Bonding With Your Pet

Mom loves me. How do I know? She tells me all the time. She tells me I am her very favorite white dog. She loves DixieLee too. How do I know? She tells her she is her very favorite brown dog.

Mom and Dad tell us they love is us lots of other ways too.

They spend time with us. We go for walks or to the park together. When Dad plays in the yard or garden, we get to watch him. Dad is also good at playing games with us like tug of war or hide and seek.

We help Mom when she does her computer stuff and when she works in the studio making gift baskets. She plays games too, her best being catch.

We watch TV with them and even get to sleep on the bed with them.

Touching is a good way to show love but every dog is different about how they like to be touched. Some dogs, like DixieLee, don’t like to be touched much and not many dogs like to be hugged. Human hugging is like when a dog puts it’s paw over another dog which is a dominance stance.

Brushing and baths (I hate both) are not only good for being healthy, they are good ways to bond.

I love to get belly rubs and ear scratches and DixieLee and I both think getting our backs and butts scratched it the bestest way of getting petted.

Mom and Dad talk to us all the time. We like hearing their voices (most of the time). I specially like when Mom asks my opinion about a new design or a new product we want to add to the Paw Pals Boutique line.

They show us they love us by letting us have our own space. We each have our own crate and we can go in and be alone when we want. We also have the run of the house when they are home so if I want to sleep on the bed or be outside in the pen while Dad and DixieLee are watching TV, I can.

Food and treats are another way we know we are loved. We get healthy food and good stuff like coconut oil and good treats like carrots and watermelon. They could give us more treats though. We’ve had that discussion several times but I don’t think I’m getting my point across.

Aside from not understanding the more treats thing, Mom and Dad try to listen to us and understand what we like and don’t like. All in all, it’s a pretty good arrangement. I know Mom and Dad love us and we try to let them know we love them back.

I think it’s about time for another belly rub. Dad doesn’t look too busy….

Love,

Zeva



P.S. Blatant self-promotion. For the bestest pet gift baskets in the universe, you don’t have to look any further thanpawpalsboutique.com Check it out today.

Never Too Many

Once upon a time we were a one dog household. Then DixieLee came to live with us. Before I came to live with Mom and Dad they had two dogs so having two dogs was no big deal for them. Or so they thought.

The two dogs they had before were litter mates.  One was a boy and the other a girl. Since they lived together since they were babies and they knew that the girl dog is always the boss, there was no problem who got to make the rules.

DixieLee and I both had to make changes in how we did things and it wasn’t always easy. DixieLee likes to be the boss.  I get to do what I want most of the time so I don’t care. Besides, we both know that the real boss of the house is Mom so if DixieLee gets too bossy, Mom steps in and makes her be good.

Dogs are pack animals and in the way long time ago it was important for the survival of the pack that all the dogs got along.  I don’t know about you but sometimes having a sister gets on my nerves. Like when I have a good toy or when I get the best seat on the couch she tries to be a bully and make me give in. 

There are things peoples can do to help dogs in the family get along better. Everyone knows that a tired dog is a good dog so seeing that we get lots of exercise is important. Exercise gets rid of energy and stress. Yes, we get stressed too.

When she first came to live with us, DixieLee got fed in her crate. Mom called it preemptive action.   It took time but she knows I am not going to steal her food so we now eat side by side in the kitchen. Mom still takes preemptive action when we have extra special treats like marrow bones or carrots. No sense looking for trouble.

We have to be a little careful when we play fight too. Most of the time we play fight good but Mom makes sure we take breaks so we don’t get too excited

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When Mom or Dad comes home DixieLee wants to be petted first so sometimes she pushes me out of the way. Mom says “Hello Girls” but doesn’t pet either of us until she has taken off her coat and put her work stuff away. Then she pets us both at the same time.

Dogs can get jealous so making quality time for each of us is important. I love to play catch with Mom and Dad and sometimes when we go for walks, Dad and I take a short cut home and Mom takes DixieLee for more miles.

Relationships take a lot of work and it’s important that we all work together to make us have a happy family. Mom says as long as we remember that she is the BOSS, everything will be just fine.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant Self Promotion. Pawpalsboutique.com has the bestest pet gift baskets in the whole universe.  See for yourself!

So Many Choices!

We were in the Vet’s office last week for my annual check up and it was really busy. While waiting our turn, we met a bunch of dogs and a cat who looked and acted just like Grumpy Cat. All the dogs knew to stay away from him!

One of the dogs we met was a Mini Pin and another was a Shih Tzu. When one of the Moms asked Mom what breed I was, she said I am an All American. She said DixieLee is an All American too. That confused me cuz DixieLee and I don’t look anything alike. I look mostly like a Lab and she looks mostly like a Hound.

I tried looking up All American on Google and although I found out that there are over 300 breeds of dogs recognized by dog groups like the FCI.. I didn’t find All American on any of the lists.

What I did find was that the breeds are broken down into ten groups according to the breed’s purpose/function and appearance/size. Dogs in the Sporting group were bred to hunt while dogs in the Working group were bred to do things like pull a sled. Dogs in the Toy group were bred mostly for companionship but don’t be fooled, they can be very protective and their yappie bark can scare away a burglar as well as a big dog’s bark.

With so many breeds to choose from, how is a human supposed to know what dog is best for them? Mom said she chose me because I looked like a little angel. Both of the dogs who lived with Mom and Dad before me had just got died and she said that they sent her an angel.  She said they played a trick on her because I am not always a little angel.

The best way for a human to choose a dog is to think about their lifestyle. Even though they may not need a dog to hunt or pull a sled, they might want a dog from one of those groups if they like to spend time outdoors doing things like hiking or snowshoeing. If they live in an apartment in a big city, they might want a dog that doesn’t take up too much room and who can be carried when they go outside.

If you know someone who is thinking of adding a pet to their household, please ask them to check shelters and rescue services first. Shelters get pure bred dogs too and there are breed specific rescue services. Just check on line. If you know someone who wants to buy from a breeder, tell then to make sure they are honest and have a good reputation.

Also remember that lots of pet stores deal with puppy mills and those are TERRIBLE places for dogs.

One thing I can tell you from personal experience, All Americans are a terrific breed. We come in lots of different colors and sizes and we are all extra special in our own way.

Your All American friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion. Know of a household getting a new dog or cat? Send them a To The Rescue or Kit Kat Kit. You can find them at pawpalsboutique.com

Some Times You Just Have To

Mom taught us that if you don’t have something nice to say about someone, don’t say anything.   Well, the other day I saw a dog with a really, really, really bad haircut.  I mean the only fur he had left was on his head and he looked ridiculous.

He’s a dog I see around town often and I always thought he was so handsome with his long flowing coat.  Mom said I should not say anything to him because he probably felt bad enough already.   Mom said I should just say “hi” and not tell him he looked really, really ugly.

She explained later that we didn’t know why his humans had him shaved.  Maybe he was sick or maybe he got into something that made his coat yucky and he had to have it shaved so we should be nice and not make him feel bad.

We don’t like to make people feel bad.  Our business is all about making people (and animals) be happy.  We are in the business of making people (and animals) smile.

So, I just said “Hey Dude”, and kept walking.

I’m still kind of confused about this “Don’t say anything bad, thing”. 

It wasn’t the dog’s fault that he had a bad haircut.  But I think there are times when we need to point out that things are just plain ugly.

Mom loves Pintrest.  She loves to look at the AMAZING cakes that people make.  She is not a good baker so she just looks.  She knows she has limits but she says she also has fun looking at the DYI cake fails on Pinterest.  I hear her laugh and laugh.

Peoples who do stuff all the time just know all of the secrets on how to do it best.

It may not be nice but I feel the same way when I see some of the pet “gift baskets” for sale on Ebay or some other sites.  Mom has over 20 years experience making gift baskets and I have more than 6 so we are really good at what we do.  Our gift baskets have high quality products, all of our dog treats are made in the USA, and our designs are outstanding.  Every one of our pet gift baskets is cello wrapped and topped with a hand tied bow.  Our gift baskets cost the same money as many of the baskets on Ebay AND we ship for free.

So, I guess I just can’t say anything nice about the gift baskets people see on places like Ebay when they can get much bestester gift baskets at pawpalsboutique.com  Hope that doesn’t make me a bad dog.

See for yourself at pawpalsboutique.com

Your trying to be nice friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  We do have the bestest.  See for yourself at pawpalsboutique.com