I still will have to share my toys and we will all sleep in the big bed.  I’m wondering what else I will have to share with her.

When Mom bought dog food this week, she bought a GIANT bag and she bought two boxes of treats instead of one.  Still, what if Dixie eats all of my food and all of my treats.  What will I do?

I am a smart dog, and always want to be prepared so today, when Dad gave me treats for helping him work outside, I hid them all.  I hid one under the rain spout and the others all around the yard.  If Dixie eats all of my food and treats, I will at least have something to eat so I don’t starve.

We dogs have been burying bones for hundreds if not thousands of years because you never know when you will need food.  Treats are okay, but bones are the best. Our ancestors used to eat their fill and then bury what was left so they could eat it later when they didn’t have fresh food to eat.  Even back then they knew that bones were the best.  Bones have marrow in them and we know that marrow has good protein and fat and tastes awesome!  Mom and Dad are very good to me.  I get three meals a day and treats but still, I need to be prepared “just in case”.

I buried the treats outside but most of the time, I bury my treats inside the house.  My favorite places are in the corners of the couches.  I need to start burying all of my treats “just in case”.  I could use a few more hiding places.  Where are your favorite places to bury your treats?  I won’t tell anyone your secret hiding place if you don’t tell Dixie where I hide my stash.

Appreciate your help,

Your friend

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.... Our Spoiled Rotten Dog Gift Basket... in case you know a spoiled rotten dog :)

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?

Superman and Batman Have Nothing On These Real Heroes!

Oh Boy! What a week!  I live with my Mom and Dad in Western Massachusetts, not in Boston, but lots of our human friends and family members are athletes and run in the Boston Marathon so when we heard about the bombs we were very scared.

Mom stayed at her computer, following Face Book and Twitter and Dad watched the TV news.  So much happened so fast.  Boston Police, Massachusetts State Police and so many other law enforcement agencies ran to Boston.  Not much was said on the news, but some of those who responded and who where there doing their jobs were Explosive Detector Dogs, otherwise known as Bomb Sniffing Dogs.

These dogs are my heroes. My human grandmother lives near a State Police Barracks where they have a K-9 agility course built by the members of a local Boy Scout Troop as the project for one of the Scouts to earn his Eagle Scout ranking.

Sometimes when Mom visits, I can watch the dogs run the course.  I would love to try but I know you need special training to do agility and even more to be a real Bomb Sniffing Dog.

Bomb Sniffing Dogs start their training like all of us dogs in Obedience Training.  They have to learn all the normal stuff like sit and stay.  The only difference is that they can be trained in different languages.  Where I learned to “sit”, “stay” and “come, a Bomb Sniffing Dog might learn to Sitzen Sie, bleiben Sie, kommen Sie or sente-se, permaneça, venha.

How cool is that?!  Bomb Sniffing Dogs speak several languages.

After regular Obedience Training, they get special training so they can focus under distraction.  These dogs have to work in big crowds, where there are lots of noises and smells and they even have to work when there is gun fire.  I have trouble focusing when I see a bird or a squirrel.

Bomb Searching Dogs learn how to sniff out all kinds of scents like dynamite, plastic explosives, TNT, detonation cords, ammonium nitrate and a whole bunch more nasty stuff that can be used to make bombs.

They learn how to search buildings as well as cars and packages.  The different types of searches required different types of training.

I think the Bomb Sniffing Dogs that patrolled the race route before the race and those who went back in after the explosions, when there was a real danger of more bombs, were very brave, as were their human partners.  I read that four dogs from Rhode Island came to help the Massachusetts dogs.

This was a very bad thing that happened and it was wonderful that so many humans, including non law enforcement humans, helped in so many ways.  I am especially proud that some of those who helped were canine.  Dogs Rule!

Zeva

P.S.  Shameless self promotion.  If anyone deserves one of our To The Rescue Gift Basket, it's a dog who is on the job.

Two Dog House

I said in my last blog that I was getting a sister but I had to wait until she got her heartworms treated and she wasn’t sick anymore.  Well, she got all of her shots and she is now resting so she can come and live with us soon. 

Here is a picture of her.  She is kind of cute, but I am still cuter.

Bringing a new dog into our house is a big deal.  We never met Dixie, that’s what Mom named her, but we are pretty sure she will fit right in.  First of all, I am a very friendly dog.  I haven’t met a dog I didn’t like (except for that one dog at dog park and he started it), anyway, I get along with all the dogs at day care and when other dogs come to my house or I go to their houses, we get along fine. I don’t mind sharing my toys either.  Dixie is living with two other dogs now and she is happy and friendly.  She knew right away that she wasn’t the Big Sister in that house so I’m sure she’ll know that I’m the Big Sister here and we’ll get along fine.

 I’m looking forward to having someone to play with all the time.  I’ve mentioned before that humans are okay to play with but they get tired fast and they don’t run very good.  Mom thought Dixie would be a good second dog because she is close to my age and size and has an easy going temperament.  She also has a high energy level like me.  Mom likes that because we can tire each other out.  Everyone knows a tired dog is a good dog.   

Mom is getting our house ready for her.  We’re both going to have our own food and water dishes and our own crates so we can have a place to go that is all our own or when Mom and Dad both have to leave us alone.  If we are in our own crates we can’t get into any trouble.

Getting a second dog is a big step and we are doing everything we can to make sure it is not stressful for Dixie or me (or Mom and Dad).  I can’t wait to show her all my tricks like what is the best way to beg for cookies and how to play inside the door/outside the door.  It is going to be so fun.

If you live in a two dog house (or more) let me know.  Tell me what you did to make it a nice place for everyone to live.

Your friend (and almost a Big Sister),

Zeva

P.S. Shameless self promotion - I think I'll get her one of our My Own Dog Cookie Tin Gift Baskets so I don't have to share my cookies with her...

Mosquitoes; More Than Just Annoying

I can’t wait for Spring to come to where I live in Western Massachusetts.  But Spring and Summer bring out all kinds of buggies.  Most buggies are okay, they just fly around and don't bother anyone.  But, there are some that are very dangerous. Just the other day I found out there is very, very bad buggy.  It’s called a mosquito.  They are ugly looking (except to another mosquito), they fly around making this awful buzzing sound and some of them carry diseases.  One disease that mosquitoes carry is heartworm disease.  Heartworm disease can make a dog very, very sick and can even make him died.

I am getting a new sister but she got bit by one of those bad mosquitoes and she has heartworms.  She lives in South Carolina now and I wanted her to come here right away but Mom told me that she has to get better first.  Mom told me she has a very hard road ahead of her but that she is strong and she will be good as new soon.

Heartworms are very bad worms.  They start off very tiny.  They make their home in a dog’s heart where they start to grow.  In about 6 or 7 months they are full grown and take up a lot of room in the heart.  Unless they are killed, they can live for 5 or more years and eventually, they will kill the dog.  It is a horrible disease that is easy to prevent.

All puppies need to see a vet when they are very young and the vet will test them and then put them on medicine that will keep heartworms away.  My Mom gives me my heartworm meds every month and my vet checks me every year.  So I know I do not have heartworms.

You need to get tested because it is not easy to tell if a dog has heartworms because until they are very sick, they act like happy normal dogs.  Dogs with heartworms get tired easily and they lose weight.   Vets know how to kill heartworms so you should go to the vet and get checked so if you do get them, the vet can make them go away.

Killing heartworms is not pleasant.  The dog needs to get 2 or 3 shots of some nasty stuff.  The shots make the dog feel sick and sometimes they stay with the vet for a few days. The nasty stuff kills the heartworms but they are still in the dog.  The dead heartworms will go away but the dog needs to be very quiet for a long time, weeks, which means no playing or long walks at dog park.  They have to be quiet so that the heartworms don’t get stuck in the heart or lungs.  If that happens, the dog could still get died.

So, please think good thoughts for my sister to get well and make sure you get tested and are taking your heartworm meds every single month so you are healthy and happy and don’t have to get nasty shots and stay quiet.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Shameless self promotions:  When my new sister comes to live with me, I am going to give her one of our To The Rescue Gift Baskets so she will have everything she needs to feel right at home.

Eat, Sleep Play

Had a very busy morning catching up on reading some of my favorite blogs.  I love the internet cuz I get to talk to all of you guys and read your blogs where I learn about you and where you live.

Even though we live in different places around the world, there is one thing I noticed we have in common.  All dogs love to play.  Age or size or breed, it doesn’t matter, we were made to play and have fun.  You dogs that have brothers and sisters are lucky cuz you have someone to play with all the time.  For those of us who are in single dog households, although there are some advantages, like not having to share cookies or the bed with another dog, humans don’t like to play as much as dogs do.

Have you noticed that with your humans? They do lots of things like work, drive cars, cook meals, shovel snow, but they don’t play so much with us dogs.  It could be cuz they aren’t so good at it.  For one thing, they’re not very fast runners.  I can run around our house three times and they barely move from the starting point.

They don’t play Chase Me at all.  I think they are trained not to play that game.  I wonder if it’s some religious thing.  Whenever I want to play Chase Me, they call me back and want to play another game like Sit and Down. 

They don’t play Catch very good either.  I can catch the ball almost every time they throw it but they almost never catch it when I throw it back.  And, they don’t know the rules.  They can’t understand that in a game of Catch or Fetch, after you bring the ball or toy back, you are supposed to play Tug of War with it.  Two years and my humans still don’t know how to play those games right.

 

Don’t get me wrong.  I love my humans very much, even if they are play challenged.  They are kind and loving and smart.  They are smart enough to know their short comings and take me to Dog Park or Doggie Day Care where I can play with others who have equal athletic abilities and who know the rules for all the games.

Love to know your favorite game and your secret for getting your humans to play with you.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

P.S. Shameless self-promotion one of our PawPals Gift Basket is the perfect gift for any dog, any occasion.

Run Zeva Run!

Spring is almost here which means that swimsuit weather can’t be far behind. Okay, I don’t wear a swimsuit (I don’t even like water which is embarrassing since I’m part Lab) but I do want to keep my girlish figure so I try to get lots of exercise every day. Here is a photo of me working out in the snow.  Great for the legs.

In my last blog I talked about how Dog Park is a good place to exercise because there are lots of other dog to play with. Although humans are good companions most of the time, they don’t run as fast or jump and wrestle as well as dogs. At Dog Park I get a great work out playing with all the other dogs.

Exercise is not only fun and good for helping you look good, it is good for you. My Mom goes to the gym because she says exercise helps her not be stressed. Dogs get stressed too and when we are stressed we can be hyperactive or aggressive.

When we don’t get enough exercise we also get bored and boredom can cause some really bad things to happen. I know dogs who were so bored that they chewed furniture, woodwork, shoes, and other things that made their humans not happy.

Getting enough exercise is easy. Take your humans for a walk or if they can handle it, a run. Some dogs even go with their humans when they ride bikes. Bikes go really fast and really far so you have to make sure that you are in good shape already. Bikes can also run over you so you need to stay away from the wheels or you and your human can get hurt. They have special leashes that attach to the bike so you can’t get tangled in the wheels.

Agility training is an awesome way to get exercise. Being part border collie, I would love to do agility and Mom said some day we’ll take some classes. Any dog can do agility so even if you are a little dog you can run the course, jump hurdles and go through hoops and stuff.

I’ve heard that there is something in human Yoga called dog down pose and now there is a yoga for dogs called Doga. Well, it’s really for humans but they get to bring their dogs along. It’s supposed to help with bonding. I think I’ll stick to the aerobic type exercises and leave yoga to cats.

Working out makes you tired and we all know that a tired dog is a good dog.  A tired dog is also a happy dog.  Have a great work out, I'm ready for my nap.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  After a good workout I love a long nap and a little pampering.  My Spot's SPA has everything you need.