The Wedding is over and life goes on ....

That's right - there is life after a wedding!! Our eldest son, Robby, was married on June 25th to a wonderful young lady, Lara. After a five year courtship, their life together has begun. And ours (mine and DH's and the bride's parents) can get back to some semblance of normalcy!!

Let me postpone that however until the newlyweds return from their honeymoon as we (DH and I) are dog sitting for the happy couple. Layla Ali, a black boxer puppy, is a joy to have in our home. There is just one little catch - she's a boxer -- and she's all that boxers are known to be: hyper, happy, hyper, intelligent, hyper, loving, hyper ---- you get the picture :)

Our pack - being English mastiffs and a Staffie and being in the non- puppy stage - has had some adjusting to do. Their usual evening routine has been somewhat altered by the random activity of Layla. Prudance (our less social girl) lies behind a chair and watches ever so closely all the activity. Brindelyn seems to be amazed at the energy and has these looks of disbelief on her face at times -- she will watch the pup and turn to me as if to say "is this for real? Do some dogs really behave like this?" And Neo, well, he loves the pup's energy and enjoys romping with her, but even he gets tired out and needs a break (which he takes on one of our laps).

All is going well and Layla is learning to respect the signals from the others. I figure just about when they are all one happy doggy family, the newlyweds will come and take my grand-doggy home.

Oh the joys of family -- skin and fur!!!!

Dismayed Again!!

On Sunday, June 19th the National Geographic Channel had a special on Alaska. The show's premise was to give the audience "secret tips" they would get nowhere else. The show was very interesting UNTIL they focused on the sled dog teams. This is when I became upset (and I might add here to strengthen my credibility - my husband also became upset). The narrator began by showing these sled dogs outside running the sleds. Then the focus switched to the kennels that breed these dogs.

Let me set the scene:
30-40 dogs in a fenced area devoid of grass; small wooden boxes maybe 2' X 2' for shelter; dogs attached to 3 foot chains; interaction with humans only when fed or when training.

The kennel owner went on and on about the wonderful diet the dogs are fed - how she cooks for them each day - most of the meal was rice - very little meat. THEN, the show focused on Alaska's National Park service sled dogs. They were kept in the same manner - small shelters, 3 foot chain, little contact, etc.....

I have not been able to get this out of my mind. I know that these dogs are working dogs - that they do enjoy pulling the sleds. But, I find it negligible that these owners have so little contact or care for their dogs. It was clear from the show that these dogs craved attention.

I simply feel sad for these dogs. I want to hug them and give them a warm place to sleep. If only I could ....

New Pics of our fur family

This is our Neo - he is my prince - he wakes with a smile and maintains that smile all day.


This is all three babies - Pru is on the chair (ignoring the picture process), Neo is on the right, and Brin is on the left.


Prudance is pouting - she lost her chew toy to Brin :(


Neo - jumping on command. This is on the way down - he can jump nearly 6 foot high from a sit (honest truth!!)


Brin winking at me - "Don't tell Pru I'm laying on her favorite bone, okay mom!"


And one more of my Pru's precious face

SHHHH ... I'm hunting...

Is it rabbits? Nope - Pru is hunting frogs (or fwogs as Elmer Fudd would say). This is her sole purpose in life these days. She is on constant alert - any sign of movement and she is all about the hunt!

Pru will see the frog, move it with her paw, then pick it up in her mouth. She doesn't kill them; rather, she plays with them in her mouth and puts them back down.

The frogs emit some type of slime which must be nasty tasting because Pru really shakes her head and foams at the mouth when she gets slimed. But she keeps going back after them.

For those of you concerned, I have contacted my vet who indicated that these frogs are not poisonous. They may make her sick from the slime, but will not poison her.

Crazy girl just cannot stand being in the house in the evening. She constantly begs us to let her out - totally cracks me up!!!

So, if you happen to come by some evening, shhhhhh, Pru's hunting fwogs!!!

Slingers Galore!

As I have said before, my oldest son is getting married on June 25th. And as we all know with such a happy event comes home remodeling. These really are correlated events - I even believe there has been scientific research conducted on this phenomenon.

Anyway, we are in the midst of major renovations - actually we will be finishing tomorrow and then I am hosting a trousseau shower for his new bride on Sunday. And in a walk through of the house last evening (I was making mental notes of my cleaning needs) I noticed that we have SLINGERS EVERYWHERE!!!

We are talking about in the hallways, bathrooms and especially the master bedroom. All the other walls have been freshly painted so we are safe there. BUT - I don't have time to paint the other walls!!!!!

So, guess what I'll be doing this afternoon - that's right! Washing walls - well scrubbing is a more exact term - LOL.

What I find amazing is that I have been living with these slingafied walls and had not really noticed. This is amazing as I am a really good house keeper - I like clean and like to live in a clean space.

So, my ponderance then is .... has my love for the girls (Pru and Brin) overcome my need for cleanliness? Have I become blinded by their charms enough to blindly ignore - I mean, to not even see these slingers on my bedroom walls?

Now I wonder as I approach what I fondly term as "Grannyness" if I will become so enamored with grandbabies that I will break other life long habits? Will I actually allow a grandbaby to drink from my cup? (my father taught me never to allow anyone to drink from my cup and I never have - not husband, children, best friend - NOPE).

But if I can blindly ignore slingers on the wall, what could possibly be next??? ...

More on Responsible Pet Ownership

I have been doing a fair bit of research via the internet to determine just what information is out there concerning "Responsible Pet Ownership." I have been pleased to find a plethera of information - many great web sites offering what I consider to be quality info.

Some sites I recommend:
http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/LCC/residents/animals/petchecklist.htm
http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/LCC/residents/animals/petownership.htm
* http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/heb/archive/9899/Prog9/ (a favorite)
http://www.dogsaver.org/noahsbark/responsible.html
http://www.akc.org/public_education/responsible_dog_owner.cfm

Basically, all these sites, with the exception of the third, give information about proper care, feeding, environment, training. The one thing I find that seems lacking in all the information is "bonding." Only the third site - "Responsible Pet Ownership with Dr. John R. August" even approaches the topic of pet as family member. Not a single site I surfed discussed the emotional care and responsibilities for our pets.

For me being a responsible owner means so much more than feeding, providing shelter, and proper health care. For me, being responsible means caring about and bonding with the whole dog - mentally, emotionally as well as physically.

I take great pleasure in my dogs - fur babies as I refer to them. I sing to them - which I tell myself they like - a lot!! I talk with them and enjoy seeing the looks in their eyes - looks of understanding, patience, excitement, love. I look into their eyes consistently - having that bond allows me to see when they are or are not feeling emotionally fulfilled.

Mentally caring means that I provide challenges for them. We play together - games like hide-n-seek (they love that game!) "Where's _____?" (daddy, Robby, etc...) "Find it" and of course training falls into this category as well, etc....

As much as possible, more so in the mild months, I ensure that they are physically active and fulfilled as well. Walking, playing ball, chase, and any of the challenge games mentioned above ensure they are each getting what I consider to be proper physical activity. (I must note here that Pru and Neo are much better at activity than Brin. Brin prefers to stand by me and watch the others run and play. I work extra hard to play just with her so that she too is active).

I guess what I am saying is that in researching and in asking myself the question: "what is responsible pet ownership and am I living up to those responsibilities?" -- I have discovered that I am a good dog owner - better yet I am a good companion to my fur babies and in turn they are my companions as well.

And I realize that all of this was my way of justifying my criticisms and judgements of others in their treatment of pets. So, now I can grouse all I want - well, at least I have given myself permission to do so!!

What is responsible pet ownership?

After reading today's entry on my favorite Pit Bull blog (http://spaces.msn.com/members/nkbapbt/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c=) I got to thinking about responsible dog/pet ownership.
(I do have original thoughts of my own - this one really sparked me!)

Responsible pet ownership

What is it? What is the criteria for being a responsible owner? Are there levels of responsibleness (is that really even a word?)?

I consider myself to be a responsible owner - loving my dogs, living and sharing my home openly with them, socializing them, ensuring proper health care, and the list could go on.

However,

Would the fact that I tend to allow them to be overweight, that I do not train them consistently, that I do not ensure proper daily exercise -- would this make me an irresponsible owner?

I tend to be quick to judge those that I feel are not treating their dogs humanely (ie: dog living outside -partially or totally ignored and or chained, untrained, unloved, etc....) But, should I be more focused on my own irresponsibilities?

I am eager to hear what your thoughts are on this subject. Be sure that when given a bit more time I will be researching this topic and posting again. For now, just let me know your thoughts on responsibilities of pet owners.