Paws To Admire

What did the toilet paper do to you???

2011-11-04T10:13:00.000-04:00

We were just having some furniture delivered and I put all three dogs upstairs, with the gate up, so they wouldn't get in the way. They were up there for no more than 10 minutes. I go up and find this:

Our TERROR.. err... I mean, our 1 year old Chihuahua, Annabelle - got into the bathroom, apparently tried playing fetch with the bath mats, and also completely destroyed a roll of toilet paper. Pieces everywhere!

And when I FINALLY finished cleaning it all up, I look over the railing and see this going down the stairs:

That would be our monster, Annabelle, caught in the act, making another mess while I'm cleaning up the first one. And poor Sammy at the bottom of the stairs - with the roll of toilet paper - begging me with his eyes not to blame him. It's ok Sammy, we know who the culprit was! The one it usually is lately!!! I never knew a tiny 6 pound dog could get into so much mischief!! I mean, really!! It's a good thing we find her so adorable. It's just impossible to get mad at her. lol

Get 1 doggy coupon a day with DoggyLoot!

2011-10-28T11:05:00.002-04:00

Get 1 doggy coupon a day with DoggyLoot!

Create your own FREE Pet Webpage!

2011-10-24T07:54:00.001-04:00

Join The Internet's Premier Social Network For Pets! Create a FREE profile for you and your pets! Win prizes every week!

GIVEAWAY: Win almost $50 in dog food/treats coupons!

2011-10-12T07:26:00.003-04:00

Dog lovers! I have a little collection of coupons for dog food and dog treats up for grabs!

Just enter in Rafflecopter below to enter! This giveaway ends Monday 10/17 at 12:01 am. I will mail these coupons to the winner once they send me their address. Winner will have 24 hours to email me their address.

The coupons included in this giveaway are:

(1) $1.50 off any 2 Purina Dog Snacks

(4) Buy any 1 Meaty Bone product, get 1 Canine Carry outs FREE

(2) $4 off any 1 Purina ONE Brand Beyond dog food, any size/variety

(4) $2.50 off any 3 Milk Bone snacks

(6) $1.50 off any 2 Milk bone snacks

(5) $1.50 off any 1 bag of Kibbles N Bits

(4) $1.50 off any 2 Snausages or Snaw Somes snacks

In all, $47.80 in coupons! Good luck everyone!

FREE SAMPLE: Pet treat from Pet 'N Shape

2011-10-10T10:15:00.001-04:00

Click here to get a free pet treat sample from Pet 'N Shape!

Print exclusive $10 coupon off Comfort Zone for dogs & cats

2011-09-23T23:26:00.002-04:00

Print and receive exclusive printable coupon offer on Comfort Zone® with Feliway® or Comfort Zone® with D.A.P. ® products. Comfort Zone mimic the pheromones secreted by dogs and cats to work with your pet’s instincts to reduce undesirable behavior.

Product Review: Purina Pet Gear Training Pads

2011-09-23T23:19:00.002-04:00

First, I have to say, we have 3 dogs. We've been using training pads for over 11 years, for all 3 of our dogs. Our dogs range in sizes from 6 lbs to 30 lbs. All of them are trained to use potty pads when we are not home.

Over the years, we've used every brand possible. We've tried the more expensive pads, and we've tried the cheaper pads, even where we buy in bulk to get a better price. I mean, who wants to spend a lot of money on something your dog uses as a toilet and you just throw away afterwords, rights?

Well one of the problems we were having with all of our pads, was that our oldest dog, our min-pin, now has a tendency to pee on the CORNER of the pads - and the pee just rolls right off the pad. So frustrating! We were at our wits end when we finally found Purina Pet Gear training pads. We first saw there was a Rebate for a free box on Facebook. So, we made a trip to Walmart to try these pads.

Not thinking they would be any better than any other pad, BOY, were we wrong!! These pads are the BEST pads we have ever used!! These training pads soak up the pee immediately - absolutely nothing leaks off of these pads! Our min-pin can pee on the corners, to all her heart's desire - and the pad just soaks it all up! And we're finding that we're actually using a lot LESS pads than normal, because with our previous pads, they would be so soaking wet, we had to put several pads down so they could use a clean one. With Purina Pet Gear pads, they not only soak up the pee right away, but they remain dry on top - which means our dogs will share the same pad, saving us money!!

And if you're wondering about price - they are VERY reasonable! A 20ct box is $8.52 at Walmart, and at our store there was a $1 coupon on the box, so they are $7.52 for 20. Or, you can get a 40 ct box for $12.52 and they had a $4 coupon on the box! So you are paying only $8.52 for 40 pads! Comes out to 21¢ a pad, which is pretty much what we were paying for the other pads. Even without the $4 coupon, these are the pads for us.

If you are looking for the BEST quality training pads, try these out, you won't be disappointed!

$1 Pupperoni coupon

2011-09-13T10:34:00.001-04:00

Click here for a $1 coupon off Pup-Peroni! Our dogs LOVE these!!

Purina Giveaway!

2011-09-13T10:33:00.001-04:00

Purina is having a big Pets Giveaway! Click here and check back at 11am EST when their giveaway goes live

AUGUST promotion - free Priority shipping!

2011-08-01T08:18:00.000-04:00

Use coupon code AUGUST2011 on any order of $50 or more on our site and get FREE Priority Mail shipping! Valid through August 31st!

How much does your chihuahua shed?

2011-07-26T10:32:00.000-04:00

Question for all you Chihuahua owners out there... how much does your chihuahua shed? We have a Chi, Annabelle, who just turned 1 year old. She sheds more than anything I've ever seen! Her hair is EVERYWHERE. And I mean, everywhere. BF who loves her dearly is really having a hard time dealing with it. We knew chi's shed a little, but we've never experienced any dog who shed this much. If you were to hold her for 3 seconds you'd look you were attacked by a herd of German Shepherds or something! How can so much hair come from a 7lb chihuahua? You can even see it in the air sometimes when you're walking through a room. I'm sure the fans & A/C helps blow it around, but how is it possible for that much hair to fall off a little dog like this to begin with? Is this normal? She doesn't look like she's lost any hair at all - but it's EVERYWHERE! We tried bathing her, brushing her, etc - nothing helps calm the sea of Annabelle hair in our home.

We love her dearly, and she's our baby, and getting rid of her is NOT AN OPTION. But, we'd like to know if there's some way to control it. Does it get better as she gets older?

Can anyone offer any insight?

Ultimate Dog Tease

2011-07-23T14:16:00.000-04:00

This video really cracks me up! Very cute... you must see it! The creator of this video did a great job!

Got heat?

2011-07-23T14:13:00.000-04:00

Here in NY, we experienced record-breaking heat this week! At one point my thermometer read 118º! Yowza! We also haven't had any rain since June. Our pretty, lush green grass has turned to brown straw. We bought a sprinkler the other night to water the lawn and plants. I don't remember seeing such hot and humid temperatures in NY before, and I've lived here practically all my life.

It's a good thing we have air conditioning! Our 3 dogs who love spending time outside, wanted nothing to do with the outdoors at all this week. Every morning I say "ok let's go outside!" And they run to the door all excited to go out. This week, they sat still and gave me the "are you kidding me?" look.

Here's a few things I do to keep them cool in this heat:

Keep filling their water bowls with clean fresh water, and lots of ice!
Feed them ice. My dogs not only love eating ice, they love slapping it all over the floor. The bad thing is: ICE MELTS. So I wouldn't recommend letting them play with ice on floors you don't want wet.
I bought them a Cool Bed. You fill it with cold water, and it stays cold for 8 hours. Our Sammy LOVES his cool bed!
Keep fans on. We have air in several rooms in the house, but fans help keep our canine friends cool as well, especially in non-air conditioned rooms.
We DON'T walk them in high temps. It's not healthy for us, and it's not healthy for them. On days like today, it's safest to stay indoors. They still get lots of exercise in the house!

What do you do, to keep your dogs cool in the hot heat?

Alexis' results at vet today...

2011-02-10T21:44:00.001-05:00

What a tiring, and exhausting day this has been.

We brought Alexis into the vet's today for an emergency visit after she started peeing clots of blood today. Preliminary blood test results showed she had a UTI (urinary tract infection) and diabetes. We were given RX for insulin and syringes and told we have to give her insulin shots 2x a day now. Also were given other meds for her UTI and upset tummy. When we got home tonight, there was a message from our vet stating the full blood results were in, and she also has Pancreatitis. My heart can't take this today, seriously.

Alexis has to be on a complete bland diet now, of chicken and rice, or hamburg and rice, and that's it. Vet said if kept up with her insulin, meds and diet, that the pancreatitis may go away as well as her diabetes. But it's going to be a long road.

Alexis had also lost 6 lbs in the last 10 months.

It's been an awful day, and just when I think I'm out of tears, they start again..... praying she will get through this and live another happy 11 years.

Blood in dog's urine...

2011-02-10T13:23:00.001-05:00

Alexis, our min-pin, now has blood in her urine. We called the vet and have a 4:15pm appt for today... anxiously awaiting the appointment. I'm a nervous wreck and I hope it is nothing serious. She hasn't eaten since last night, wouldn't touch her food or even treats today. Will post updates after our appt...

Our new addition...

2011-01-03T15:05:00.001-05:00

So it's been a while since we blogged, but we have some exciting news! On New Year's Eve we adopted a "deerhead" chihuahua puppy! She is a 4 lb, 6 month old little girl named Annabelle. She is absolutely the sweetest little thing! She loves to cuddle. We've had her for a few days now and we are convinced that she is the PERFECT dog. We haven't even heard her bark yet! We even let her see the squirrels outside (that usually does it with our other dogs) and she just watches without making a peep.

Say hello to our precious Annabelle!

Mom, time to get up!!

2010-07-17T19:11:00.002-04:00

I've been having trouble sleeping lately - the past week I only got a few hours of sleep each night. Last night I was FINALLY able to fall right asleep. And I slept right through.. until 4 hours later, at 5:30am this morning. I woke up to Alexis, my min-pin, on my chest, her nose to mine, glaring at me. I open my eyes and she starts patting my face with her paw and her tail is wiggling so fast I thought she was going to propel off the bed. I look at the clock - 5:30am - and told her "come on, go back to sleep" and I take her off me and lay her next to me. She jumps back up on me and starts licking my face and still pawing at my face, making an excited squealing sound.

I figured she wanted to go out. So I drag myself out of bed, go downstairs, and go outside with her. She just sits there looking at me like "what are we doing out here?" I tell her to go potty and she just looks at me.

I go back inside, and she follows. Next thing I know, she's flying past me up the stairs. I go back in the bedroom and she's back in bed, under the covers, sleeping.

She's very lucky she's so cute. And I do remind her of this daily.

"Just a Dog"

2010-06-09T21:37:00.000-04:00

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog," or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog." They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog."

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did not once feel slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day. If you, too... think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand phrases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."

"Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. "Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person. Because of "just a dog" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day. I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a human."

So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog," just smile, because they "just don't understand."

Turn a sock into a squeaky toy

2010-05-15T23:15:00.001-04:00

If your dog is like mine, they go through expensive squeaky toys like CRAZY! Their favorite toys are "skineez" toys - they are squeaky toys usually in the shape of animals (rabbits, skunks, squirrels, etc) and they have no stuffing in them, which is nice because my dogs make a huge mess out of stuffing.

While I was doing my spring cleaning I came across some matchless socks and some with holes that were in a pile that I was wondering what I could do with them. Then I had an "aha!" moment.

I had previously ordered some sqeakers on ebay because I was constantly mending their squeaky toys and replacing the squeakers. But after a while, the toys just belong in the garbage. So, I grabbed my squeakers.

Then I grabbed one of the matchless socks.

I put 3 of the squeakers in the sock in 3 different locations, and then just stitched a few stitches on the sock to keep the squeakers in their own little sections of the sock, and then I sewed the end of the sock shut.

Sammy heard me squeaking away and was anxiously awaiting the finished product. It definitely got his approval.

Why pay $6 for a squeaky toy that would last just as long as an old matchless sock I had laying around? Clearly Sammy is not choosy as long as the toy squeaks. I better order more squeakers :)

MUST SEE Video - heroic dog leads troopers to fire

2010-04-27T21:23:00.002-04:00

You MUST SEE this video! This dog waited at an intersection for the police and then lead the police to it's owners house that was on fire. The police officer's GPS froze and if the dog hadn't led him to the house, it would have been a horrible outcome. After the police officer made it to the house, the dog then ran back to the intersection and waited for the fire trucks and led them to the house as well. Definitely a video worth watching. Also note how the dog keeps looking over his shoulder to make sure the police are following him.... so smart!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU5pZyY1HWM&feature=player_embedded

We're on Facebook!

2010-04-12T17:28:00.000-04:00

As of today we are officially on Facebook! Please visit and become a fan!

Mysterious min-pin eye issue

2010-04-12T14:41:00.001-04:00

So you already know I have a min-pin, her name is Alexis. She just turned 10 a couple weeks ago. Min-pins are known for having eye problems, and I've always known this but have not experienced it before. She does have a white dot in the center of her right eye though that she's had for many years. Vet said it was probably "fatty deposit" and it could be there forever, it could move around, even go to the other eye (how is that possible?). So we've lived with this for years and it's never affected her at all.

Saturday morning, she wakes up and is unable to open her right eye. I look at it and I see what looks like a scratch right above the white dot. Her eye is all puffy and draining... and she keeps rubbing it. So I call my vets and naturally, they were already closed. I called the after-hours Emergency Vet and I get this voicemail that says they are closed and "do not leave a message". ?? So I ended up just rinsing her eye out myself with saline throughout the day and it did seem to ease her pain a little. She already had an appt for Monday at her regular vets with a tech to get her nails done and I thought for sure I'd be calling in Monday AM to change that to a Dr. visit instead.

Anyways, Sunday her eye seems better but she's still got her eye closed a lot but she can open it. And she was still rubbing it. I kept rinsing it out with saline, much to her dissatisfaction.

Today I wake up and voila! Eye is COMPLETELY FINE! No scratch, no puffiness, no redness, no nothing. I'm eyeballing her eye and she's looking at me like, what are you looking at??

Take her to the vets today and they said her eye looks completely fine. So what do you think it could have been? It looked like a scratch on her eyeball, and if it was something ON her eyeball, it wasn't moving. Could it have been allergies? Vet didn't have any idea since her eye was completely fine when they saw her. Maybe it was God answering my prayers all weekend!

All I know for sure is I'm relieved and very thankful that she's ok. Had me worried out of my mind all weekend! I think worrying about her is going to be the death of me someday... lol

Easy Dog Treat Gifts

2009-12-31T21:31:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for a quick, easy and thoughtful gift for the dog lover on your list, I'm going to offer you a suggestion. You only need 2 ingredients:

Milkbones (or dog biscuits of your choice - you could even make your own)
White chocolate morsels (or wafers).

DIRECTIONS:

Lay out the dog biscuits on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.
Empty one 10-oz package of white morsels in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Take out, stir. Microwave another 10-15 seconds until the chips are completely melted. Be careful not to over-cook as they will burn and you'll have to start all over.
When the morsels are melted, grab a spoon and drizzle the white chocolate over the bones on the cookie sheet. You can add food coloring to make them more festive, and you can also dip the bones halfway in the white chocolate instead to make them half-dipped.
Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 5 minutes, then take out and wrap them up however you'd like. I like wrapping them in little cello bags or little treat boxes and adding a ribbon. I also add a little note, for example, saying "Merry Christmas to Sparky, love Santa Paws" and they make wonderful gifts for my dog-loving friends!

And yes, if you're wondering - white chocolate is SAFE for dogs. It contains no cocoa which is what is toxic in regular chocolate. Hope you (and your dog friends) enjoy!

Doggie Christmas Stockings

2009-12-14T21:50:00.001-05:00

Yes, my dogs get their own Christmas stockings! And why wouldn't they? They are part of the family, after all!

Here are their stockings... I haven't filled them with goodies... yet :)

Product Review: Neater Feeder

2009-12-09T11:05:00.002-05:00

I blogged a little while ago about these new dog feeders I had just bought from QVC, called Neater Feeders. Well they arrived yesterday, and my dogs just had their 3rd meal in them - and I have to say, I absolutely LOVE them!!

I bought Alexis the cranberry one and Sammy got the brown one.

The feeders come with optional leg extensions, which I used for both of my dogs. When I bought them, I wasn't sure if I was going to use the extensions for Alexis' feeder because I thought it would be too high for her, but it's not. They are the perfect size for both of my dogs! No more neck strain to eat out of a bowl on the floor. And they each have their own water bowls as well, which I love - because Alexis has this thing about splashing in her water bowl with all 4 paws. I'll have to blog about that another time :)

So let me tell you a little more about the feeders. They arrived in such a small box I actually thought it was something else I had ordered. They feeder itself arrived in 2 pieces, and the leg extensions were in a separate bag. Here's what's really cool about the feeders. The top part is a nice wide area with a mesh grate area in the front, so it is spill proof. All the food your dog drops will stay on top - but all water spilled will drain into the tray below!

If your dogs bump into this feeder, or if you kicked it, etc - the water will not spill onto your floor!

Sammy is a much messier eater than Alexis and here's his feeder. You can see how all his food stays on top of the tray instead of on the floor!

Anyways, these feeders come in 3 sizes through QVC. A small dog size, a large dog size, and a cat size - the one for the cats has wider bowls to allow for the cat's whiskers! They thought of everything.

I've tried so many different feeders & bowls over the years, but I've finally found one I really love. Removable stainless steel bowls, spill-proof, virtually mess-proof (for the floors), they are lightweight, and are a comfortable feeding system for your dog - what's not to love?? I rate this 5 stars!

Spill-proof "Neater Feeders" for dogs

2009-12-01T00:07:00.001-05:00

I just ordered 2 of these from QVC. They are spill-proof "neater feeders"! They have a filter on top and any water filters to the bottom tray that is hidden - so if you have a messy dog like I do, the water will drip into the bottom instead of all over the floor. Can't wait until they come in! I bought both in size Small, and one in brown (for Sammy) and one in Cranberry (for Alexis). Will let you know how they work after they have tried them!

Oh, and if you're interested in checking them out yourself and checking out the on-air video, here is a link. They have them in 3 sizes - Large and Small for dogs, and a cat size which has wider bowls to allow for the cat's whiskers.

New winter fabrics have arrived!

2009-11-27T22:07:00.001-05:00

Our long awaited new line of winter fabrics have finally arrived! As soon as we are caught up from our Thanksgiving week's orders we will work on adding them to our website. There are so many new cute ones! Lots of new dog prints. Choosing your prints will now be harder than ever!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T23:14:00.002-05:00

I absolutely love Thanksgiving. I love watching the Macy's Day Parade, and having family over for a big turkey dinner. Afterwords we usually read the newspaper circulars for all the Black Friday ads, and then all settle in the living room with big comfy blankets, the fireplace on and watch movies we ordered from Netflix. My dogs are snuggled under the blankets with me and it is just the most relaxing, enjoyable day. I look so forward to this day every year and being able to spend the holidays with family is definitely something to be thankful for.

I wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving and I hope you can find something to be thankful for this holiday season as well.

Sammy's ear infection

2009-11-25T23:08:00.001-05:00

About a week ago I noticed Sammy was itching his ear and took a look at it and it was a little red, and had just a little bit of what looked like scabs in it. I cleaned it out and the next day it looked fine. The next day I looked at it and it was red again. I again cleaned it out and put a little Animax cream in it. The next day it looked better. The other day I looked at it again and his ear looked AWFUL! It had this brown "gunk" all over it, he was itching it worse and it had a foul odor. I called the vets and the first appt they had was Wednesday at 5:15pm.

So I took him to the vets today... this dog who is SO aggressive towards other dogs, walks into a room with 4 other dogs and does not make a peep! In fact, he was trying to hide behind my legs and faced the corner so he didn't have to make eye contact with any of them! They have had to whisk us away into a room real quick because he does not like other dogs. Not today! He was a perfect angel, go figure! Even when this very strange looking Corgi was growling and snarling and barking at him, Sammy wanted nothing to do with it. Weird. I think all the exercise he's getting and getting out and seeing other dogs & people is really helping him socialize! He also lost 4 lbs! Woohoo!

Ok, back to the ear infection. Dr. looks him over and checks for mites under the scope and found there were no mites (phew!) But, he does have a yeast AND bacterial infection in his right ear :( Dr. cleansed out his ear and medicated it and also gave me the rinse and medication to do it myself for the next week (that oughta be fun. Not.) Dr. said dogs who have hairy ears like Sammy have a tendency to get these infections more often because the hair blocks air to get through and keeps moisture, wax and dirt in his ear, causing the infection.

But at least it's nothing too serious and will be gone in about a week. He already seems as if he's not in discomfort anymore.

And that's one less thing to worry about on Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Doggy Futon!

2009-11-04T15:26:00.004-05:00

I was out and about today and decided to make a quick trip into a second hand thrift store. I love finding things I can recycle and do fun things with. Today I found this black metal "thing". What it is, I have no clue! It almost looks like one of those log holders you put in a fireplace. If someone knows what this thing actually is, please let me know.

Anyways, you know where my mind goes first as soon as I saw it.... Doggy Futon!! I swear, my dogs have more furniture in the house than I do. Anyways, it was marked only $3.99.. so I could not pass it up.

I brought it home, and gave it a good cleaning in the tub.

Then I made this cute little stuffed fleece cover for it.

Alexis had been sniffing it and checking it out as soon as I brought it in the house. I finally let her at it.

I think it passed her inspection, what do you think?

And yes, Sammy checked it out too and gave it a test drive. But his bed is higher up and he likes it better up there. But this is perfect for Alexis because she can get up here all by herself!

If you have recycled something for your pets, please post a link!

==============================================================

UPDATE

I'm unsure where the official "home" of this new futon is going to be (they have 8 beds in this room alone!) so I just had it on the floor next to me in my sewing room - and I just happened to look down and she's sound asleep on it. She looked so cute I just had to snap a couple more pictures of her in her new little futon :)

Alexis loves her Chew-Lotta Bone

2009-10-19T14:44:00.002-04:00

I had to go out for a few hours this morning, so I always give the dogs a special treat to keep them busy when I know I'm going to be gone for a while. I specifically give Alexis a Chew-Lotta bone. She loves these, and she doesn't eat them when I'm gone! She protects it and carries it around with her the entire time. Giving her a Chew-Lotta bone saves her from eating my carpet or anything else she shouldn't get into while I'm gone.

And then when I get home, she starts licking it. She never just chomps down and eats these bones like a normal dog would do - she licks and licks and licks until it gets so thin in the center it breaks! It reminds me of that old commercial with the owl and the tootsie roll pops. How many licks does it take to get to the center? lol

She'll be carrying around this bone for days. Licking and licking and licking. Then it will break and she'll walk away from it and lose complete interest in it!

Here's a video of her licking it when I got home. And you can hear Sammy breathing in the background, watching her like a hawk, anxiously awaiting the moment she walks away from it!

Embroidered dog bone placemats now available

2009-10-16T22:19:00.002-04:00

We are so excited to announce we are now offering embroidered placemats!

Our placemats are vinyl, so they can be wiped clean and they are backed with a polyester knit so they will not damage your floors. These vinyl placemats can be personalized with a number of sayings or we can embroider your dog's name on them!

A few examples:

For the month of October the placemats are just $4.99 + shipping/handling! (Embroidering is extra). There are 28 vinyl fabrics for you to choose from, so you can find one to match your decor! Click here to shop now or visit our site at http://www.PawsToAdmire.com!

Honk if you're naughty

2009-10-13T13:13:00.000-04:00

Is anyone else obsessed with the show on Animal Planet - "It's Me or the Dog"? I love that show! Victoria Stilwell is amazing. I do not miss a single episode. I watch and try to learn, although I have to say I'm not nearly as successful as she is in getting my dogs to obey my commands.

The one dog I'm trying so hard to train right now is Sammy. My 6-year old male Shiteranian. That's Shih-tzu and Pomeranian. He has this really loud, vicious growl and bark and it really scares a lot of people. Whenever I open the door to someone, he barks, snarls, growls, as loud as he can. He is so loud, I cannot have a conversation with someone at the door. I either have to go outside and close the door or put him in another room and close the door. I also have to keep the front gated so he cannot reach visitors. He's been known to nip at men's pants. He's never bitten anyone but I'm not willing to take the chance.

Anyways, while watching a recent episode of It's Me or the Dog, Victoria would remove the dog from the room to keep him from barking. It doesn't work on Sammy. Then I saw Victoria get a loud horn - like the kind you'd get for a child's bike - and honk the horn at the dogs when they bark, and the dogs on the show stopped barking! I thought, that was brilliant!

So, off to Walmart I went. I was testing out the horns in the bicycle section like an overgrown child myself, and got the loudest, most annoying honking horn I could find. That should do the trick. Right?

I get home, and of course, both of my dogs have their little heads in the Walmart bags to see what I brought home and looking to see what goodies I got them. I found the horn and honked it once. They just stood there looking at me, not sure what that was. I set it down on the bench in my foyer and went into the kitchen to put away some groceries.

A few minutes later, I hear the most loud, annoying HONK!!! And not just once. It was like a HONK-HONK-HONKHONK-HONK-HONK! I run out of the kitchen and there's Sammy - horn in mouth. He runs up into the bathroom, honking "his" new horn. Yeah. "Mommy brought me home a real fun squeaky toy!" Not.

Needless to say, I don't think this will train him. And I'm glad I passed on the air horn. Yikes.

Any suggestions short of asking Victoria to come to my house and help me train him herself??

Make your own dog food

2009-10-06T13:15:00.000-04:00

I have posted before how you can rate your dog's pre-packaged dog food. But lately I'm liking pre-packaged dog food less and less. Even the ones that are supposed to be so healthy have a lot of additives and things in there I don't like. So I came up with a way to make my own dog food, something I know is healthy for them and that they will love to eat.

If you're like me, you always have left overs that you end up throwing away. We eat a lot of chicken in our house. Like, at least 5 days a week we eat chicken. Chicken is very affordable, and very healthy!

I usually make my own rotisserie chickens but today at the grocery store I was feeling lazy and decided to buy one. I very rarely eat left overs, so what ever was left of the rotisserie chicken would have gone in the garbage. So here's what I did instead.

I have a little $10 food processor I bought at Walmart a while ago. I got it out, and take off the leftover pieces of chicken meat. I do NOT include bones, skin or any fat pieces. Pretty much just the white meat and a little dark meat. I put the meat in my food processor and grind it up.

I grind it up real good, and then pour it into a sealed container:

Sometimes I add fresh veges to it, like ground up baby carrots, broccoli, anything my dogs like. Then I put the container in the fridge. When it's time for dinner, I give them this fresh, ground up food and also throw a little bit of their doggie kibble in the dish for crunch (it's good for their teeth) and they eat it up like crazy! If I have gravy I'll store that separately and pour just a little in their dish for extra flavor.

Last night we had tacos. My dogs would eat the entire pan of taco meat if I let them. So what I did - was all the meat that was left over, I placed in a strainer and rinsed it off real good, to get as much of the spices off the meat as possible. Then I placed the meat in the grinder with some baby carrots and got this:

Last week I made chicken soup with brown rice, and ground up some left over pieces of chicken and the rice for them.

I feel so much better feeding them something I know is good for them, food they love, and I don't have to worry about all those "mystery" ingredients they are consuming. And the next time there is a dog food scare I won't have to worry if my dogs are in danger.

Alexis going to the vets today

2009-10-02T09:52:00.009-04:00

I have not slept all week. Alexis, my 9-year old min-pin, has not let me sleep.

Monday morning - At around 5am I wake up to her walking all over my pillow, pacing all over the bed, then I hear her get off the bed by climbing down the step stool. I listen and then I hear her throwing up in the hallway. I get up, and she's acting all frantic. I notice she threw up what looked like carpet fibers, thread and pillow stuffing! She was pacing the floors. Then she starts doing this weird inhaling and licking thing - all over the floor - picking up lint, dust, licking the carpets feverishly - whatever she can lick or eat, she does. And she does this like wild. I tried to stop her - I put her back up on the bed and tried getting her to relax but she just gets off the bed again and keeps doing it. She then flew down the stairs. I followed her down, and she had her nose in the doorway to the basement. I let her out and followed her - she went outside and ate grass like crazy. After eating grass, she came upstairs and curled up in her little bed and was fine the rest of the day. Ok, that was weird.

Tuesday morning - Same scenario as Monday. Wakes me up at 4am by pacing all over my bed & my pillow, gets off the bed and throws up in the hallway. More carpet fibers, thread and pillow stuffing. I have no idea where the stuffing is coming from. I mean, I have boxes of polyfill in the house, but it is not accessible to the dogs. Her stomach is growling so loud you can hear it across the room. She wants to go downstairs and starts whining because there is a gate up to keep her upstairs. I let her downstairs and outside. Once again, she feverishly eats the grass outside for quite a while, and then comes back in and she's fine.

Wednesday/Thursday mornings - Same scenarios. I've been watching her like a hawk - making sure she doesn't eat anything she's not supposed to, or lick the carpets, etc. I did find a pillow in the bedroom that had stuffing sticking out of it - so I'm assuming that's where she got the stuffing from. I keep that pillow on the floor next to the step stool to break her fall if she falls off of it. (had that happen once and she got hurt). Pillow has been removed. Both of these nights I did not give her any treats before bedtime and gave her a later walk, hoping it would help her sleep the whole night through. But neither worked.

Friday morning - It's been a long week. She has not let me sleep more than a couple hours this entire week. I wake up to her pacing on my pillow and bed, whining, her loud stomach gurgling, her throwing up, wanting to run outside to eat grass, etc. I have never seen a dog act like this and she is clearly in discomfort, although it does seem to go away once she eats the grass, and then she acts normal the rest of the day.

I just called the vet and asked to bring her in ASAP. I was told the only opening was at 2pm today so I took it. Please say a prayer that she'll be ok! I'll update when we get back.

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Update 2:47pm
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Just got back from the vets. Vet is concerned about blockage in her intestines. Took an x-ray and vet wanted to keep her overnight, which really upset me since I've only been away from her overnight once in her life (9+ years) and that was when she was spayed. Vet gave her some barium and let me take her home and I have to bring her back at 4:30pm so they can take another x-ray and see if the barium shows any definite blockage. If there is blockage she will need surgery. Vet also took some more blood for other tests, and to see if the meds she's been on is helping her thyroidism.

First things first. I'm praying she does not have blockage and will not need surgery!!!! This is SO stressful. My poor baby! :(

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Update 8:41pm
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Alexis and I just woke from a much needed nap, which is why this update has taken so long. I took her back to the vets at 4:30pm and while in the waiting room the tech took her from my arms to take another x-ray after the barium had been in her system a couple of hours. I'm very emotional when it comes to my dogs, and I worry so much about them, I couldn't help the tears. I was fine until the tech took her from me. A few minutes later, the receptionist brought her out to me and said it would be a few minutes. A few minutes after that, the vet called me in. We went in and she put the first x-ray up showing me what concerned her about it. Then she put up the new one showing the barium and where it was going in her system. So far, the barium was going through fine, which means NO blockage!! Thank GOD!!! And, the vet said with the barium in her system, she was able to see things much more clearly and was able to rule out other things she was concerned about!! I was so emotional I was crying in relief!! Vet said she is not 100% out of the woods yet though - I have to bring her back at 8am tomorrow morning for one last x-ray to make sure all the barium left her system. If that looks good then we are good to go! Vet said she gave her an injection of something for what might have been causing her latest behavior (I didn't catch the name) and will give me meds for antacid (?) which may have been the problem if tomorrow's x-ray is ok.

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Update11:05am Saturday
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Well I brought her in this morning at 8am. She had another x-ray taken. Vet called me in shortly after and said it was looking pretty good, the barium went through fine so there was definitely no blockage. She did see a white spot still in her stomach though that she was concerned was an ulcer or laceration so she wanted me to bring her in on Monday to get one last X-ray. I asked to see yesterday's x-rays again, as the 2nd x-ray after she had the barium did not show any white spot and asked her - wouldn't that have shown in yesterday's x-ray? She got out yesterday's x-ray and said I was right - after she took the barium yesterday and it went through her stomach there was NO white spot where the spot was today, so she said she was able to rule out anything serious. She thinks it's a little bit of polyfil (ugh) that she had eaten earlier in the week or something similar that is making it's way through her system. She thinks Alexis will be just fine!! And I don't have to go back on Monday now!

She did prescribe her some Famotidine (antacid) for her to take for the next 10 days along with her Soloxine for her thyroidism.

For the first time this week, Alexis let me sleep this morning. She did NOT have a stomach ache this morning, there was no throwing up, she did not have a manic episode like she has had all week, and when I let her outside, she did not eat grass!

I'm **so** relieved you have no idea! My prayers worked! Alexis will be ok! Thanks to everyone who prayed for her and wished us well!

Blog thief!

2009-09-29T20:51:00.004-04:00

While going over our site analytics I found this suspicious site: http://www.h56.net. When looking into it, I found they have cloned (stolen) all of this blog's content, word for word, and also copied images of MY dogs on their site that are still linked to our server, therefore using our bandwidth.

Just a few examples:

Ours: http://pawstoadmire.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-product-fleece-fringed-dog-blankets.html

Theirs: http://www.h56.net/pet-dognew-product-fleece-fringed-dog-blankets.html

Ours: http://pawstoadmire.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-canine-shower-guard.html

Theirs: http://www.h56.net/for-dogsmy-canine-shower-guard.html

Ours: http://pawstoadmire.blogspot.com/2009/09/sammy-got-new-harness-leash.html

Theirs: http://www.h56.net/best-dogsammy-wants-to-show-off-his-new-harness-leash.html

And for kicks & giggles, I changed the image on their site for this one:

http://www.h56.net/dog-petskeeping-your-dog-cool.html

Any suggestions on how to stop this would be much appreciated! I am hoping though, that they copy this post as well :)

Rant #1 - People who ignore leash laws

2009-09-29T01:56:00.000-04:00

I have several rants when it comes to inconsiderate dog owners, so I'll number this one #1. I'm sure this will be just the beginning of a long series of rants :)

Ok, so what is my first rant? People who let their dogs roam free where there is a LEASH LAW.

I live in the Village of a very small town. If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know I have two fairly small dogs. I like living in the Village, because I like having neighbors nearby in case of emergency, and I like walking my dogs downtown in the Village. And I like that there is a LEASH LAW. There are lots of sidewalks, some grass, some streams, the perfect place to walk your dog when the weather permits it.

I live just two streets from downtown. There is a hospital practically in my back yard. I am within walking distance to several stores, restaurants, my post office, my bank, etc. You get the picture.

So I just mention the word "harness" and my dogs run downstairs to where their harnesses are hung near the front door, almost jumping out of their skin, getting all excited about their walk. I harness them up, and out the door we go.

We get to the end of my street and go down the next street over. There is a huge dog that looks like an Irish Setter and he comes right up to the sidewalk (he has NO leash on) and he starts growling. A lot. I get really nervous - not because I'm concerned about the dog attacking me, but I fear for the safety of my dogs. My dogs see the dog walking towards us and growling and Sammy goes ballistic. I quickly scoop up both my dogs, turn around and walk away very quickly. We won't be going down that street again.

We get back to Main Street and walk over the stream and the dogs stop to check out the ducks. They just like watching them, and there are probably at least one hundred little ducks in the stream. We continue our walk as far as we're going to go, and we turn down another street to loop over to our street. Out of nowhere, a huge black dog (unsure of breed) comes flying out of someone's back yard and comes straight at us. We are about 3 houses from Main Street. I once again scoop up my dogs, turn around and walk away back down the street. The black dog is barking and growling and still running towards us. Sammy is barking and snarling back which is NOT helping, but that's the least of my problems at this point. I started running down the street, back to Main Street, and back to my street.

My street is on a hill and my house is in the middle of the hill, so I have a ways to go up. I'm still running with my 2 dogs in my arms. Mind you - I said they were "small" dogs - a combined total of 44 lbs! I'm afraid for my dogs, and I'm afraid I'm going to pass out before I get home! I finally did not see the black dog anymore so right before we got home I was able to put the dogs back down again. And in the house we went.

Not too long ago, one of my mail carriers was bitten on the shoulder by a dog at the top of my street.

My question is, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE DOG OWNERS? My back yard is 100% completely fenced in, to keep other animals & people out and to keep my dogs safe and sound! And if I didn't have a fence, I would at least keep them on a leash while they were outside. As a responsible pet owner, I feel it's my job to keep them safe, and not to let them roam on other people's property or be a threat to anyone else.

I'm annoyed, and I'm angry that I cannot walk my dogs in peace so close to home. I'm tempted to bring mace with me next time - but for the life of me I can't picture myself using it.

If you've ever had to deal with something like this, and have any suggestions for me, please post in the comments section. It's not fair to my dogs to have their walks cut short because some people cannot contain their pets in their own yards.

Creatures of habit

2009-09-23T12:26:00.002-04:00

We are definitely a creature of habit, aren't we? I don't always realize it until my dogs point out to me that we are.

I take one step out of bed in the morning and both dogs run to the bathroom door, way ahead of me. Alexis (my min-pin) has her nose pressed against the corner of the door, waiting for me to open it. They know that the first stop in the morning is the bathroom.
As soon as I turn out the light in the bathroom they run into my office, because they know that's the next stop (have to check my emails). Alexis once again, is way ahead of me, with her little nose pressed against the office door. I open it and they run in.
I stand up from my office chair and they both run downstairs and stand with their little noses pressed against the door to the basement. They know I always let them out as soon as we go downstairs. (They have doggie doors in the basement that take them outside). I open the basement door and they go flying down the steps. As usual, I yell to them to "go slow!!!!" I'm so afraid they are going to go flying off those stairs one day, they get so excited to go out. I hear them fly out the doggie doors. I go outside too, but much slower :) I'm not quite as anxious as they are to explore the back yard in the mornings. I check my garden when I get out and do some laundry in the basement and then head back upstairs.
As soon as I start walking up the steps, I hear what sounds like a small herd of elephants. The dogs are flying back UP the stairs, because it's time for breakfast! They stand in front of their bowls and do their little dances and make their "feed me, I'm wilting away" noises. I grab their bowls and they run into the pantry, and they stop right in front of the pantry door where their food is. I grab their food and they once again go flying into the kitchen to be fed.
After they eat, they run upstairs to fight over their favorite sleeping spots in my office.
At night time, when I turn the tv off, they both jump up (even though they are usually sound asleep until then) and they run downstairs to go potty (they know they are not allowed in bed until they do!). While I'm turning off all the lights, locking all the doors, etc - they are upstairs and already in bed. Anxiously awaiting morning to begin the cycle all over again.

At first I thought my dogs had psychic abilities, but then realized they have just studied my every move very closely and are trying to tell me that I am just a creature of habit.

Sammy wants to show off his new harness & leash!

2009-09-15T11:28:00.002-04:00

I was at Walmart yesterday and they had the cutest harness & leashes on clearance! I don't ever recall seeing them when they were regular priced, or I would have bought them a long time ago, as Sammy really needs a new harness. So check out the pet clearance section at your Walmart if you are in need of a new harness or leash!

They are an ECO-Harness and ECO-Leash and made by the ASPCA. They are heavy duty! They are a taupe color and say "best friend" on them in beige - too cute! The harness was only $5 and the leash was only $2.50! And they had Sammy's size!

Here he is, sporting his new harness.

And Miss Alexis was getting all jealous because Sammy had his leash on and she didn't... so I had to go put hers on her too! I bought her set a few years ago at the vets, it has a purple & green daisy print on them. She loves to pose for the camera :)

And now that they have their leashes on, they are sitting at the front door because they think they are going for their walk. They really are smarter than a lot of people I know, lol. Ok, gotta go put my shoes on... looks like we're going for a walk!

Free Cesar Bistro Entrees every Saturday through 10/10/09

2009-09-11T19:56:00.002-04:00

Cesar is giving away free Cesar Bistro Entrees tomorrow and every Saturday through 10/10/09 from 9am to midnight. But they are only giving away 1,500 each Saturday so mark your calendar! You can also submit your email address and they will send you a reminder! My dogs love these!

CLICK HERE to sign up for yours!

Remembering 9/11

2009-09-11T10:34:00.001-04:00

9/11, such a sad day in our history. I remember it like it was yesterday.

I live in Upstate NY, several hundreds of miles from NYC. I was working from home at the time and I used to stay up working really late (3-4am) so I would sleep late in the mornings. Everyone knew not to call me early.

Well, that day, my phone rang and woke me up. I reached for the phone and grumbled a "hello". It was my mom. She told me she was sorry and didn't want to wake me, but this was important - to go turn on my tv, we were being attacked by terrorists. I flew out of bed and went into the living room and turned on the tv. It was on all the stations. That image of the planes hitting the twin towers was forever embedded in my head. What a horrible sight. Seeing people jumping from the buildings that were on fire. Then seeing the buildings themselves just collapse into the ground. People fleeing for their lives. Monstrous clouds of dust and rubble. Seeing people with bruises, cuts, broken limbs, trying to save their own lives, trying to find help.

Then I hear the Pentagon was hit by another plane, and shortly after that a plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. So many unnecessary lives lost. All of these innocent people were murdered by terrorists.

It was the most tragic thing I'd ever witnessed. I was glued to the tv for weeks. I didn't work for days. I think pretty much everyone in the US had put their lives on hold to watch this horrific event unfold in front of our eyes. I couldn't stop watching it on tv - I wanted so badly to hear them announce they've found a bunch of people alive and they were rescuing them. But there were no more rescues, it was now a recovery mission. To recover as many dead bodies as possible.

It was so horrible I kept asking myself if it was really happening? Am I having a nightmare or is this really happening? Someone, please wake me up from this nightmare. It was not just a nightmare. We were attacked by al-Qaida terrorists. Such a sad, sad day in U.S. history.

So please take a moment to stop and remember the victims of 9/11 today. And remember to be thankful for what we do have. It could all be taken away in a matter of seconds.

An adorable picture from PsychoZoe!

2009-09-10T16:27:00.001-04:00

A blogging friend of ours, PsychoZoe, made this picture of my precious Alexis! I just had to share it. She is so talented and this picture came out awesome! It's my new desktop picture :)

Isn't she "Berry Sweet"l?!? :) Thanks Zoe!!!

Sammy's trip to the groomers

2009-09-09T23:03:00.001-04:00

Sammy goes to the groomers every 6 weeks. I always have his hair cut really short around his body and he gets a sort of "puppy cut" around his muzzle. I think he looks cutest like that. Although after a week he looks like a chia pet all over again. His hair grows so fast and it's so hard to manage myself.

I've blogged before about how my dogs always sleep in my bed with me. Well this morning, I woke up and Sammy was laying on the floor right next to my bed. Apparently he was too hot in the middle of the night and decided the hardwood floors were cooler. Wouldn't you know it was the day he had to go to the groomers? It was almost like he was telling me that it was time to get that hair cut off.

I've attempted grooming him myself before. The first time I took him to the groomers I had him all shaved down. I thought he looked adorable. And I thought, well, I could do that! How hard could it be? I went to Wally world and bought some dog trimmers and away we went. Got home and put him on the table in my bathroom and started shaving. I mean, how can you mess up when shaving almost all of your dog's hair off, right?

Well good Lord. When I was "done" with him he looked like I'd given him a haircut with the weed wacker. Even HE was embarassed. I tried fixing it but only continued to make it worse. I tried covering him up with clothing but he wasn't having any part of that either. Needless to say, he was pretty much home-bound for a few weeks until his hair started growing back and he started looking somewhat like a normal dog again. From that point on, he goes to the groomers. Period. I will not even attempt it again. I'll bathe him when I have to, and trim his nails and clean his ears and all that good stuff - but when it comes to getting his hair cut, he goes to the groomers!

Dog hair trimmers.... $25

Dog shampoo.... $5

Leaving the haircuts to the professionals.... PRICELESS!

Here are his before & after pics from today!

NEW Yogurt Flavored Munchy Bones

2009-09-04T13:09:00.003-04:00

I was at Walmart this morning and saw a new type of "Munchy Bone" treat by Ol' Roy (Walmart brand). It was yogurt flavored. I bought a 21 oz bag for $5.53 and thought I'd see if it passed my dogs' approval. They love other yogurt treats so I thought they might like these.

I get home, and of course, Alexis and Sammy's heads goes directly in the Walmart bags. They have to inspect everything that comes in the house! Nothing gets by these guys. And they know that when I go to Walmart, I never come home without something for them. Spoiled? Just a tad.

So I let them go through the bags for a minute and then I find the bag of Munchy Bones. The eyes just glare at the bag, watching its every move. They hear the crinkle of the plastic bag as I open it and you can see their ears perk up and see them licking their chops, just waiting to get their treat, all not missing a beat.

I ask them "do you want a treat?" Their tails are wagging so fast I think they might levitate off the ground. I slowly reach in and grab the two bones and slowly take them out of the bag - the anticipation is almost too much for them! I hand them their bones. Sammy snaps it right up and runs into the other room to devour his new treat. Alexis, the min-pin diva, has to sniff it all over before finally deciding it's worth her effort to take it out of my hand. She finally takes it and runs upstairs with it. Sammy then follows her upstairs with his.

By the time I get upstairs, Sammy has 1/4 of it gone. Within 5 minutes it was gone. I should have named him Hoover.

I look over at Alexis, and she's on her blanket, just hovering over her bone. Now here's the thing. I kid you not - she will just carry that stupid bone around for days. She may bury it under her blankets, under one of her beds, in my laundry basket - but she knows just where it is, and if Sammy gets too close to it, she'll spaz and reclaim it. Then after a few days of watching Sammy play "find Alexis' bone", she'll take a couple bites out of it, and then just drop it somewhere and not give it another thought. So really, Sammy eventually gets both bones.

So anyways, it passed Sammy's inspection, and it passed Alexis' inspection. (If it didn't, she wouldn't have even taken it to begin with). Would I get them again? You betcha. I only wish they made the bones a little smaller. These are a little too large for my little dogs. They make the smaller ones in the other flavor (beef?) so maybe if these yogurt ones become popular, they'll make them for the smaller dogs too.

So if you see these at your local Walmart, give them a try for your dog. They got "2 paws up" from Sammy & Alexis!

Photos from our readers!

2009-09-03T15:05:00.003-04:00

Our newsletter went out today and we asked everyone to send us their pet photos! They have started to come in, so we are going to share them in this post. We hope you enjoy them as much as we are!

Ken from Scottish Terrier Rescue of RI writes:

Just thought you would like to see a picture of our Scottie. He is the mascot for the Scottish Terrier Rescue of RI. Charlie cartboy has been with us over 4 years and is doing well.

Jose from CO writes:

I wanted to share some photos that I thought were pretty funny of my Bassett Hounds. Molly is our little girl and she is the Lemon color. Boe is our male who is tri-color. Molly will be 3 in November and Boe will be 5 in January.

A dog who can tell time?

2009-09-02T08:27:00.001-04:00

My min-pin, Alexis, almost always sleeps until I get her up. Most of the time I have to force her out of bed. She's quite lazy and would stay in bed under the covers all day if I'd let her. She always sleeps under the covers, no matter how hot it is. Sometimes she'll try to wake me under the covers, but very rarely will she get out from under the covers while I'm still in bed.

I use my cell phone as my alarm clock - and I only put it on my nightstand when I have to get up early in the morning. Last night I put it on my nightstand because I had to get up unusually early this morning. I set it for 6:30am. This morning, at 6:15, Alexis crawled up from under the covers, came up on my pillow and put her paw on my face and started licking my face. Like she was trying to tell me "rise and shine!". My alarm hadn't even gone off yet, and it was still dark out.

Now, what would possess her to do such a thing? I actually thought it was quite cute that she did that, but also thought it was weird, as she is NOT a morning person (like myself). By putting my cell phone on the nightstand, did that indicate to her that I was getting up early? Did she hear me say I had to get up early and knows how to tell time? LOL

It just makes me wonder why she did that. It's not every day she risks her life to wake me up early, LOL

Anyone for some Dog with Lobster Sauce?

2009-08-28T22:43:00.000-04:00

I ordered some chinese for dinner last night. Shrimp with green beans, and a small order of shrimp with lobster sauce just to try it and see if I liked it. (Came highly recommended by a friend).

I thought the shrimp w/lobster sauce was "eh" don't think I'd reorder it again. Didn't eat much of it, there was a lot left. I threw the rest out.

So I'm upstairs working, and usually both dogs are within very close proximity to where I'm working. I look down and Alexis is sleeping on her blanket, and Sammy is no where to be found. Hmm....strange. Now Sammy is the one who really never leaves my side. If he's not near my side, he's either (1) outside (2) or somewhere in the house being B-A-D. I call for him. No response. Now, it's late and dark out so I know he's not outside because the doggie doors get closed when it starts to get late. I go to the top of the stairs and I call him again. No response. I listen and I hear a slight rustling sound coming from the living room. I just knew he was into something he shouldn't be.

I grab my camera (I always have it by my side, my dogs are always giving me material to write about!) and I slowly creep down the stairs.

I find this.

He had gotten a hold of the chinese container from the garbage can and licked it clean. Not only did he lick it clean, he got his head stuck in it, and when he finally pulled it off, his entire head was all slimy with lobster sauce. Hmph.

Needless to say, in the tub he went.

This is not my first go-round with him taking something really messy out of the garbage can. One time he marinated his entire body. Don't ask.

The horrors of Nail Trimming

2009-08-28T09:53:00.005-04:00

The face of an angel, huh?

Alexis is my 9 year old min-pin, and she's my little baby doll. She is the most lovable little girl, and she loves people and other dogs. Everyone just loves her and loves to hold her and sqeeze her and get kisses from her. She's just a little love bug. UNLESS......... you are trimming her nails. She turns into this little 12 pound demon dog when she hears the words "gotta trim your nails" or just sees the nail trimmer in your hands.

First, she runs and hides. So I've learned not to warn her ahead of time. When it's time to trim her nails, I quietly just get up and close the door to keep her from running and hiding on me.

She becomes so violent when I trim her nails that I look like I've been hit by a mack truck when I'm done. I get claw marks down my arms, neck, face, bites, bruises, etc. I have to close all the windows before I trim her nails, because she lets out this ear piercing howling scream that probably makes people think I'm torturing her. I have tried EVERYTHING to successfully trim her nails in less than 2 hours at a time. Yep, minimum 2 hours to trim her nails.

I now have to put on 2 heavy long sleeved sweaters (to minimize the biting, clawing and scratching on my arms). I put a muzzle on her but she manages to get it off EVERY TIME. The vet told me to wrap pantyhose around her snout real tight - ha! That's even easier for her to get off than the muzzle. Then I bought one of those cones that goes around the dog's necks to keep them from itching their heads, usually after surgery.

Still didn't work. She is somehow able to stick her head out far enough to bite - and let me tell you, she can pack a punch with those little teeth of hers. So then I combined the cone with a muzzle. Still didn't work! Don't ask me how because I still can't figure it out myself. Sometimes I think dogs really are smarter than people.

I received one of those Pedi-Paws nail trimmers for Christmas last year. They make it worse. Because not only do I still have to deal with the yelping, snarling, spitting, clawing, biting dog - but thanks to the Pedi-Paws, it makes it all happen in slow motion. At least with clippers, you clip the nail and you're done. With the Pedi-Paws it takes about 10 times longer to trim one single nail. And then you have the awful odor of the burning nails. *gag*

So what do I do now? I now take her to the vets to get her nails trimmed. The $12 it costs is SOOO worth it! Although they might be considering raising their price, as she's bitten the vets twice! Bad girl.

Sleeping with the dogs

2009-08-27T12:07:00.008-04:00

I have a Queen sized bed. I have 2 small dogs. A miniature pinscher, Alexis - 12 lbs, and a shiteranian (Shih-tzu & pomeranian mix), Sammy, 28 lbs.

How is it possible that they take up 90% of a Queen sized bed at night???

There should be PLENTY of room! Right? I sleep on the left side. Sammy sleeps on top of the blankets, near the open window, enjoying the breeze. Usually on his back, sprawled out with all 4 paws up in the air while he sleeps. Alexis, the min-pin, is under the covers, right up against me. In the winter I call her my little furnace under the covers. In the summer? I try to slide her over so her body heat doesn't make ME overheat. She scooches right back. Maybe she thinks it's a game. I slide you over, you scooch right back. Let's see how many times we can play this game tonight. And no matter how hot it is, she always sleeps UNDER the covers. I worry that she can't get air under there, so I try to take the covers off of her, or at least her head so she can breathe, but that only makes her get deeper under the covers. After 9 years I've come to terms with it.

So I wake up this morning to Sammy gently patting me on the face, and Alexis under the covers as close as she can get to me, covering my arm with doggie kisses. My little canine alarm clocks are telling me it's time to get up and start our day!

Just as every morning, I open my eyes and see that I am left with only a corner of the comforter and I'm all the way on the edge of the bed, actually laying ON the edge. The dogs, once again, have taken up 90% of the Queen sized bed. How is this possible? I see lots of empty space on the RIGHT hand side of the bed - but no, they have to sqeeze their furry little bodies into my territory.

Perhaps I should just sleep on the floor! But then again, I've fallen asleep on the floor and they will lay right up against me and sleep with me on the floor as well.

I guess this is what it's like to be loved by our fur babies! And for the record, I wouldn't give it up for anything :)

Va SPCA exec's dog dies after 4 hours in hot car

2009-08-26T13:42:00.004-04:00

So sad!

RICHMOND, Va. — An executive for an anti-animal cruelty group says her 16-year-old blind and deaf dog died after she accidentally left him in her hot car for four hours.

Robin Starr, the CEO of the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, says she didn't realize "Louie" was in the car until noon. Starr's husband, Ed, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch he put the dog in her car as she got ready for work Aug. 19. She often took the dog to work with her.

Robin Starr took the dog to two clinics, but he died of kidney failure.

The National Weather Service says the temperature had reached 91 degrees by noon that day.

The board of the SPCA says it still supports Starr, who has been CEO since 1997 and does not plan to resign. It was unclear whether she would be charged.

The Associated Press: Va. SPCA exec's dog dies after 4 hours in hot car

My canine shower guard!

2009-08-26T09:56:00.000-04:00

This is Sammy, I call him my "shower guard" because I'm not allowed to take a shower without him guarding the shower/tub. All I have to do is turn the water on in the shower and he plops right down and lays right up against the tub. He will stay there until I get out of the shower. And then he'll still lay there until I start doing my hair and then he runs away because he's afraid of the sound of my hairspray being sprayed (see my other post about dogs being afraid of the dumbest things!) So yes, he's my little shower guard. But what a loyal little guy! Ya just gotta love him.

Dogs are afraid of the dumbest things!

2009-08-25T12:24:00.003-04:00

One of my dogs, Sammy (a shih-tzu & pomeranian mix) is afraid of the dumbest things.

When I get out the vacuum - he follows it around from room to room. No fear. When I mow the lawn with my loud push mower, he sits on the deck and watches the entire time. No fear. When I trim the lawn with the electric weed eater, he follows me around. Still no fear.

But heaven forbid I get out a tiny little pill bottle! He hears the rattle and runs like the wind.

Silly dog.

Dogs and thunder, how do you comfort them?

2009-08-23T13:40:00.001-04:00

I just twittered that we are in for a thunderstorm shortly and it made me think about some of my friends I know whose dogs completely freak out during thunderstorms. Thankfully, my dogs are completely unphased by thunder. I personally LOVE thunderstorms, so I naturally have never made a fuss over them. If anything, it turns into a fun thing for my dogs because we run from window to window watching the rain, we play games, and sometimes sit on the deck watching it. And sometimes we even go out and play in the rain :) We live on a hill and when it really downpours it looks like Niagara Falls in front of our house!

One of my friends has 2 dogs who fear thunder or any similar loud noise, like fireworks. She fusses over them like crazy, keeps telling them "it's ok!!!" and petting them... which personally I think makes it worse. She insists it comforts them. I disagree. Dogs are very smart and they pick up on your behavior. They know the difference in your voice when you are trying to comfort them or when you are just playing with them. We might not notice the difference, but dogs can.

One of my ex-coworkers has a dog she has to put on medication every time it storms. And if she's at work she locks him in her bathroom all drugged up. I guess the dog (and he's a bigger dog) runs around the house panting, drooling, shaking, barking, and tears the house up. But locking him in a bathroom all day all drugged up? That doesn't seem like a very good solution to me.

I personally think if you associate their fears into something fun and positive, their fears will eventually go away. Play a game with them when it storms. Give them a special treat when it storms. And repeat this every time. They will eventually associate thunder to something positive and will stop acting out in fear.

I ask all of you - if you have dogs who are afraid of storms, how do you cope? What is your solution?

Our transformation is complete!

2009-08-23T12:49:00.002-04:00

Over the past couple of weeks we've changed the look and layout of our website, our twitter page, an we've moved our blog here!

We hope you like the changes!

Feel free to let us know what you think :)

Hypothyroidism in dogs

2009-08-23T12:49:00.001-04:00

New update! The blood results came back for Alexis and she had very low thyroid levels. Vet put her on Soloxine, and I have to give her 1/2 a pill twice a day. I asked how long she'll have to be on these and was told "most likely, lifetime".

On a brighter note, it could explain her weight gain (she's up to 15 lbs and should only be 10 lbs) and also will likely cure her sores and balding spots in her skin.

I have to bring her back in 2 months for another blood test to see if her levels are better after being medicated for 60 days.

Will keep you updated!

Update to: Dog food allergies?

2009-08-23T12:48:00.001-04:00

My min-pin, Alexis, had her vet appt today for the sores & bald spots she was getting on her body. The vet did some blood work for hypothyroidism which we won't know the results until next week, but she thinks they are just allergies. She said it could be from her food, but it's more likely from something in her "environment" that she's allergic to. She said there's probably something outside or even inside the house that is causing these allergies. Just like people, dogs can develop allergies at any stage in their life.

She prescribed her some Animax cream that I have to apply to her sores 2x a day. She said if the cream doesn't help we can put her on antibiotics but she only wanted to do that as a last resort. I have several tubes of Animax cream throughout the house that I've needed to use for Alexis for various things over the last couple of years and she reacts really well to it, so I'm confident this will cure the sores.

I'm looking forward to getting the results back from her blood tests next week as well. I'm just relieved the vet didn't think it was anything serious!

New product - fleece fringed dog blankets!

2009-08-23T12:46:00.000-04:00

We currently are offering these in 6 different fleece prints.

These blankets are super soft and comfy for your dog. Great for crates, pet beds, vehicles, or anywhere your dog would like the soft comfort of fleece, such as hardwood floors!

They are currently available only size 36x36 and you have the option of choosing the thickness, either 1-ply or 2-ply. If you are interested in other sizes please contact us and we'll see if we can make them in the size you need.

Dog food allergies?

2009-08-23T12:45:00.001-04:00

In July's newsletter, we told you about "How to rate your dog food" and we received a lot of responses back from that! It's so nice to see so many people actually care about what they are feeding their dogs!

One thing I've just started having to deal with is a dog who I think has become allergic to her food. She's 9 years old and she's been on one of the top rated foods for several years. But recently they changed the formula and suddenly she started breaking out in sores on her body and she's experiencing hair loss where the sores are. She's not itching them at all, it appears she isn't even aware of the sores. I have 2 dogs and the other one has had no reaction to the food at all.

So we're going through the list of foods again, and trying to pin point exactly what she's allergic to. If your dog suddenly has sores and hair loss, and is NOT itching them - check your dog's food ingredients. The slightest change in the food could be the problem. She has another vet appointment this week so we'll let you know if we find out any further information!

How spoiled is your dog?

2009-08-23T12:44:00.001-04:00

I take a lot of slack from people who think I spoil my dogs too much. I don't think they are TOO spoiled, but yes they are a little spoiled. I don't think I go overboard though. Here's some things I do for my dogs:

I leave the tv on when I leave the house so they don't feel alone (and hey, maybe they want to watch something?)
They have their own "bathroom" inside the house (back enclosed porch) so they don't have to wait for me if I'm not home or sleeping.
I have 3 doggie doors installed in my home so they have access to anything they need.
I had a 6' tall fence installed in my back yard so it is completely fenced in.
In the summer I leave at least 1 room fully air conditioned if I'm not home so they can stay cool.
They have pillow beds & blankets available in almost every room of the house.
For the most part, they get a taste of whatever I'm eating (unless it's bad for them). Yeah ok, that might be spoiling them a little.
When I go to McD's I bring home chicken nuggets just for them.
They sleep in my bed. And get about 85% of it too.
They have little steps next to the bed so they can get into bed and down when they need to (for those midnight potty breaks!)
They have their own "kiddie pool" in the backyard in the summer so they can stay cool.

I don't think I do too much out of the ordinary, do you? What do YOU do to spoil your dog? I'm sure some of you go beyond what I do ... so come on, spill! I want to hear how you spoil your dogs!

Dog treat balls

2009-08-23T12:42:00.000-04:00

Treat balls are a fun way for your dog to eat their favorite treats and get some fun exercise at the same time! Each of my dogs have their own "treat balls". I buy Vitakraft yogurt drops (available in vanilla, carob or peanut butter) and break them up in small pieces and put about 4-5 drops total in each ball. They go nuts with their treat balls! I love watching them roll the balls from room to room with their little noses and eating the trail of treats that drop out. They chase those things all over the house. All they have to hear is "yogurt drops" and they run to their balls because they know that's the only way they get yogurt drops.

I have 2 different treat balls. One is called a "giggle ball" which is a hard plastic and makes a goofy giggle sound as it rolls around. The other one is a softer plastic (but still hard if that makes sense) and it has dimples throughout it which lets my my min-pin, Alexis, "grip" and pick up the ball with her teeth and carrry it to another room should Sammy have the audacity to get too close to it.

This isn't the actual one we have but it's very similar. It has a hole on one side where you can put the treats inside and where the treats drop out of while it rolls around.

If your dog doesn't have a treat ball I highly recommend you let them try one - they will love it and you will get a kick out of watching them play with it!

Keeping your dog cool

2009-08-23T12:39:00.002-04:00

I have a dog who is shih-tzu & pomeranian, his name is Sammy. He is very intolerant to the hot weather - he pants like crazy - and I've finally found a perfect solution to this problem.

I purchased him a "Cool Bed 3". I bought the medium size - 22x32 and it holds 3 gallons of water. Just fill with cold water and it keeps the bed nice and cool for hours.

Now, he is a big scaredy cat and was afraid of it at first because the water in it moved like a water bed. But once I put my head on it and called him over he finally inched his way over. Once he was on it, I couldn't get him off. I had to bring it upstairs as we spend most of our days up there and I think he expected me to bring the bed upstairs with him on it, LOL.

So if you have a dog who is not tolerant to the warm weather, treat him/her to a Cool Bed 3. They range in price from around $30-$65 depending on the size you want, but it is so worth it. Isn't your dog worth it?

Spring is here - things to remember

2009-04-16T13:55:00.000-04:00

Spring is finally here and my dogs are spending more and more time outside now that it's getting warmer. If you live in an area where your dogs were kept inside most of the time because of freezing temps then your dogs are probably already spending a lot more time outside like mine!

PLEASE keep these in mind when your dog is outside:

Water should be kept available to them at ALL times. No, it's not a law (here in NY anyways) but it's common sense. Keep the water out of the sun though! We seem to have a bee problem in our yard and if the water is left in the sun it attracts LOTS of bees. So keep the water in shade and change it at least once or twice a day.
Shelter should ALWAYS be available to them. Whether it's a dog house, or doggie doors that allow them to come inside if they want to - they should always have access to somewhere safe & dry should they want or need it.
Keep your dog on a LEASH or contained in a fenced in area at all times when they are outside. So many things can happen to them if they are left to roam wherever they want. They could get hit by a car, they could get into a fight with other wildlife (which could have rabies), they could get lost.. there are so many scenarios. Know your leash law.
Keep the barking to a minimum. Don't let them bark for hours non-stop, especially if you have neighbors. It's annoying to the neighbors, it could get other dogs barking in the neighborhood like a chain reaction, and it's just not nice. I have 2 dogs and only one of them is a "barker". When he's outside and starts barking, I tap on the window and he immediately stops. He might "huff" a couple times under his breath after that but he knows better. He actually rarely barks anymore, but sometimes the neighbor dog gets him going (hence the chain reaction I mentioned).
Make sure you keep them on their heartworm medication, and their flea & tick prevention.

Introduction

2009-04-12T10:47:00.000-04:00

Hello! We are Paws To Admire - we make dog products, and our most popular product is our belly bands. Our website is www.PawsToAdmire.com.

Other products we make are pillow beds, crate mats, body bands, bandanas and placemats. All of these items are hand made to order.

So if you're wondering what exactly are belly bands? I'll explain. These are cotton or flannel bands that have velcro on each end. They wrap around your dog's waist and velcro closed on top. When your male dog lifts his leg on your carpet or furniture (like most little boy dogs do!) then he will pee into the band instead of on your carpet or furniture. So really, they are like diapers for male dogs.

We do recommend placing an adhesive sanitary pad inside the band to absorb the urine and they also made clean-up a breeze. Just take the pad out and replace with a new one.

All of our belly bands are 2-ply (usually the same fabric on each side) and are completely machine washable. We have tested several and they shrink about 1/4" when washed in hot water and dried in the dryer. So you would need to take that into consideration when ordering.

We offer all sizes from XXS (fits 6-8" waists) to XXL (fits 30-32" waists). You also have over 100 fabrics to choose from!

And our belly bands are the most affordable you will find! Prices start as low as $4.59 each. Prices vary depending on the size & quantity you are ordering. We now offer 10-packs, 25-packs and 100-packs for the best deals!