Driving Ms. Zeva

One of the things I like most about my job is that I get to go with Mom when we have errands and when we deliver our gift baskets.  I ride in the back seat of our SUV right behind Mom.  I have AC and heat so that I don’t cook in the summer or freeze in the winter.  I get left alone for minutes when Mom has to go into a store, but NEVER when it is too hot outside.  In the winter, I even have extra blankets to snuggle in if I want.

I like sitting behind Mom because I can look out the window.  I like smelling the air as we drive.  I can smell the trees and animal as we drive through the wooded areas and even the not so pleasant smells when we drive through the cities.

I like to have the window open so I can smell better.  Mom only opens it enough for me to stick my nose out of but too small for me to stick my head out of, and when I am left alone in the car, the window is only open a couple of inches.

My safety is important to my humans.  And I bet if you are reading this blog, your safety is very important to your humans too.  Obviously, a dog that gets to use to the family computer is very well taken care of.

That’s why I’m wondering why some people think they know better than our humans how to treat us.  Some places have laws that say that we have to wear seat belts.  And now they are trying to say we can’t stick our noses out of the window!  Well, technically, they are trying to say we can't stick our heads out of the window because we could be hurt.  We could get buggies in our eyes or even get smacked by a branch or something hard if our humans aren’t careful.

If we are driving through some states, like New Jersey, my Mom could have to pay the policeman $1000 because I am not wearing a seat belt!?  Yes, if our humans get our car crashed, we could be very hurt or died.  And it probably isn’t safe for a dog to sit in their humans lap while the human is driving.  But come on.

 Isn't it better to let humans know the dangers of letting their dogs stick their heads out of windows or letting them sit in their lap than to make a law?  Look at all of the information that came out this summer about not leaving dogs in the car when it's too hot.  People who didn't know about how bad it is learned and now they won't leave their dogs alone to be died.

Those people who think up these laws mean well I’m sure but why aren’t they working harder to protect those dogs that don’t have good humans taking care of them.  The dogs that are made to be in dog fights, the dogs used as bait to train fighting dogs, or the dogs kept in puppy mills.  These are the dogs that need to be rescued and protected.  Not dogs like me who ride around in nice SUV’s and live with humans who try their best to keep us safe.

I would be interested in hearing about your car riding experiences and how you feel about mandatory seat belts for dogs.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Shameless self promotion.  Here is the sign that hangs on our door.  I think it says it all.  Every dog should have one of these.

Shame On You!

As if many dogs don’t have enough self esteem problems what with breed specific issues etc. , now our very own humans are holding us up to public ridicule!   I’m talking about Dog Shaming.

Being the perfect dog, my Mom has no reason to shame me.  She, however, should get a sign for making me wear that stupid Hawaiian shirt for that end of summer photo contest.  I never did look at the camera so she had to give up on the idea of even entering.

I am speaking out for all of the dogs who have been shamed.  I see nothing shameful about eating a dozen donuts and then the box.  I bet there was a lot of yummy donut guts stuck to that box.  And the poor dog who got shamed because he ate two sticks of butter, half a pound cake and a pan of dinner rolls.  He must have been starving. And whose fault is that I ask you.  Hey you humans grab a snack when you’re hungry, why shouldn’t we?

Maybe the dog that ate the little girl’s ice cream cone in the park went a little too far.  He probably didn’t even get to enjoy it with all the crying, screaming and yelling that must have gone on.  Have you ever heard a little girl cry? I rest my case.

To the dog that ate the $20.00 bill.  Bad move dude.  That $20.00 could have been used for treats or gas for riding in the car.  Next time think.  You may not have been hungry at all, only thirsty.  A drink out of the toilet would have been a better option.

To all the dogs who have been shamed, you are not bad dogs; you’re just misunderstood.  Here are a few of tips to avoid shaming.

1.        Don’t get caught.

 

2.       If you do get caught, blame it on the cat.

 

3.       If you don’t have a cat handy, play on their heart strings.  Look at your human with your most soulful look and for extra points, throw in the head tilt. 

4.      Do Not LOOK guilty, even if you are.

5.      If all else fails and you get shamed, look right at the camera and use your most soulful look again.   It may not work on your humans cuz they are used to it but it will work on other people.  They will feel sorry for you and your humans will feel bad.

 

If you or any of your friends have been shamed, please share your story.  You are among friends here.

 

Your Friend,

Zeva

 

P.S. Shameless self promotion.  For all the Good Dogs out there, I have created a gift basket especially for you.  I call it my   Good Dog Spot Gift Basket  and filled it with toys to keep you busy all day long. As we all know, a tired dog is a good dog.

 

 

A Walk In The Park - Then and Now

Today we went for a big walk in a park I never visited before. It’s not a dog park where dogs can run free.   This park has lots of signs reminding people that dogs have to stay on their leashes and to make sure to pick up any poop.  That’s okay cuz it is a very pretty park with lots of different kinds of trees and flowers. There are lots of roads and paths and benches to sit on.

While we were walking, Mom told me a story.  She told me about how different things were for dogs a long, long time ago in the 1970’s.   I like history and this was about dogs so I paid very close attention.   She  said when she was young and working in the city, she lived not far from this park but said she didn’t bring her then dog (her name was Nico) to this park very often.

Mom said back then, the laws about dogs and leashes were much less strict and people were much more dog friendly.  She said she and Nico could  go for walks anywhere, and they didn't have only certain parks where dogs were welcome like they do today.  Nico could even go outside of their house by herself without being fenced in.  If Mom wanted to go into a store for a minute, Nico could sit by the door and wait. Mom didn’t worry about anything bad happening.  Today, she doesn’t let me off of my leash or out of her sight.

It was interesting learning about the olden days and I sort of wish I could run around with my friends any time I wanted, but I’m glad that I have humans who care about me and want to keep me safe.

I’m also glad that more humans, like my Mom and her friends, are getting together to make sure that the rules that get made about dogs are fair for all dogs and that all dogs are treated well, especially dogs who don’t have furever homes with loving humans. 

When people hurt dogs, they need to be punished a whole lot.  It makes me so sad when I see how badly dogs are hurt by horrible people. And the law shouldn’t say a dog is bad and can be killed because of how it looks.

We are lucky to have humans who love us and take care of us but we need to make sure our humans keep looking out for and try to help dogs who aren’t so lucky.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

 

Ready to Help

Happy Wordless Wednesday to all Blog Hoppers.

No matter what day it is, I'm ready to help a client choose the perfect gift basket for that special pet or person who loves them.

Your friend,

Zeva

Begging 101

I have a problem and I'm hoping you can help. I'm looking for some professional advice. I rescued my humans when I was only 11 weeks old so they were pretty easy to train. It was easy to get them to make room on their bed for me and it was easy to get Mom to take me to work with her every day so I didn't have to stay at home by myself.

It was easy to get them to take me to doggy daycare on days when neither would be able to stay with me. And it was easy to get them to take me for long walks.

Here's my problem, I can't get my humans to give me people food. I have tried all of the tricks. I've got the soulful eyes look perfected to Academy Award level. I've found that a soft whimper gets their attention but it doesn't get me any food.

Sitting in the kitchen while they are cooking only gets me banished to the living room and they always seem to catch me when I try to sneak back. I try to ease my way under the table while they are eating but again, I get banished to the living room. How can they expect me to sit by and ignore the wonderful scents of a chicken or a roast? Man, I'll even settle for scrambled eggs or tuna fish but nooooo.

Okay, so every once in awhile I get some tuna juice or a soft boiled egg mixed in with my dry food and I do get a marrow bone every Saturday, but they get that stuff anytime they want. It's not fair!

Do you get your humans to give you human food any time you want?  How do you do it?

Your starving friend,

Zeva

Smile

Smiles are contagious.  Share this one with someone you love.

Goldilocks Syndrome

My Mom said I have Goldilocks Syndrome.  Don't worry, it's not contagious or anything.  She explained it this way.   She said that once upon a time there was this human girl named Goldilocks who went walking in the woods and came to a house.

She went inside like she owned the house even though she didn't.  Inside she found some porridge (whatever that is) and ate some. Then she sat on some chairs and broke one.  And then, being all tired out from messin' with other people's stuff, she decided to take a nap.

She tried one bed.  She didn't like it cuz it was too hard

Then another.  She didn't like that one cuz it was too soft.

And finally she found one that was just right.

When the  owners of the house came home, they saw that someone was messin' with their stuff.  Someone ate some of their food, and sat in their chairs and then they saw someone was actually sleeping in one of their beds.

That's when Goldilocks woke up and got scared cuz the owners of the house were bears and everybody knows that bears can hurt you if you mess with them so she ran away.

I don't get it. Why would Mom think I was like this Goldilocks person.

Your friend,

Zeva

Dogs With Opposible Thumbs

I am a very socially media savvy dog.  I have a Twitter account @zevathedog, I am a guest blogger on our company blog and of course I write this blog.  I follow tons of other dog’s blogs and spend time on several pet sites like PetPav.com and DogBook ( a FaceBook app). Pinterest has a whole section about animals and I love to pin stuff from there onto our DogsRule board.

Anyhow… I was on DogBook today and realized that there are thousands of dogs on that site alone.   There are dogs from all over the world who share photos and stories. 

There are hundreds of pet blogs on the internet too.   These blogs cover all sorts of interesting topics.   There are blogs about pet health and welfare, reviews of new products, warnings when a product is recalled or dangerous and even blogs that inform and campaign for pet’s rights.  The dogs who write them are very, very smart.

 I got to thinking… all those dogs with internet access… imagine what we could do if we all got together. 

I had to stop and take a nap because my head started hurting.  I could think of so many things we could do but then I got confused.  What would we do first?

So friends, what do you think?  If all of the dogs on the internet got together, what, of all the important things we could do should we do first?

While you think about it, the first thing I am going to do is get a treat and take another nap. This saving the world thing is very exhausting.

Dogs Rule!!!!

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.

Shameless self promotion  Spoiled Rotten Dog Lives Here sign. No home should be without one.

To Your Health Redux

Last week I told you it was time for my annual check up.  I love Dr. Nancy.  She has been my doctor since I first came to live at my forever home and she was the doctor for all the dogs who lived here before.

Doctors are good people to see when you are sick but being sick is no fun so, I try not to get sick.  I do lots of things to help me not get sick.  Eating good food, drinking lots of clean water, getting plenty of exercise and knowing about other kinds of doctors and medicines are all good ways to stay healthy.

There are lots of different foods for dogs.  Some are better than others.  I eat Wellness Core because of what it has in it and also what it doesn't have in it.  Meat and veggies (except corn) are good but even though I LOVE cookies, grains are not that good for dogs so I don't eat many grains.

Clean water is also very important.  My water bowl is kept filled with clean water.  By clean, I mean not just no dirt but no chemicals either.  Our water comes from a well so it doesn't get treated with chemicals like regular tap water.

Chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, Reiki masters, and holisitic vets are some people who help us stay healthy.

Dogs, especially when they get older and get arthritis, or if they do extreme sports like agility, see chiropractors and get massages.   Acupuncture is very helpful in treating lots of things like allergies, epilepsy and even paralysis.

Mom and Dad see a chiropractor cuz they work hard and get out of shape and Mom visits her acupuncturist all the time so she doesn't have chronic pain.  So I know if if I get arthritis or something, they will find the right people to help me get better.

That's what I do to stay healthy.  What do you do?

Your friend,

Zeva

To Your Health!

I'm used to getting emails, after all, I am a very savvy dog when it comes to the internet, but today when we opened the mail box, there was a post card for me.  It was from my vet. 

It's time for my annual physical.  I'm going to get to stand on the scale and show Mom I'm not gaining weight.  Then Dr. Nancy will look in my eyes and ears with that funny light.  She said I'm also going to have a test.  I don't think it is the kind I can study for.  It's a test to check for heartworm and other nasty things that could make me sick.

Then, if all the tests come back saying I'm good to go, I will have to get some shots.  I don't mind shots but my Mom wonders sometimes if I get too many shots.  We have to have rabies shots.  It's the law.

I also get a Lyme shot cuz, even though this year hasn't been bad, we have those nasty ticks near our house.   My Mom and one of the dogs who lived here before both got Lyme disease so we are very careful.  We do buggy checks whenever we walk in the woods and when we work in the yard and I get my FrontLine every month.

Mom says she would prefer not to put chemicals on me but until she can find something that works just as good and is easy to use, we need to. If you know a better way, we'd be interested.

I'm looking forward to my having my check up because everyone at the office is so nice and they all tell me how good I am.  Visiting the doctor when you're not sick is not so bad and regular check ups are very important to staying healthy.

If you haven't had a annual physical yet this year, make an appointment soon so you can stay healthy too.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Shameless self promotion.  I'm very excited that one of my Dog Gone It! gift baskets is going to go to another country.