Ours for a Year

Tuesday Topics #43 - Itchy Paws

2012-01-31T19:15:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months, I have noticed Cabana spending a lot more time licking her feet. We've been to the vet for other reasons, and he mentioned that her paw pads are really pink. I asked him if I should change her food, and he said he didn't think it was bad enough to warrant that. He said it could be caused by so many factors, like allergies to grass or pesticides, and that I should give her a bath with oatmeal soap, but that was about it for suggestions.

Still, it seems to be getting worse, so I've been looking online for answers. A lot of sites talk about mixing a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into your dog's food. Not only is it supposed to be helpful for allergies, but it also aids in digestion, watery eye discharge, and helps keep fleas and ticks away.

So before I switch Cabana's food, I decided to give the apple cider vinegar a try. Cabana definitely notices it when I put it in her food. She eats much slower, seeming to be puzzled by the taste. I don't think she likes it, although she still licks up every single drop, so it can't be too distasteful. But I feel a little bad for her--I hate to put a damper on the two brightest spots in her day (mealtimes).

I've been giving Cabana the vinegar for about 3 days now, but she's still licking her paws a lot. Has anyone else tried this remedy with any success?

Goodbye, Angie

2012-01-26T09:26:00.001-08:00

Over the past several days, our 17-year old cat's condition began to deteriorate rapidly. Angie stopped eating, stopped drinking, and couldn't hold herself up anymore. Because my older daughter was planning to come home from college tomorrow to see Angie one more time, I tried to keep Angie alive for just a few more days, coaxing her to eat and drink, trying many different kinds of cat food, tuna, scrambled eggs, cheese, cream, kitty Ensure. But Angie wanted none of it.

I'd been putting Angie on one of Cabana's dog beds because she hasn't been able to get on or off the couch without help. Being low to the ground, I felt Angie had more freedom to move about if she wanted to. Because she enjoys laying in the sun, I'd put the dog bed in a sunny spot, then scoot it over every so often as the sun moved across the room.

On previous days, Angie spent most of the time sleeping, but yesterday, she seemed restless and unable to sleep. Every time I looked at her, she was in a different position on the cushion, and her eyes were open and glazed. I knew that she was uncomfortable, perhaps even in pain, although she never made a sound. I knew the day had come to put her down and that my daughter would understand we had to do what was best for Angie. I was grateful for a warm, sunny day so Angie could spend a little time outside on her last day.

Cabana seemed to sense something and spent some time keeping Angie company and watching over her. Or who knows, maybe she just wanted to lay in the sunshine, too. My hope has always been that Angie and Cabana would be snuggle buddies, and we got pretty close to that toward the end.

As we drove to the vet's office yesterday evening, I was grateful that we had the privilege and blessing of being able to make such a decision for our pet, and I hoped that we will be given the same opportunity with Cabana someday. To get to decide how your pet dies, painlessly and quickly, after a long and carefree life--what an honor that is. Of course, I am sad that we don't have Angie anymore and that my older daughter won't be able to see her when she comes home this weekend. The loss also seems to mark the end of both daughters' childhoods, since they'd had Angie almost their entire lives. That added significance makes the loss even stronger. But Angie's life ended with our final act of love toward her, and I find great comfort in that.

Rest in peace, lil' Ang. We will always remember you with love.

Wordless Wednesday - A Puppy Made of Fleece

2012-01-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

After the Rains

2012-01-23T12:21:00.001-08:00

Normally, winter is our rainy season, but until this past week, we've had a long dry spell. Then, since Thursday, we got smacked with about 6" of rain. At the park this morning, gophers who's homes must have been flooded were sluggishly coming out of their holes. Since the gophers weren't as spry as usual, two dogs (from the same panicked owner) caught the water-logged gophers and tried to eat them. We were able to keep the dogs from their rodent feast, although the rescue came too late for the gophers. (I tried to help catch the dogs during all the hub-bub; hence, no photos. The sacrifices I make for friendship.)

Thankfully, Cabana hasn't shown much interest in gophers, either for chasing or for eating. I honestly think Cabana would be a bit scared if she ever came upon a live gopher. Here, during a quiet lull after the excitement of the gophers, she waits against a cloudy sky for more dog pals to arrive.

And heeeeere's Chloe! Chloe is a 7-month-old lab/pit mix, and she's growing up to be one of the sweetest dogs ever. Everyone at the park adores this dog, especially me! She's just so appropriate in her behavior, it's really fun to watch her interact.

Cabana welcomes her with a chase and a bite on the ear. Ouch??

The rain has left behind huge puddles, or you might even call it a mini lake.

Cabana thinks it's her own personal swimming hole and loves to splash through the entire length of it.

Even though Chloe is part Lab, she doesn't seem as taken with getting in the water.

But you can see her labbiness in her love of carrying big sticks. And so proud of it!

Fancy Schmancy Dog Treats

2012-01-21T16:53:00.001-08:00

Cabana has been the lucky recipient of several very interesting dog treats lately. Today, in honor of her good buddy Bodhi's 2nd birthday, Cabana got a birthday pupcake, made with Embark dog food.

Embark is a very high-quality, grain free dog food. I had never heard of it before, so I looked it up online. At over $80 for a 10-pound bag, I'd say that pupcake is a pretty darn fancy schmancy treat. No wonder Bodhi always has so much energy!
Cabana got to eat half of her pupcake today. She'll get the other half as part of her breakfast tomorrow.

Yesterday, I got a visit from a woman who had purchased one of my cork purses a while back. Her cat peed on her purse strap, so she asked if I could replace it for her. Of course, I was more than happy to, at no charge. In return, she brought me this assortment of exotic dog treats. Wow, I had never seen nor heard of most of these items! Sweet potato jerky, dehydrated turkey hearts, freeze dried bison--everything all natural, holistic, free range, no hormones or antibiotics, all of that.

Yes, Cabana is a lucky little girl--and will be for many days, because I'm doling these treats out a bit at a time. Today, she got to have a sweet potato jerky.

Can't a dog just eat in peace? Sorry, Cabana, there's a price to be paid for everything.

Tuesday Topics #42 - A Cabana Clone?

2012-01-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

A couple nights ago, I was so warm and toasty on the couch, snuggled in blankets, with our cat Angie sleeping on my lap and Cabana laying next to me. Not wanting to get up, I mindlessly flipped through the channels on the TV and came across a show on TLC called "I Cloned My Pet". It followed the stories of 3 people who had lost their beloved dogs and were in such mourning that they almost couldn't go on with their lives. For a $50,000 price tag, a company in South Korea could create exact duplicates of their dogs. I sat enraptured through the end of the program, waiting to see if they indeed got identical dogs to the ones they had lost.

The answer was yes! Of course, the delivered dogs were still puppies, so it's hard to know if their temperaments would be exact matches through adulthood. But even down to one white toe on one of the dogs, they physically matched their originals, and each person was extremely pleased with the results.

Out of curiosity, I decided to look up the Korean cloning company's website, Sooam.com. Those Koreans are a crafty bunch. ;) The information on their site absolutely boggled my mind. It's amazing what they are capable of doing, although in my opinion, supremely controversial. Above is a photo of yellow lab Lancelot, the first commercially cloned dog in the US, produced by Sooam. In the video on their site, it says this Florida couple paid $155,000 for the clone, making the current $50,000 seem like a bargain.

Would I ever clone Cabana? Heck no, I'm much too much of a cheapskate to shell out that kind of money. Plus, Guide Dogs didn't deem Cabana breeder-worthy or even guide dog-worthy, for that matter. Sure, Cabana is a fabulous dog, and I adore her, but I don't know whether the world really needs more Cabanas. She's one-in-a-million, and I think we should just keep it that way. But that does raise an interesting question about working dogs. There were a number of examples of cloned dogs on the Sooam website, many of which were excellent working dogs. I wonder if service dog organizations should change from breeding to cloning--it seems like it would raise their success rate, right?

Would you clone your pet? What if cloning only cost $1,000, rather than $50,000? Would that make a difference in your response? Do you think it would be amazing...or a bit creepy, to have a beloved pet come back to life as a clone?

Golden Days for Angie

2012-01-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

Our cat Angie is almost 17-years old. We got her from the Marin Humane Society when she was 2. Our daughters were 2 and 4 at the time, so they barely remember life without Angie.

In the first year or two after bringing Angie home, she would disappear for days at a time. She was an aloof cat, and living with preschoolers, gentle though they tried to be, may not have been her first choice. Once, she was gone for about two months! Of course, on the day I decided I might as well pack away her food bowl and litter box, she came sauntering up the sidewalk. But she came home gimpy. Apparently, she had broken her front leg sometime during her long absence. When I took her to the vet, he said that the leg had already healed in that position, so he would have to re-break it, then set it, but it might not be any better than it was now. So we left it alone, and Angie has never seemed to suffer from it. She could still run and jump, but if you look at her straight on as she approaches, you can see the left forward leg is a bit wonky.

A couple months ago, I switched Angie to Blue Buffalo cat food. She LOVED it and seemed to eat much more heartily (she also started drinking out of Cabana's water dish on a regular basis). She has always been a skinny thing, even though she free feeds. But suddenly, she started getting fat. We all thought it was funny that little Angie had eaten herself into the shape of a beach ball.

But a few other signals told us that things weren't going so well in Angie's body and that her big tummy was not funny ha-ha but funny in a bad way. I took her to the vet last Monday, and he confirmed that her organs were shutting down. Her tummy was bloated with fluids, due to her poorly functioning kidney and liver. By palpating her abdomen, he said he could feel tumors growing there, most likely cancerous.

Angie has lived through a lot. Both my daughters considered Angie their "best friend" when they were little. After 3 years, Angie has come to accept Cabana as her good friend (perhaps best friend would be an exaggeration). The photo above was taken shortly after Cabana came to us as a curious puppy, and the photo below was shot this past year. Angie has endured our foster dogs, mostly by making herself scarce during their stays. For years, she kept our house rodent-free, leaving us her spoils of battle in the yard.

Old age and sickness have actually made Angie much more affectionate. Previously, she only tolerated my company. Now, she eagerly sits on my lap when I sit down to watch TV. It's nice, albeit selfish, that I'm able to enjoy her more during these last days and months than I have in all her previous years combined.

Last week, the vet said it wasn't Angie's time to go yet. He said her heart sounded good, and as long as she will eat and drink, we should keep her comfortable and happy. She isn't in any pain, thank goodness. Every day, I watch her eat a few teaspoons of her soft canned food (she can't chew dry kibble anymore), then she goes outside to sit in the garden for a few hours. I know she appreciates the warmth of the sunshine, and I wonder if she enjoys the flowers. One day soon, we'll be saying goodbye, but until then, I'll feed her whatever she'll eat, let her sit wherever she wants, and be thankful that she's with us one more day.

Back to Rescue

2012-01-10T19:11:00.001-08:00

I haven't been volunteering at the city shelter for a long time now, and honestly, I don't think I will be going back there anytime soon. There was a lot of ugliness happening, and I'm not ready for more drama. But this weekend, when my friend Sue asked me to help with some new shepherd mixes at Big Dog Rescue, I couldn't turn her down. I'm such a sucker for shepherd mixes.

We think these dogs are German shepherd/Anatolian mixes. These big girls, brought in together and possibly related, didn't know a thing, but they were as sweet as could be. I could not for the life of me get the short-haired one to sit. She simply would not be lured--but that just means I need to go back and work on it with her some more.

This fluffy one is named Mocha. That blonde long-haired coat--gorgeous!

We were told both girls were aggressive toward little dogs. Hard to say for sure with the fence in between, but Mocha didn't seem too bothered by little Maddy.

This gorgeous white shepherd mix was fearful, preferring the safety of her little house. But I heard she got adopted a couple days ago--hooray! She deserves a terrific home, and I know she will warm up to be a fabulous companion.

And this lucky dog is getting adopted by someone in Sue's family! That's one of the perks of helping at a dog rescue--you get first pick!

Mango Minster - Cabana the Working Stiff

2012-01-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

For the first time, Cabana and I have decided to participate in Mango Minster. Being extremely slow on the uptake, it has taken me about 3 years to figure out that Mango Minster is a dog blog show and contest, put on by the Mango Momma, based on the Westminster Dog Show. As Mango himself would say, "Duh!"

I have entered Cabana in the Working Stiffs category. After all, she may have flunked out as a guide dog, but she still works hard for her keep! Over the holidays, Cabana was invaluable as a babysitter, or more specifically, a young boy sitter. My nephews, ages 8 and 5, came for a visit, and Cabana was in stellar working form, which will undoubtedly lead to inevitable questions from the boys about why can't get their own dog back home in Louisiana. Sorry, but that's what happens when you come to the home of the greatest working stiff dog in the world.

Here, Cabana lets the boys practice reading to her. Her previous experience as a certified therapy dog/reading buddy came in handy. See how intently Cabana checks for accuracy? Or maybe she's having a staring contest with the Angry Bird on my nephew's shirt.

Always one to set a good example, Cabana shows the boys how to pose for a photo. They copy her, down to the paws! Now if only Cabana could teach them how to eat their vegetables....

Playing follow the leader, Cabana makes sure to steer the boys down the straight and narrow path. Exercise and routine are sacrosanct, and house guests are no reason for skipping a morning walk, especially when the standard dog rule also applies here--namely, a tired boy is a good boy.

If dog tummies make good pillows, cousin tummies must make good pillows, too. As with most things in our house, Cabana is at the center of the fun. With a single move, she can recapture the attention from all those bleepity techno gadgets, like iPhones, iPads, Nintendos and xBoxes. Cabana holds her own against them all--and that's got to be the toughest job there is! Any creature that can accomplish that deserves a prize, wouldn't you agree?

Hope you'll wish us luck in the contest. Or better yet, why not enter, too? I hear there are going to be some great prizes!

Crusty Bug

2011-12-28T19:49:00.000-08:00

Drum roll please! I'm excited to announce the grand opening of my daughter's Etsy shop. Adrienne can turn a photo of your pet into a gorgeous custom drawing, suitable for framing. Here is her latest drawing of our cat, Angie. As you can see, Adrienne is incredibly accurate and always manages to capture the subject's personality--and she also improves with each drawing she completes!

Adrienne prefers to work from 2-3 photos for reference, preferably high resolution. She can edit out distractions in the background, dirt specks, or whatever else you don't want included.

Since she's just starting out (she's 18-years old), her prices are fairly low in comparison to other similar drawings on Etsy. Be among the first to own a custom masterpiece at an introductory price. How's that for a schmoozy sales pitch? A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do.

Adrienne asked me what she should name her Etsy shop. We were standing in the kitchen at the time, and I saw a bowl in the sink with a little bit of crusty oatmeal left in it. I jokingly said, "How about Crusty Oatmeal?" She laughed and then decided to call her shop "Crusty Bug". So I guess I'm partially to blame for the name. Whatever the name, I know her customers will be pleased with the result.

The Best Christmas Presents

2011-12-25T13:33:00.001-08:00

In this morning's email, I received two gifts that warmed my heart. One was an email and photo from Buster's family, wishing us a merry Christmas. We fostered Buster back in May of 2011. How I love that handsome boy.

And the other email was from Kira's family! I haven't heard any news about our previous foster Kira for months, so I was so happy to get an update and see a photo of her. She looks like she has grown a lot, as I thought she probably would. Her new mom says, "Kira is very special and seems to enjoy her new life. She runs every day with the horses, and Rafferty (their shar pei mix) is her best friend."

I'm so touched and grateful that they would think of me today. It really made my Christmas complete. Expensive presents and fancy gadgets--who needs 'em?! A thoughtful gesture and a little kindness goes a long way.

Happy Festivus!

2011-12-23T13:13:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Joyful Kwanzaa, Seasons Greetings. Whatever you are celebrating, Cabana and I send you our best wishes!

Pet Portrait: Bayla

2011-12-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

My older daughter is home from college, where she is majoring in graphic design. She was recently commissioned by a dog park friend to do a pet portrait of their 4-year old Bernese mountain dog, Bayla.

I keep encouraging my daughter to set up an Etsy shop for her artwork, but she's eighTEEN, with the emphasis on TEEN, meaning she doesn't always want to take old mom's direction. She enjoys drawing, but she's rather unmaterialistic, so making money is just not a big priority to her! Go figure! Other examples of her pet portraits are here and here.

The original photo of Bayla is below. I think my daughter did a fabulous job of capturing Bayla's sweet and playful demeanor.

P.S. If you know Bayla, please don't say anything to her owners--the portrait is a surprise for Christmas from Bayla's dad to Bayla's mom!

Gift Wrapping Supervisor

2011-12-16T15:33:00.001-08:00

Tree selected and decorated? Check. Presents purchased? Check. Presents wrapped? Almost!

Cabana is very serious about her supervisory position. She makes sure I'm using enough tape and mitering my corners.

Always very considerate about not touching things that don't belong to her, we've never had to worry about Cabana knocking down the Christmas tree, damaging ornaments or ripping open wrapped presents. As long as there's not any beef jerky under the tree anyway!

Wordless Wednesday - Cute Collar Customers

2011-12-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

Home for Three Years

2011-12-13T06:44:00.000-08:00

Three years ago, on December 10 (I'm a few days late with this post), I brought Cabana home from the Guide Dogs Holiday Banquet in San Francisco. I knew almost nothing about dogs, much less about raising a guide dog puppy. Other puppy raisers at the banquet had brought blankets and toys to keep their pups happy in the car on their drive home. I had brought the requisite plastic crate--and nothing else. I couldn't fit the crate in the front passenger seat of my vehicle, so it had to go in the back seat, where Cabana cried almost the whole way home, poor little thing.

When Cabana was 11-months old, she was released from Guide Dogs, or as they call it, "career changed". She was too dog distracted, "busy" and "too much dog" to do well as a guide dog. The decision to keep her as our pet did not come easily. I changed my mind about a million times in the few days that we had to make the decision. I knew Cabana was a great dog, but she was still a puppy, and I wasn't sure how many years it would take for her to settle down. But in the end, I just couldn't let her go to someone else. And it was the best decision I could have made. What would I do without this sweet yellow dog in my life? I shudder to think.

Guide Dogs has to name over 800 puppies every year, with a unique name that isn't being used by any other puppy in the program. That's why there are some puppies with doozies of a name out there. When a puppy is dropped from the program, the name is once again up for grabs.

My Cabana is not the first Guide Dog pup to be named Cabana, and she's certainly not the last! I think there was a black lab named Cabana in Mandy's puppy group, but she must have been career changed? Then, a couple months ago, I got an email from a new Cabana raiser, along with this photo of her. Isn't she adorable, just like her namesake?! Best wishes to this new Cabana. I hope she makes it as a guide, but even if she doesn't, I wish her a life as wonderful as our Cabana's.

Tuesday Topics #41 - BD and AD

2011-11-29T16:43:00.000-08:00

We're coming up on three years since Cabana came to live with us, so I must be waxing a bit nostalgic. Having Cabana has changed me, mostly in trivial ways, but also in some important ways. Here's a top ten list of differences Before Dog (BD) and After Dog (AD):

1. For the first month or two, I used to wash my hands after petting Cabana every time because I felt that dogs were germ-y. It was wintertime when we got her, and my skin already tends to be dry. I used a lot of lotion that year. AD, what isn't covered with dog germs, and why does it matter?

2. BD, I never noticed people walking their dogs through our neighborhood. I gave them not the slightest glance. AD, I notice everything about them--the breed, how they are walking in conjunction with their human, and of course, whether they are bustling over to us for a mutual sniff with Cabana. More likely than not, I also know their names and their owners' names.

3. BD, I used to vacuum the house about once a week, whether it needed it or not. Now, if I go a whole week before vacuuming, the dust and fur bunnies would be dust and fur elephants. AD, I vacuum/sweep at least 2-3 times a week, or die trying.

4. BD, daily exercise was a struggle. AD, it's absolutely built in to my life. A day doesn't go by without a walk through the neighborhood or at the park. I love getting outside, regardless of weather, and appreciating the change of seasons. I have never considered myself the outdoorsy type, so having a reason to not only get outside but relish it as much as I do now is a true gift.

5. BD, I had to mouth breathe when I'd ride in the car of a dog owner because the smell was so repugnant to me. AD, my own car probably smells just as strong, but I rarely even notice it. (Some may say I'm crazy, but I think that dog odor can be very similar to the smell of corn chips--and I know I'm not the only one.)

6. BD, my favorite color to wear was black. AD, I have to think twice before I put on a black shirt or black jeans. If I'm going out somewhere, I wait to dress until the last minute, then slip out of the house before I make Cabana contact.

7. AD, it is almost impossible for me to sleep in. Not because Cabana makes any noise or does anything at all to wake me up, but because I have an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. She eats breakfast at 6:30, and without any external alarm clock, that's when I automatically wake up to feed her. (My husband might say this is due to the fact that I fall asleep when watching TV at 8pm and am often in bed by 9pm. But narcolepsy aside, I can't sleep in, knowing Cabana is hungry.)

8. BD, I had become very shy and anti-social. (I still can be at times.) Being around people was work. I had a very small circle of friends and had no desire to enlarge that circle. AD, if you have a dog, not only will I talk to you, I'll probably even like you (unless you treat your dog badly, in which case I might yell at you, in my head if not audibly).

9. Since I work from home, I spend a large part of my day alone. If it weren't for Cabana, I don't think I could have been happy doing this for so many years. I would have gotten much too lonely and reclusive. But Cabana is the perfect amount of company.

10. Piggybacking on that, going to the dog park with Cabana has opened the door to so many wonderful friendships. I often joke that the dog park is my "church", where we all worship Dog together. No boring sermons, pleas for money or guilt trips--just fellowship, support and camaraderie, both from the humans and the canines.

11. (I was supposed to stop at 10, but I couldn't leave this one out.) BD, I would have thought you were a nutjob if you told me you spent time blogging about your dog. Get a life! AD, I consider myself fortunate to be in the company of such wonderful nutjobs. I have a life, and it happens to be very good, thanks in large part to a sweet yellow dog.

How has your dog changed you? I hope you'll share!

Cabana in the Mist

2011-11-27T18:38:00.001-08:00

Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone! We had a nice salmon dinner at our house, since we don't eat turkey. Then, on Friday, Cabana got to experience two of her favorite things at the same time--the dog park and pancakes! Our very first dog park friends are moving to Hawaii, along with their lucky dogs Kona and Ami. Some other friends brought their camper van with a complete kitchen to the park, and we made pancakes and served mimosas. I took a lot of great photos, then had a computer glitch and lost them all. Grrr, don't you just hate it when that happens? The dogs all lined up in eager sits, waiting for a piece of pancake, and Cabana was surely the most eager of them all. I had a great photo of that, too--sigh.

Since I lost all those photos, these misty ones from the following day will have to suffice. I recently got a polarizing lens filter for my camera, which is supposed to increase color contrast and minimize haze. I'm not sure if it made much difference since it was a really foggy morning, but I had fun with my new "toy" anyway.

Human and canine friends await as we approach the park on Saturday morning. Our soon-to-be Hawaiian friends are in this assemblage. They won't have to put up with this kind of weather much longer.

I don't normally take photos of just scenery. I like having people and/or animals in my shots, but I guess I was feeling artsy when I saw these branches against the sky with water droplets hanging off them.

Cold and damp are words that come to mind when I see this photo. Brrr, winter isn't far off.

But thankfully, we've still got some autumn color left to enjoy for another week or two.

America's Next Top Dog Models

2011-11-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

If I had to pick, I'd say English springer Maggie is Cabana's favorite gal pal at the park. Cabana and Maggie are always so happy to see each other and can roughhouse endlessly. The humans get such a kick out of watching their antics, sneaking up on each other for a surprise attack, playing leap frog, or biting on the others' hind legs.

So when Maggie's owner asked us to watch her for a few hours earlier this week, I didn't hesitate to say yes.

Plus, it was a great opportunity to utilize Maggie's cuteness to showcase my handmade dog collars for my Etsy shop.

Cabana is a fabulous model, patiently posing for me in our photo shoots--but I welcomed the chance for variety. And some colors look so much nicer against Maggie's gorgeous black and white coat.

I gave this collar to Maggie in payment for her modeling services. I just love the red and silver against her coat--stunning!

These collars and others have been posted in my Etsy shop. Blog readers can receive FREE SHIPPING, just enter OURSFORAYEAR in the coupon box.

Phew, modeling is hard work. Good thing we have two spots for sunbathing on the carpet!

Update on Francie

2011-11-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Since I'm on the subject of previous foster dogs, here are a couple recent photos of Francie. After being at the shelter for over six months, Francie is now sitting on top of the world. Thanks to her new owner for rescuing her and giving her a chance at a great life. It's what every dog deserves.

The Best of Buster

2011-11-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

On Friday, we got to take care of Buster, our first foster dog, for an afternoon while his humans were away. He definitely remembered all of us, our car, our house, and of course, our park. Did he and Cabana have fun together? I'll let the photos be the answer.

Of all our fosters, Buster is the one that still pulls most at our heartstrings. Sometimes, we wish we had kept him, but then we wouldn't have been able to help the other fosters we had subsequently. I think we made the right decision. Plus, we get to take care of Buster again for a few days in December. We get to enjoy him and then give him back to his family who adores him. That's the best of both worlds.

Toucan Treat Pouch

2011-11-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, a customer who purchased one of my dog training pouches uploaded this photo onto my Facebook page. I'm now in the toucan training pouch business! When the Toucan Lady placed her order and requested an orange pouch, I never dreamed it was to match her bird's amazing eyes and beak. What an incredible creature--I'm so tickled by this photo!

It doesn't really make logical sense, but the toucan photo prompted me to make a special logo for my dog-related products, even though it's obvious from the photo above that they aren't strictly dog-related products! Still, since my heart and sewing machine seem to veer ever more toward our canine companions, I figured it was a good thing to have a logo ready. Sheekoo is a Korean word that is loosely defined as "family", so I kind of like that Sheekoo Dog means "family dog".

I have a holiday show coming up this weekend, and I made a bunch of dog collars to sell, in addition to training pouches and people products. Here's my Sheekoo dog modeling a fall collar in fall colors! I like the retro-ish look of the ribbon and the way the colors complement Cabana's fur. After the show, I hope to post any remaining collars in my Etsy shop.

Sniffing Out Point Isabel

2011-10-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

This morning, I needed to drop my husband off at Oakland Airport. I'd been wanting to check out Point Isabel Regional Shoreline for a while now, so I stopped there on my way back home. It is a fabulous dog park between Marin and Berkeley, surrounded by the San Francisco Bay.

It was a bit foggy, but there were lots of friendly dogs there. Can you see the Bay Bridge through the fog? Pretty much all Cabana wanted to do was sniff EVERYTHING.

And EVERYONE.

Cabana obliged me with some poses, but you can tell she's STILL sniffing while she's posing.

Cabana kinda wanted to get in the water. But she never wants to swim. Wet tummy = not comfy.

"Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into. I may be a water dog, but I'm not a swimming dog because I can't get my tummy wet."

"Is THAT what I'm supposed to be doing? That's just crazy."

I didn't see this dog's owner anywhere nearby. I was kind of sad and kind of glad for this dog. Sad, of course, that he needed to wear a muzzle--but glad that someone (although I can't say who) was giving him a chance to socialize and hopefully overcome whatever issue he has. He seemed very pleasant and greeted Cabana in a friendly, relaxed way, so I'm hopeful that he's improving with the social opportunities given to him.

Here's another dog that made me sad and glad simultaneously. Made me stop and ponder the intricacies of the human/canine relationship, which can be such an amazing thing.

Tuesday Topics #40 - Barking at Puppies

2011-10-18T05:39:00.000-07:00

Lately, our park has had an influx of puppies. I love it, because what's cuter than watching puppies play?!

The photo above is 4-month old Chloe, half lab, half pit bull. That face makes my heart melt.

Here's 4-month old golden retriever, Lulu. She is an absolute sweetheart.

And this is 6-month old Akita-Lab mix, Kia. She's a very large puppy, extremely rambunctious, high energy, and has a lot to learn in her manners. Doesn't she remind you of a raccoon with that mask on her face?

While I love having new puppies at the park, I sometimes wonder if Cabana shares my views. She seems to gravitate toward certain pals she's had for a long time, namely her spaniel friends. I've always been very confident of Cabana's ability to read other dogs' social cues and to act appropriately. But lately I've been questioning her behavior because she barks A LOT at puppies.

I first noticed the barking when Cabana would play with Kia, the Akita mix. Kia adores Cabana and seems to make a beeline for her when she arrives at the park. I thought maybe Cabana didn't appreciate Kia's roughshod attention and was telling her to bugger off.

But then Cabana did the same thing to sweet Lulu and then to tiny Chloe when they started coming to the park last week. I don't worry that Cabana will hurt any of the puppies--I know she won't. She never growls or acts aggressively toward them--she just barks. The interesting thing is that no matter how much Cabana barks, none of the puppies run away from her. In fact, they still won't leave her alone! They do tend to act submissively, though, either rolling onto their backs or licking her face or making little whimpery noises.

I have wondered if I should pull Cabana away and tell her to stop barking. But then, I think maybe Cabana is helping the puppies. Maybe she's teaching them to calm down or to read other dogs' social cues? So I haven't wanted to interfere in their doggy interactions. I did, however, check with the puppies' owners and make sure they are okay with Cabana's barking, telling them that if any of them are uncomfortable with Cabana's behavior, I would be happy to intercede.

So should I allow Cabana to "do her job" as a stable and mature adult dog? Or have I actually been allowing Cabana to be obnoxious and bossy, and should I stop her from forming this bad habit of barking at poor little puppies? I'd hate to be like a naive parent who thinks Junior is perfect and can do no harm, while he terrorizes all the neighborhood kids!

New Pup on the Block

2011-10-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Some friends at the park recently got a new 8-week old golden retriever puppy, named Rosie. I was happy and excited for them but slightly disappointed for myself, knowing that they wouldn't be able to bring the new puppy to the park until after the four month vaccinations had been administered. So I figured it would be months until I got to meet Rosie and would have to be satisfied with tiny photos shared from their cell phones.

But the other day, I had to drop something off at another friends' house, which HAPPENS to be down the street from Rosie's house. And lo and behold, as I drove by, Rosie and her hu-mom were out in their front yard!! I did a double-take, reversed back a few houses, and hopped out of my car. I also HAPPENED to have my camera with me! (Honest, none of this was planned, only fortuitous.)

Here are the photos I took.

Welcome to the neighborhood, little Rosie!

Wordless Wednesday - Halloween Decor

2011-10-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

Cabana is a Young Adult

2011-10-05T15:20:00.001-07:00

Happy 3rd birthday to Cabana! Translated into human years, that means she's 21, an official young adult. I guess Cabana isn't considered a puppy anymore, but that's okay--I look forward to each age and stage.

One thing Cabana is bound to never outgrow is her love of edibles. I figured why mess with toys and special outings, when what Cabana loves best of all is eating, plain and simple. So we started her birthday off with a special treat of canned Natural Balance (Duck and Sweet Potato), mixed in with her kibble. Here, Cabana waits patiently to be released to chow down.

I always reserve a handful of kibble from Cabana's breakfast to put in her treat ball. On the occasions when I forget to do the treat ball, Cabana knows how to remind me with a nudge and a head turn in the direction of the empty treat ball.

We took our usual trip to the park, where Cabana always thinks the party is for her. Today, I brought some big dog treats to give out in honor of Cabana's special day. Not my smartest idea ever--I left the park with more than the usual amount of dog slobber and muddy pawprints on my clothes. Hope that won't be repeated tomorrow, and every day following!

Happy birthday to sweet Cabana, the best dog I could ever hope for. How did we get so lucky? I don't know what I'd do without her in my life right now.

Wordless Wednesday - Using Camera's Portrait Mode

2011-09-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Golden Visitor

2011-09-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today, Cabana and I had the pleasure of a visit from my dear friend Peg. She is a true dog lover and fosters senior dogs for Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue.

Handsome Hunter is 9-years old and very spry. He looks like a youngster in the photo, doesn't he?! Peg's previous fosters were 13 and 14, with many health issues, and barely able to walk. Their old age and poor health made them basically unadoptable, so Peg knew they would be in her care up to the end, which came for both of them this past summer.

But Hunter is in great health and is very adoptable. He is sweet and well-behaved, adores small kids, and would love a family of his own. If you'd like more information on Hunter, click here.

Little Duma

2011-09-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

On our way to the park this morning, we crossed paths with Cabana's old yellow Lab pal, Duma. We've known Duma since she was a little pup, but we don't see her often anymore. Her owner is pregnant now, so she usually keeps Duma on-leash. After all, chasing down your dog is difficult enough even when you aren't seven months pregnant!

Thankfully, her owner doesn't have to do much chasing because Duma is very good about checking in, even while running full tilt with Cabana. I wish Cabana would learn a thing or two from Duma--Cabana isn't much of a checker-in-er. I'm not sure if it's confidence, independence, or maybe her way of blowing me off. Even with tasty treats in my pocket, if Cabana wants to meander, she'll meander. At least now I know about how far I can let Cabana get before any hope of a reliable recall is lost.

Duma, now fully grown, is slightly smaller than Cabana. Quite unusual, especially for a non-GDB Lab. When Duma was a puppy, her owner used to always say to me, "Cabana is just the perfect size. I hope Duma doesn't get any bigger than Cabana." She got her wish!

In fact, it's hard to tell Cabana and Duma apart. But judging from these photos, the easiest way to tell who's who is that speedy Duma is ALWAYS out in front!

Sunny at the Beach

2011-09-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, I got a huge order from a chain of wineries who will be carrying some of my cork items. It's sort of a good and bad thing because I make all the items myself, so I've been cranking away at the sewing machine, which is where I'll be for at least 3 more weeks, making over 300 items as fast as my fingers will let me.

I try not to let it affect Cabana's life too much. She still gets her morning walks and trips to the park--but after that, she needs to entertain herself. She's good about it, usually hanging out in my sewing room with me.

But I decided to give us both a little break this morning, and we took a trip to the off-leash dog beach. We don't get to the beach often enough, even though it's only 30 minutes away. I know, how ridiculous of me! But today, the weatherman predicted a rare sunny morning there (the coast is usually encased in fog until it burns off midday), and I was so glad to take advantage of it because it turned out to be gorgeous.

Cabana's first response to the beach is always sniffing around the sand like crazy. I would think she'd head straight for the water, but no, this dog needs to make sure there's nothing good to eat hiding under the kelp mounds. Unfortunately, she usually finds something to consume, whether it's food or some other substance. Today, it was a corn-less corn cob--she started chomping away, but when I told her to "drop it", she did. I smushed it into the sand with my foot, but about 20 minutes later, she made her way back to that spot, dug it up, and ate it. Was she thinking about that corn cob the whole time?!

Finally, Cabana leaves the sniffing behind and heads for the water. She switches gears with a vengeance, dashing in and out of the waves like a true water dog.

Here's a video of Cabana's frenzied cavorting. Imagine having this kind of energy! If only I could sew like Cabana cavorts....

But Cabana is only a "faux" water dog. She doesn't go any deeper than this because Cabana does NOT like to swim--she ONLY likes to wade.

We stopped and played with a few dogs as we walked along, but when we came to this boy, Cabana was enchanted. I was worried she'd knock him over or jump on him, but she didn't. She just wanted to hang around him and be his buddy.

That is, until she saw this black Lab! They were drawn to each other like magnets. And of course, it's because career changed guide dogs always seem to recognize each other!

I couldn't tell just by looking, but Cabana obviously could! This black Lab turned out to be Jordan, who was released from guide dog training for growling (not aggressive at all, but he just growls sometimes).

Jordan's owner is a current trainer at Guide Dogs for the Blind, and they live just a few blocks from us. We have met a few times on walks, but Cabana and Jordan have never gotten to truly play together. The dogs definitely were happy to finally get the chance!

Now it's back to the sewing machine for me, and I think Cabana will be happy to veg on the floor for the rest of the day.

P.S. I took these photos with my 50mm/f1.8 lens that I've had for a year but hadn't used in a while. Lovenandaleash reminded me of it with her comment on my last post--thank you, Aleksandra! I think it makes a huge difference in the quality of my photos.

Photo Envy

2011-09-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I see a blog that has the most gorgeous photos, and I wonder how they do it. Do they have that innate "eye" for getting great shots, amazing and expensive equipment, or stellar Photoshop skills? Probably, the answer is a combination of those things. My photos are nice in a generic sort of way, but they don't seem to pop the way some people's do--how do I get that pop?

I think I pass as an okay photographer, and I have a pretty good camera (Canon Digital Rebel XT). My Photoshop skills are self-taught and rudimentary, but the more I monkey with a photo, the less I can tell if I'm actually improving it or making it worse. Sigh.

Recently, at a Borders Books going-out-of-business sale, I bought a book called PhoDOGraphy for $5. It had a lot of talk about ISO, shutter speeds, grain, wide angle lens...and I realized I don't really even know how to use my camera. I have never changed any of the settings beyond the pre-programmed ones for night, action, close ups and such.

I've still got a lot to learn, but here are some of my recent attempts at being a better photographer. If I Photoshopped the image, I have placed the original photo underneath the doctored one.

This morning, both Cabana and Angie, our 16-year old cat, were on the foot of our bed, where we permanently keep a Cabana-colored blanket for this purpose. I like how both Cabana and Angie are laying in the same way, with a paw dangling off the edge. I took advantage of a fun photo opportunity, and I also doctored the photo a bit, increasing the contrast, playing around with color balance, darkening the edges, and adding a bit of texture. But the changes are almost imperceptible!

I love this close-up of Angie's little face. It was a good shot to begin with, but again, I increased contrast, darkened the edges of the photo. The changes are still subtle, but this time, I think it did improve the photo.

When I was playing tug with Cabana the other day, she looked so silly, I had to grab my camera with my free hand and take this photo. I used Photoshop to create a bit of a halo effect around Cabana.

Here's Cabana with her new friend, Whisper, a female Aussie. Cabana has had her same favorite friends for some time now, and she rarely shows much interest in playing with new dogs. But for some reason, she immediately took to Whisper. Even though you can barely see their faces, I think this photo catches their exuberance with each other. I increased the contrast on this photo, and that's about it.

In our living room, we have a window that is way high up by the ceiling. The light coming through that window sometimes creates a dramatic effect on the floor below and is a sunny spot that Cabana often likes to sit in. Cabana was standing in that sunny spot while the rest of the room was in shadow. No Photoshop was required for this one.

More attempts at better photography to come!

A Family for Kira

2011-09-02T07:56:00.001-07:00

Kira came to our house 19 days ago (not sure about the hours and minutes), which may not be such a long time, but it was our longest foster period to date (Francie, our longest before Kira, was here for 8 days).

The first few days were extremely difficult, due to Kira's parvo quarantine, along with the fact that she was so fearful, knew absolutely nothing about living in a house, and was just a puppy. I remember the first night, I couldn't be out of her sight for even one minute without her barking from fear. I played peek-a-boo games with her, by leaving her in the ex-pen in the backyard and walking around the corner of the house where she couldn't see me. I'd count 1-one thousand, 2-one thousand...until eventually, I was able to count to 20 without her having a barking fit. With all the instability in her life, she needed to learn that I was going to come back. Every day since, she has amazed me with her resilience, intelligence, and desire to please.

After several adopters fell through this past week, I was contacted by a woman who lives about 30 miles from us. She had seen my Craig's List post, fallen in love with Kira's photos and description, and emailed me twice and left me a voicemail, all in the space of an hour. She said she didn't mean to be a pest, but she wanted to make sure I was getting her messages. I thought, wow, THIS is someone who is REALLY interested in Kira.

We made arrangements for Kira and me to visit them yesterday morning. I met the woman and her husband of 23 years in their home, where they live with their 18-year old son and 12-year old daughter. They also have three race horses, two cats, and a 7-year old male shar pei. Their 14-year old German shepherd/Rottweiler mix died recently, and their shar pei has been very lonely.

The shar pei liked Kira instantly, and although Kira was a bit shy, I knew she'd warm up to all of them. I wasn't sure how Kira would do around the horses, but she was much braver than I had anticipated. She was much better than Cabana would have been, for sure, and I was so proud of her.

The family fell in love with Kira's sweetness and said they were ready to take her that afternoon. So I took Kira home, brushed her for the last time, and took some final photos to remember her by.

I'm grateful to you all, my blog readers, for following Kira's story. I felt your support and encouragement throughout, and I know you share my happiness. The perfect family did come along, and Kira is going to have a wonderful life. I will miss Kira and the way she would give me thank-you kisses before eating her food, how she always wanted whatever Cabana had, and especially how she followed Cabana around, worshiping at her heels. I wonder if Cabana will miss her or if she's just happy to have everything back to normal. Probably some of both.

Ay Chee-Wow-Wa!

2011-08-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that I like to sew and that I operate a small business, making purses, accessories, and a few dog-related items. And when I say small business, I mean it's REALLY small. I am the sole proprietor and the sole employee--and a slightly lazy and unfocused one at that. I'm the webmaster, marketer, sales person, photographer, bookkeeper, designer and seamstress. Only my work time gets eaten up by dog walks and foster dogs and adoption fairs and kids and housework and okay, blogging, which is why my business remains a small business.

But I just had to share my exciting news today! It isn't really that big of a deal...but okay, I'll just get to it.

A few months ago, you may remember the dog treat pouches that I made and posted about here--thanks to everyone for their wonderful feedback. Using your market research input, I have been selling the treat pouches in my Etsy store, and they've been selling quite well.

Today, I got an order for one of my treat pouches, and the buyer emailed me and asked me to call her. When I called her, she told me she needed the pouch right away...for FILMING! Of course, I asked her what she was filming, and she said, "Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3"!

My treat pouch will be worn by a dog trainer in the movie! Woo hoo! I doubt it will make me famous, but I'm still quite tickled. Judging from the poster, it looks like there are some cute pups in this movie. Hmmm, I wonder if they need an almost 3-year-old dog-distracted, slightly pudgy yellow Lab as a backup character?

If you'd like to get in on this new Beverly Hills craze (!!), I just added a widget for my Etsy store on the right. Finally, I'm taking the time to do a little marketing! And I guess this means I might want to watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua 1 and 2 at some point.

Walking at Dusk

2011-08-30T20:33:00.001-07:00

In regards to crate training, a tired puppy is a quiet puppy. Kira, who we've been fostering for the past two weeks, has come a LONG way in her crate training. She no longer has accidents in her crate (she stopped doing this around Day 3), doesn't bark incessantly in her crate anymore (but she still whines a bit), and at night, she sleeps quietly in the crate as long as Cabana stays in the same room. Kira now wakes up around 5:30am, which I appreciate much more than 4:30am. I'm working on lengthening that to a decent 6:00am, which is when I usually wake up anyway.

In order to help Kira sleep longer, I've found that an evening walk is crucial. Tonight, we went to the REAL dog park, because our usual mixed-use park was too full of soccer and softball teams. I think this is my favorite picture of Cabana and Kira together--it came out so crisp.

I think you can see from the photos that Kira has caught up to Cabana in height, although not girth (I still think Cabana is a just a tiny bit chubby).

Kira has gained a lot of confidence. She no longer has to be 2" away from Cabana all the time. But she looks around often to see where Cabana is and what she's doing.

We don't go to this dog park very often because the grass is so dry and people are not good about picking up after their dogs. But tonight, with the sun setting, it was beautiful.

In fact, we were the last ones to leave the park. Can you just make out the dogs, in front of the bush? I hope Kira is ready for a good night's sleep. I sure am!

Emotional Roller Coaster Ride

2011-08-29T11:05:00.001-07:00

The last few days have been emotionally exhausting. I had three potential adopters for Kira, but it seems they have all fallen through.

The first one was a woman I met at the dog park. I had never seen her there before, but she was playing frisbee with a German shepherd mix, so I made a beeline over to her. I spoke to her for a while, and she showed a lot of interest in Kira, who got along great with her 4-year old male shepherd mix. The woman lives with her husband and works from home as a graphic designer. What could be better for Kira?! A human that is around most of the day, has experience with the breed, and has a friendly, mature dog! She said she'd talk to her husband about adopting Kira, saying they had wanted a second dog for some time now.

A couple days later, the woman emailed me and asked if Kira could come over for a couple hours, to meet her husband and to see how she responded in their home. I said of course. When I went to pick Kira up, the woman said Kira behaved wonderfully. I had worried that Kira would be fearful in a new place and revert to her tentative ways and nervous barking. But no, Kira had made herself comfortable there and did well with their dog. However, her husband was worried about Kira's hips and said he didn't want a pure bred dog. Bummer!

I had already arranged to take Kira to a local adoption fair that day. So, I left the woman's house and dashed over to the adoption fair. Kira was exhausted, after a busy morning at the woman's house, so she mostly laid in the grass, napping. Everyone was very impressed with this mellow puppy. She is very mellow, although not quite THIS mellow.

At the fair, a single man and a young family with two kids were very interested in Kira. The young family was divided, though, with the mom and daughter wanting Kira and the dad and son wanting a different dog there. While they were trying to make up their minds, the single man said he was ready to adopt Kira. He was an active guy, seemed very nice and responsible, and said that he'd take Kira to work with him everyday. Although he doesn't have a dog at home, he'd grown up with dogs and said there are other dogs at his office, so I felt that might be nice for Kira--access to dog pals, but also the benefits of being an only dog at home.

I had my reservations about Kira going to a family with kids. She seems absolutely fine with children, but I just know how busy life is when there are young kids involved (ages 5 and 7). So I opted for the single guy, telling the family that I hoped I was making their split decision a bit easier. The little girl, who had wanted Kira, broke into tears. I felt awful! Wow, it's hard playing God with people's and dogs' lives.

I arranged to meet the single guy at the shelter to fill out the paperwork and pay the fee. I hurried home to pack up Kira's crate, bed, food, dish, toys, everything. I waited for what seemed like eternity for the guy to show up at the shelter, kicking myself for not having asked for his cell phone number. Finally, he arrived, filled out the paperwork--only to find that he rents his home and didn't have landlord approval to get a dog.

WHY anyone would even look at a dog when they don't know if they can have one is beyond me. And I hadn't even thought to ask him that question--I will never make that mistake again!

I came back home, completely deflated, and unpacked my car, bringing all of Kira's things back into our house. This morning, I got an email from the single guy, saying that the landlord had given an official "no", which was no surprise to me and was actually a bit of a relief after all that rigmarole. Meanwhile, the family with the two kids had already agreed on another dog, which, in truth, may have been for the best anyway.

So, here we are, back to the drawing board. I just have to believe that things work out for the best, and the best person is still yet to be found. In the meantime, Kira can continue to learn from Cabana. They are finally playing some spirited games of tug.

And Kira is enjoying the baby pool.

And eating Kibblesicles. It's all fine, it's all good. So why do I feel so discouraged?

A Visit from Buster

2011-08-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today, our previous foster dog, Buster (Seamus when we had him) came to play at our dog park. In his usual happy fashion, he jumped all over me in excitement and recognition. I felt the same way about seeing him!

Buster and Cabana also remembered each other. Here they are getting reacquainted.

Kira was intrigued by Buster and seemed a bit less shy than usual. Was it breed recognition or is she coming out of her shell? Or perhaps she was attracted by Buster's handsome charm?

I told Buster's mom that Kira would make a great companion for Buster and they could name her "Posey"! But she said I should keep Kira and rename her "Copa".

Look at Buster and Kira's matching ear flop, albeit on opposite ears. If I can help Kira find a home and family as nice as Buster's--and one that's close enough to come see us at the dog park, I'll be so thrilled.

Actually, I do have an interested couple. Hopefully, I'll have more news to share in the next few days!

Tuesday Topics #39 - Does This Puppy Make Me Look Fat?

2011-08-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

No one would argue the fact that our foster pup Kira is on the skinny side. Being a stray, contracting parvo, and growing into her big paws have kept her lean, but we're doing our best to put some meat on those ribs.

Cabana can only dream of having as much food as Kira, who gets 2 cups of kibble in the morning and 2 more at night, plus lots of treats for training throughout the day. We didn't weigh Kira when we first brought her home 10 days ago, but yesterday, she weighed 45 lbs.

The parade of fosters going through our house means extra treats for Cabana, since she often gets to participate in training sessions. I've tried to be vigilant about Cabana's weight by cutting her meals back to 1 cup, twice a day. Maybe it's just that in COMPARISON to skinny bones Kira that Cabana seems heavy. Or does Cabana need to lose a pound or two? I weighed her at the pet store last weekend, and she weighs 56 pounds, which is what she normally weighs. But she SEEMS bigger to me than normal.

These photos were taken minutes apart. Cabana looks much heavier to me in the kitchen than out on the patio. Is it the optical illusion of her blending in with the wood floor?

According to this dog weight diagram I found online, Cabana is probably somewhere between ideal and heavy. I can BARELY feel Cabana's ribs and spine through her fur, but she does still have an abdominal tuck. She gets plenty of exercise, so I'm a bit mystified. I don't think Cabana needs to lose a LOT of weight, but maybe she needs to lose a pound or two?? I'm sort of going more by what she feels like than what she looks like because everything I've read online says you should be able to feel your dog's ribs.

It's so easy to let Labs get too heavy. I came across an article in Oprah Winfrey's magazine about Dr. Oz and his family. I'm not a big fan of either Oprah or Dr. Oz and have probably only watched their shows a couple times when browsing channels, but I do know that Dr. Oz is considered a health expert.

So I was aghast to see that Dr. Oz's black Lab, pictured at the bottom of this page, would probably be classified as "grossly obese"! In the article, which was about healthy vegetarian recipes, he's quoted saying, "Don't feed her (the dog)--she's a flabrador....She's flabby. She loves to eat everything. I told Lisa (his wife) we have to put her on a diet." No kidding! How could this doctor, famous for telling others how to lead healthy lifestyles, allow his own dog to be so uncomfortably unhealthy? I found it really sad--and I NEVER want to find myself at that point with Cabana. So even if it's just a pound or two, making sure Cabana is at an ideal weight is important to me.

Following the Leader

2011-08-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Kira continues to learn and improve by leaps and bounds everyday. She adores Cabana and is ALWAYS giving Cabana kisses. A kiss here and there would be fine, but the constant unsolicited affection wears on Cabana's good humor until, finally, Cabana will protest with a growl or a bark. You tell her, Cabana--after all, Kira needs to learn to mind other dogs' social cues.

Kira is fabulous on leash. She's just so happy to be next to Cabana that I almost don't even need to leash Kira. I don't know if it's her temperament or her breed or because she was a stray? Kira knows what being lost and alone is like, and she doesn't want to experience it again, so she stays close and checks in often.

At the park, none of the other dogs will play with Kira. They come up to her for a meet and greet, but they don't solicit her to play. I suppose they know she's still too tentative.

But when Cabana plays with her springer friends, like Maggie above, Kira is right there, either trying to get in on the action or maybe just getting front row seats? It will be interesting to see if this changes over the next week or two.

In this video, Cabana is playing with her pal Bodhi. They LOVE to rough house with each other. Kira does her best to keep up with them. It's so cute how she runs after Cabana, no matter what.

Freedom!!

2011-08-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I did some reading online about parvo quarantine, and I came across a site that said the quarantine period is usually two weeks. The shelter told me the quarantine was 3-4 weeks. Kira had been treated over 2 weeks ago, so I was hoping that 3-4 weeks was excessive. I asked the shelter to test a sample of her poop to see if it was clear of parvo--and what do you know, the test came back negative. No more parvo!! Dog walks and dog parks, here we come!

I've been raring to socialize Kira because I think Cabana is the only dog she's ever had positive interactions with. I took Kira to my favorite fields, knowing it would be fairly quiet in the afternoon. I didn't take Cabana so I could focus on Kira, since I didn't really know how she was going to respond. The first dog we saw was a little chihuahua on leash. Kira barked tentatively at him, backing up somewhat fearfully. This seems to be Kira's usual reaction--she barks whenever she's scared.

The man with the chihuahua left soon afterward, leaving us with a big empty field. I thought, hmmm, how am I going to socialize Kira with no other dogs or people around? Then, lo and behold, up drove the Nine Dog Lady! Talk about a one-stop dog socialization opportunity!

The Nine Dog Lady is self-explanatory--she's a lady with 9 dogs. Yes, 9 dogs. Ranging from an Irish wolfhound down to a 3-pound chihuahua. As you can imagine, the Nine Dog Lady is slightly eccentric. (She's holding Kira's drag line just for the photo--Kira kept trying to stay close to me, which I'm not complaining about, but it made it difficult to get a photo of her with the other dogs.) I had seen her at the park a couple times, and then, the next time I went to our veterinarian's office, there she was again. She volunteers at the vet's office, probably in order to get a discount on the services needed to keep 9 dogs healthy!

Have you ever seen such bling-y dog collars? Even the 3-pound chihuahua has these jewel-encrusted collars that probably weigh as much as the dog itself.

Kira did GREAT with all 9 dogs. No more barking! I have high hopes for this sweet puppy. She's on her way to being a confident, well-balanced dog.

After dinner tonight, I took Cabana and Kira to the fields together. The few times Kira has ridden in the car, she has whined almost constantly. I've tried singing to her, turning on the radio, having her sit in different places, all with no luck. But I should have known--she's perfectly happy in the car when Cabana is with her. I think she needs to go to a family with another dog--don't you?

Let the Romping Begin

2011-08-17T19:59:00.001-07:00

We've all started to really enjoy Kira, our foster German shepherd puppy. She is so sweet and incredibly smart. And I don't think I heard a bark from her all day--what a huge difference from 5 days ago! In this photo, there's a cat on the other side of the fence--I know because I heard it hissing. Whenever Kira has stepped in my flower bed, I give her a verbal correction, "ah-uh!" I didn't have to give the correction here--even in the excitement of smelling a cat, Kira was being so careful not to step on my flowers! Is she a great dog or what!

Kira has been trying to get Cabana to play with her for the past several days, but Cabana hasn't been willing. Aleksandra, from Love and Six Foot Leash, is a veteran foster mama and takes the most GORGEOUS photos of her fosters. She commented yesterday that I should make sure to give Cabana "top dog" status, along with plenty of alone time. Tonight, Cabana and I had a mini date in my sewing room, where she got to chew on a special bone treat. When she came out of the room, she was ready to rumba! Talk about instant results!

Here are a few short videos of Cabana and Kira playing. In this one, Cabana entices Kira with an orange monster toy, one of her favorites which has seen better days. I know dogs are somewhat color blind, but the interesting thing is that Kira digs down into the toy box and pulls out her own orange toy, one that is most similar to what Cabana has. I wonder if it's coincidence or deliberate?!

In this video, a few times, Kira pretends to be interested in another toy momentarily, only to make a sneak attack on Cabana. This time, I know it was deliberate.

Now Kira is fully engaged. Cabana doesn't seem to know what to make of Kira's unleashed energy. I just hope Kira sleeps well tonight!

Quick Progress for Kira

2011-08-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

Kira is one smart cookie. I gave her a doggy door lesson yesterday, and now, without any prompting, she goes in and out to do her business all by herself! Joyous celebration!! Also, she has met our cat and didn't get crazy over the encounter--she was interested and a little scared but not predatory. She is barking way less, although she still barks and whines in her crate at night. If only I could exercise her properly, I think this problem would be solved. But for a puppy who gets minimal exercise, she's actually quite mellow.

I doubt that Kira has ever been in a house before. She seems to have lived the entirety of her short life outdoors. I can tell by the way she went up the stairs for the first time and the fact that she loves to hide and make herself comfortable behind and under bushes. She also likes to eat her own poop, maybe because she didn't have anything else to eat as a stray. (This makes the use of the doggy door a bit more tricky--I need to keep an eye on her and follow her out so I can immediately pick up any poop. But even this nasty habit seems to be subsiding quickly--after she poops now, she looks at me like she knows I do NOT approve of any tasting. We've been working on "leave it" with urgent intensity.)

It has been really fun to share many "firsts" with Kira. Here she is sampling her first ice cube.

Toys also seem new to Kira. She didn't know what to do with them at first, but she is catching on fast. If only I could get Cabana and Kira to play tug with each other--that would be good exercise. Cabana is still acting aloof toward Kira--what is with that? If they had met at the dog park, I think Cabana would have loved Kira. I'm not sure if it was the way they met that caused the damper (barking at each other in our driveway) or maybe Cabana just doesn't necessarily enjoy sharing her house, her humans, or her toys.

Honestly, Cabana stopped playing with most of these toys a while ago anyway. But after Kira gets adopted, I think we'll go buy Cabana a new supply. She deserves that for being such a compliant hostess.

Breakthroughs

2011-08-15T12:26:00.001-07:00

Our first breakthrough came on Sunday morning, when Kira FINALLY relieved successfully outdoors. The day before, she had peed three times in her crate and one time on the kitchen rug. I felt that if she could just go in the right place ONCE and I could praise her like crazy for it, half the potty training battle would be won. But after peeing on the kitchen rug at about 4pm, I kept taking Kira outside, but she would not pee!

Even after eating dinner and drinking a lot of water, still no pee! I ended up staying outside with her for two hours straight, from 8pm to 10pm, walking around and around our backyard. I knew if I put her in her crate, she would pee in there, and we'd be reinforcing very bad habits. Finally, at 10pm, I had to give up, and we all went to bed (not necessarily to sleep, though). My husband slept in the family room with Kira on tie down, since we couldn't crate her. He took Kira out two more times in the middle of the night, and STILL NO PEE!

The next morning, I fed Kira breakfast, and then, FINALLY, when I took her outside, the floodgates opened and she peed and pooped like gangbusters. And I praised and praised and praised! Breakthrough Number One (and Number Two, too, I guess you might say)! We have not had an accident since.

The second breakthrough is that Kira and Cabana can now hang out together! We introduced the dogs on leash just after bringing Kira home, in our driveway, which was as neutral a territory as we could get, since Kira is not allowed off our property (due to shedding parvo). Kira barked and lunged, probably mostly out of fear, since it seems like she's never really been around other dogs before. Cabana's response made me see that Kira wasn't aggressive, and Cabana wasn't afraid of her--but Cabana started barking back, and we felt it was best to keep them apart for a while.

Every Sunday morning, my husband makes pancakes for breakfast. I'm not much of a pancake fan myself, but oh boy, Cabana sure is. It turns out that Kira also enjoys pancakes--immensely. We were able to introduce the dogs to each other by feeding them both pieces of pancake simultaneously.

Cabana wouldn't call Kira her best friend, but Kira thinks Cabana hangs the moon. She follows Cabana everywhere. If Cabana goes out to relieve herself, Kira does the same. Now that Kira has Cabana for a role model, she seems so much more confident. She can even walk by her own reflection in our stainless steel trash can without reacting.

Our next hurdle--keeping Kira from barking excessively in the crate.

A New Foster - Kira

2011-08-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to my husband's company picnic, where we had a great barbecue lunch. Because there was so much food leftover, they encouraged us to make "doggy bags" to bring home. My vegetarian family members were quite dismayed when they saw that all I had packed in my doggy bag was a barbecued chicken wing, a big frankfurter, and a couple thin slices of sirloin steak.

The reason I brought nothing but meat home was because right after the picnic, we'd be picking up our new foster puppy, Kira. I knew those high-value treats would come in handy.

Kira is a 6-month old German shepherd puppy that was picked up as a stray. She was brought into the shelter and infected the whole place before the staff realized she had parvo. They rushed her to emergency vet services, where she recovered for the next couple weeks. Now, after decontaminating the whole shelter, no small task, the staff has to keep Kira in isolation since she will be shedding the virus for at least 3 more weeks. The staff are not able to interact with Kira, due to the risk of having unvaccinated puppies coming into the shelter. So, poor Kira has been unable to be around other dogs or humans for the duration.

A shelter staff member emailed me and told me about the situation--I suppose they know a sucker when they see one. Is it that obvious?!

The first day of having a new dog in the house is always traumatic. With every foster, I think, "HOW did I get myself into this?" With Kira, I felt that 10 times stronger than with any other, including Francie! First of all, Kira is a puppy and has not been taught anything. Plus, you can tell by her torn right ear that she must have had a hard life as a stray, perhaps even been attacked by another dog. So she can be fearful around other dogs, and about life in general--and her response to fear is barking--LOUD barking. Top that off with the fact that she has been sequestered for the past several weeks and forced to live in her own filth, perhaps the reason why she pees every time I put her in the crate. Finally, because she is still shedding the parvo, she is not allowed to step foot off our property--no walks, no parks, nothing except running around our small backyard.

Another huge difference with Kira and our other fosters is that I had no prior relationship with her and hardly any information. With Seamus and especially with Francie, I had worked with them at the shelter for weeks before to bringing them home as fosters. This time, we are working entirely from scratch.

After wanting so badly to call the shelter several times in the past 24 hours to say we couldn't handle fostering this dog, I think we are making some progress. I feel we need to give it at least 3 days before we throw in the towel. My husband and I didn't get any sleep last night, though, so whether we can last for 72 hours may depend on whether we get any rest tonight.

Caps for Sale - and Shirts, Too!

2011-08-13T11:00:00.001-07:00

Hey there, puppy raisers! We have some embroidered baseball caps and polo shirts leftover from GDB Fun Day that we'd like to offer to our readers. All proceeds go to support our puppy raising group in purchasing supplies and crates for our raisers and harnesses for graduating dogs.

Here, Cabana miserably models the navy hat with her yellow Lab likeness embroidered on the front. The back has "Guide Dogs for the Blind" embroidered around the opening. This cap is also available in khaki featuring a black Lab.

Almost but not quite as miserably, my husband models the clover green shirt, embroidered with a black Lab and "Guide Dogs for the Blind". Thank you, kind and helpful husband!! This shirt comes in men's and women's sizes, and it also comes in navy, embroidered with a yellow Lab.

We also have a very limited number of navy and brown t-shirts and sweatshirts from past years. To order any of these items, please contact Cassie at pup4gdb@gmail.com.

PRICE LIST:
baseball caps, navy or khaki - $12 (normally $15)
embroidered polo, mens XS to 2XL, womens XS to 2XL, navy or clover green - $15 (normally $20)
silkscreened t-shirts, limited sizes, navy or brown - $12 (normally $15)
silkscreened crewneck sweatshirts, limited sizes, navy or brown - $12 (normally $15)
silkscreened hoody sweatshirts, limited sizes, navy or brown - $15 (normally $20)
silkscreened zippered sweatshirts, limited sizes, navy or brown - $20 (normally $25)

all orders, regardless of quantity - $5 shipping

Back at the Ranch

2011-08-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

A year ago, we took a trip down the California coast to Santa Margarita, where we stayed at Seven Oaks Ranch, which has three vacation homes nestled on 200+ acres. We got to go there again last week, where this time we stayed in the owners' home while they were away and puppysat for their 3-month old cocker spaniel, Margie (pronounced with the G like "guy", rather than like "gender").

Margie is an adorable, spunky little gal who adored Cabana--and piddled on the floor as soon as she saw her, the first of many piddles to come, unfortunately! But aside from the challenges of potty training, it was fun to see Margie and Cabana interact.

They played a lot of tug with this stuffed snake. Cabana was great with the puppy, very gentle and playful and PATIENT!

Cabana endured quite a bit of ear biting, face nibbling, general pestering, and getting climbed on.

As if they weren't enough for each other, here Cabana and Margie are waiting for a certain male visitor.

Scout belonged to the people who were staying in one of the other vacation homes, and he would come over often for canine companionship. His owners let him roam around the property at will, but I wasn't quite comfortable with that and kept Cabana on leash around the house and the pond. The water level in the pond was extremely low, making it very full of algae and mud--oh no, I was quite aware of where Cabana would end up if I let her roam around off-leash.

But Cabana got plenty of off-leash time on our daily hikes AWAY from the pond.

We climbed some steep ridges.

But the view was so worth it!

Not a building or another person around us for miles. Nothing but beautiful, vast, open expanse--exhilarating!

There are lots of great beaches in that area. Avila Beach has a section that is just for off-leash dogs.

There were tons of friendly dogs to meet and play with.

Cabana gravitated toward a fellow yellow Lab, one that is a TRUE retriever, unlike Cabana.

But that's okay, Cabana found other ways to amuse herself, like levitation.

There wasn't much time for R&R, but Cabana managed to get in some sunbathing on the deck. Still, no matter how great a vacation might be, it's always so nice to get back home and sleep in your own bed. Does that make me sound really old? Then, I guess I must be old!

Dog Rescue Heaven

2011-08-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

Lately, with all the political mess going on at the city animal shelter, I have been disinclined to continue volunteering there. The training volunteers that I worked so closely with for the past several months have had to stop coming, due to verbal threats made by some of the shelter staff. While I feel badly for the other dogs there, Francie was the one that I had the most connection with, and now that she's out of the shelter system, I decided to check out another local rescue. Big Dog Rescue is not far from our house, so my husband and I went for a volunteer orientation there yesterday.

Even though the name is Big Dog Rescue, this sanctuary houses much more than just big dogs. There are little dogs, too, along with horses, emus, goats and birds.

Here are some of the resident dogs. It's not clear to me whether these dogs are for adoption or if they just live here permanently. There doesn't seem to be much distinction between the two. Among them were two Mexican hairless dogs. The brown one at the top of this rise is Elvis.

And appropriately, this one is Priscilla. I was curious about how it felt to pet them, and boy, do they feel strange! It feels like you're petting someone's knee...that's the best way I can think of to describe the texture.

Most of the adoptable dogs live in large pens with 2-3 other dogs, depending on their size and temperament. I got to walk this sight hound mix, Jag, who shares his pen with two other dogs and has plenty of room to run.

My husband walked lab/shepherd mix Lucas. Isn't he adorable? Cabana would love this little guy--he's the perfect size and so playful. But no, we're not shopping for dogs to bring home! Need to refocus and stay on task here....

After walking the trails for a while, we let the dogs run in this huge arena. The ground looks like it's covered in gravel, but it's actually made of recycled shredded rubber for shock absorption.

My husband reminds me of a taller version of the Dog Whisperer here.

We were blown away by the beauty of this place! Dogs must feel like they are already rescued and entered heaven here. But as the owner of this rescue says, beautiful grounds and lots of space are great, but they're not a substitute for a home and a family. Maybe not, but I can think of worse ways to spend a few months while waiting for the right person to come along.

I Miss That Crazy Dog

2011-07-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

I took this completely un-Photoshopped photo a few days ago, using a slow shutter speed on my camera. I love the way it makes Francie look like a ghost or fading memory as she walks through our house. While I'm still rejoicing about Francie getting adopted, I absolutely cannot believe how much I miss her. She was only at our house for a week, but she was a part of my daily life for the past three months.

Want to hear an interesting story? The first night of our foster, I put Francie's red "adopt me" jacket on her and took her for a walk at a park near our house. I was desperately trying to get her as much exposure as possible. That day, I had contacted numerous rescue groups, pit bull organizations, and made the Craigs List post--everything I could think of to get Francie out in front of people and hopefully, that one Right Person. As I walked through the park, I saw three grade school-aged kids watching us. When we got close to them, the oldest, a girl of about 13, pointed to Francie and said, "That used to be our dog." I had to ask her to repeat herself three times because I couldn't get what she was saying through my thick head! She said that Francie, who's name used to be Carly, was owned by their 23-year old brother. Carly ran away when she was 8-months old and was picked up as a stray. They eventually went to the shelter and saw that she had been renamed Francie (they must have waited for a long time for her to have been given a name by then), but their parents didn't want to pay the $400 to reclaim her (it actually only costs $40, but the girl had apparently been told that it was $400).

She ended by saying, "Well, at least she has a good home with you now." I pointed to Francie's "adopt me" jacket and said, no, she does not have a home, that she has been at the shelter for over 7 months, and that she was almost euthanized. I said it as gently as I could, but I didn't want to sugarcoat the situation either. I felt they needed to know that the choices their family made had huge ramifications, namely, making their dog's life a living hell. Hopefully, if they ever get another pet, they will not repeat their mistake.

But I just got off the phone with Francie's new owner, who reports that Francie has slept on his bed for the past two nights. He told me initially that she would be sleeping on her own dog bed on the floor next to his bed--I've never been so glad that someone's resolve caved! It's a good sign that Francie will be living the spoiled life she deserves.

Francie's owner plans to make Francie her own Facebook page so we can all follow along in her adventures. He says I'll be jealous when I see the amazing life she's living. I'll be sure to share the link so we can all jealous together!

Francie is a Ranch Girl

2011-07-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

Whenever I'd envision the perfect owner for our foster dog, Francie, I thought of a young single man, tough, outdoorsy, athletic, not bothered by dirt, not into nice furniture, kindhearted but firm, experienced with dogs.

Today, Francie drove away in the truck of that perfect owner.

She's being taken to an 80-acre ranch surrounded by redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains. Her owner is the caretaker of the ranch and will take her everywhere he goes. They will camp in Yosemite, swim in the mountain lakes, and hike the rugged trails.

Francie's new owner responded to an ad I had posted on Craig's List and drove over two hours to come meet her. He's owned bully breeds before and plans to buy her the best organic dog food money can buy. He's a southern boy and called me "ma'am", which I will not hold against him.

It's a happy ending. Go well, Francie, we will miss you terribly (well, maybe Cabana won't, but I will), but we couldn't ask for better for you.

Five Days and It's Good

2011-07-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't really believe those of you who commented that things would get better with Cabana and Francie. But you were right! Cabana's comfort has improved, and I think Francie is finally understanding that harassing gets her nowhere, except inside her crate. This afternoon, Cabana got up on her ottoman, one of her favorite spots, while Francie was laying only inches away on the couch. That was the first time Cabana elected to be that close to Francie. (Sorry, this photo is pretty darn blurry.)

Five days ago, Francie only ate about half the food in her dish at mealtimes, and her poops were always runny and tinged with blood. Now, she is almost as fastidious about cleaning her plate as Cabana is, and her poops are firm and healthy. WHY is that so gratifying?! On the subject of food, Cabana adores baby carrots and comes to get one whenever I open the fridge. The first time I gave Francie a carrot, she almost audibly said, "Blecch" and spit it on the ground. She watched as Cabana ate hers enthusiastically and picked the discarded carrot back up. She chomped it into three pieces but left the pieces uneaten. Tonight, though, she happily gobbled down two of them. What a good girl to eat her veggies.

This morning, Lake County Animal Services kindly allowed me to participate in their adoption event at a local Pet Food Express. Francie charmed everyone who stopped to meet her, snuggling up and leaning in on their legs for some love. This girl knows how to work it! She was great with every person and very good about meeting the other adoptable dogs there. I was extremely encouraged and proud of her. No one seemed seriously interested, though--but I'm horning in on another adoption event in San Francisco tomorrow.

There were two litters of puppies at today's adoption event. These are lab/plott hound mixed pups. So sweet! Aren't their eyes incredible?

Another Pet Portrait

2011-07-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Cabana plays with these aussies every weekend at the park. Cooper has brown eyes, and Navee has blue. Navee is younger, but he's actually Cooper's uncle--figure that one out! We've become close friends with their owners, so when we were invited to a surprise birthday party for one of them who was turning the big five-o, I asked my talented older daughter to draw a picture of their dogs as a gift. I really enjoy giving personal and handmade gifts when possible.

And this is how the drawing turned out. I matted and framed it for our friends, and they were extremely touched and pleased. In fact, they called me immediately after opening it (they didn't open presents until the following day) to say how much they loved it. I think my daughter really captured the dogs' spark and personalities. Surprisingly, she doesn't really even like dogs that much (good thing Cabana can't read), but she does a great job of drawing them anyway. Here's one she did of a golden retriever several months ago. I think she should open up little side business doing these pet portraits to help work her way through college next year!

Two Days In

2011-07-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Two days into fostering Francie, and we are settling in okay. It's not easy, but it's not terrible. This morning, I fed the dogs near each other, which was a baby step in the right direction. Neither of them are food guarders. Francie was only eating about half her food when we first brought her home (she never ate much at the shelter either), but I'm happy to see that her appetite has improved greatly. She still leaves a bit of food in her dish, which I've been letting Cabana finish eating--I want her to feel there are at least a few perks to having Francie in the house.

I took these photos a few minutes ago, and in reviewing them, Cabana's discomfort is evident in each one. Cabana tolerates Francie, but she doesn't enjoy her one bit.

Francie is just so bossy. If Cabana is sitting near me, Francie comes over and makes Cabana move, then she lays all over me, trying to claim me. Whenever she does stuff like this, I put her on tie-down or in her crate. It seems to be working because Francie is getting slightly less bossy. Just slightly, though.

I feel bad when I restrain or confine Francie, but that's the only way that Cabana can relax. (FYI, I never leave the dogs alone together.) I was telling my shelter volunteer friend about how guilty I feel, and she reminded me that up until two days ago, Francie lived in a concrete cell with one hour of exercise and interaction if she was lucky. Now, she has a soft bed, a doggy door leading out to a yard, plenty of exercise, lots of cuddles, and a clean, quiet, stable environment.

Another volunteer told me that the dog above got put down at the shelter today. He bit someone the day after Francie did. The story is that someone stuck their fingers through his kennel bars, and he bit them. I don't know how much damage he did. Francie's bite was accidental, but this dog's was on purpose, I guess you could say. I still don't think it warrants losing his life, but that's the way the shelter is doing things now. So I'm glad Francie is out of there; otherwise, she'd be in their freezer.

A Full Dog Day

2011-07-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

The day started as all good days should--with a trip to the fields for Cabana to run and play with her friends.

After dropping Cabana off at home, I headed over to Buster/Seamus' house! Buster was our previous foster dog, and his new owner asked me to stop by and give a little lesson to her 7-year old twin girls. They love Buster but don't always know how to play with him in ways he likes. I did some research online, mostly using the Liam J. Perk website that I heard about through Martha's blog, as well as the ASPCA site. I put together some photos that show dogs in different postures, to help the girls recognize some cues that Buster is probably giving them. I'm sure it was mostly stuff that their parents had already told them, but sometimes, it has more meaning when it's coming from someone else.

It was so great to see Buster, and he definitely still remembered me. He looked great, his fur was glossy, and he seemed very settled and happy. I told his owners again that I was more than willing to dog sit anytime they needed me.

After that, I drove over to the embroidery place and picked up these sample sew-outs. I think the lab design came out fabulously, and I'm really excited about the polos and hats for Fun Day.

Then, finally with the 10-day quarantine period over for Francie, I drove over to the shelter and brought her home to start her foster period at our house. So far, things are going okay. I wish I could say that Cabana and Francie adore each other, but that's just not the case. I have a hard time understanding Francie's body language, but I think she's being a combination of pushy and playful. Cabana just ignores her or stays very still while Francie makes sudden jerky movements. Mostly, I've been keeping Francie on tie-down or in her crate, while allowing Cabana total freedom. I want Francie to know that this is Cabana's house and that we will decide the rules on what Francie can do and not do. She'd easily take over the place if we gave her an inch. My husband described Francie well, saying that she's a mixture of very sweet with slightly crazy.

Phew, I'm exhausted! Is it time for bed yet?

New Fun Day Polo Shirts and Hats!

2011-07-15T17:06:00.001-07:00

Wow, 5 posts in a week. Amazing how much more prolific I can be when I'm not going to the shelter every durn day.

NOTE: Colors and design below are just mocked up depictions. The actual items will vary, and the design will be embroidered. These graphics are just to give you an idea of the design.

Hey, hey, puppy raisers! Guide Dogs for the Blind Fun Day in San Rafael is just around the corner. It's early this year, July 23, but just in the nick of time, our puppy group will have some fun items for sale. My daughter's dog design will be embroidered on polo shirts and hats. And after much demand, this year we'll have items with BLACK LABS!!

We'll have khaki hats with black labs and navy hats with yellow labs. Both hats will have "Guide Dogs for the Blind" embroidered on the back.

And we'll have polo shirts in clover green (don't you love this color?!) with black lab and in navy with yellow lab. Best of all, we ordered both men's AND women's shirts. The women's shirts are cut with slightly shorter sleeves and are a bit tapered at the waist.

Come shop early in the day because sizes are extremely limited. Currently, we aren't planning to take orders or reorder. T-shirts from previous years are also available at a discounted price.

Reading Buddy Bookmarks

2011-07-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Cabana really enjoys being a reading buddy. Every Friday, we go to the local Boys & Girls Club, and she "listens" while 7-10 kids read to her. Now she knows what's coming when I put on her therapy jacket and she prances the 2 blocks to the club. When we arrive, the kids, who have just eaten lunch, are so excited to see her, and Cabana loves the commotion. She doesn't jump or get crazy, mostly I think because her nose is in heaven as she sniffs the kids with all their cacophony of scents--sweat, sunscreen, detergent, and FOOD.

Before we sit down on the green naugahyde couch for stories, the kids always want to see Cabana do a few tricks. Their favorite is to cover their ears with their hands (in preparation of what's to come) and say, "Cabana, SPEAK!" When Cabana lets out her deep and booming single bark, they are startled every time by how loud and unlike her it is. It's hilarious, and I have to say, it still surprises me every time, too! I think it even surprises Cabana herself because sometimes, she tries to do a quiet, muffled little "erf", but that never satisfies the kids. They ask her to speak until they get a true resounding "ROWFF".

Last week, I took a photo of each student sitting next to Cabana. I inserted the photos into a bookmark that I designed, printed them, and had them laminated. Tomorrow, I'll hand them out to the kids.

This is manageable for the Boys & Girls Club because it's the same kids every time. But I would like to have some bookmarks professionally printed with a generic photo so I can hand them out whenever I can't give personalized bookmarks.

I can't decide which photo of Cabana I want to use. Which do you like best?

The text on the bookmarks reads, "Cabana is a 2-year-old yellow labrador retriever. She is called a 'career change dog' because she was supposed to work as a Guide Dog for the Blind. But because she was too 'dog distracted', her new career is being a reading buddy and a spoiled pet. Cabana can do lots of tricks like sit, stay, touch, take a bow, shake hands, and everyone's favorite, speak! Her favorite activities are going to the beach, playing with doggy pals, jumping in mud puddles, and most of all, eating."

A Big Thank You and a Funny Blog

2011-07-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU to everyone who signed the petition yesterday! I recognized many, many of your names on the petition list, and I was encouraged with each one. We have 525 signatures as of this writing, and though I don't know if it will help pass the non-profit proposal, it definitely helped me feel supported and loved.

A special thanks to my blogging friend Min who posted on her blog about Francie and the petition. She has a beautiful blog about her dog and life as the wife of a military man. If you haven't yet, check it out. She's funny and creative and has a yellow lab, Bella, pictured above. I hope someday we'll get to meet in person.

I decided my blog was getting to be too much of a downer, so I want to share some comic relief. A dog park friend turned me on to this blog called Hyperbole and a Half, and it is HILARIOUS. The pictures are illustrated using MS Paint, and their simplicity and zaniness adds to the sarcastic but spot-on writing. I have spent HOURS reading through her posts and laughing at her drawings--the best ones are highlighted on the side bar. They will cheer you up on your darkest day.

As far as the animal shelter and Francie, I don't know anything yet. I went to the city council meeting last night, and it wasn't good. It's too complicated and boring to go into detail, but things are BLEAK. I am separating myself from the shelter this week because there's too much fighting and nastiness there right now.

Next Monday, I will go spring Francie and bring her to our home as a foster. I have already gotten in touch with a couple of local rescue groups who have extensive networking contacts. It boggles my mind how fast they spread information! A rescuer contacted me this morning, saying this: "I love this girl's face (Francie's)--she looks like my Chance--who is a love of my life. There is nothing I would not do for him. You let me know when she is all settled in with you. I am connected with SF rescue groups. I am sure I can ask them for her to attend local adoption events. Thank you for saving her life!"

I'm hopeful.

Renegade in San Fran

2011-07-10T18:49:00.001-07:00

Today, my whole family, including Cabana, drove into San Francisco to attend the Renegade Craft Fair. It's a craft fair that's geared for the teen/20's crowd, very hip and trendy, rather than the usual old-fashioned "grandma" craft items, although vintage is "in", so who's to say what's old-fashioned and what's new-fashioned these days!

Here's Cabana smiling and posing for me at the yacht harbor at Fort Mason where the craft fair was held.

We were strolling through the aisles when this dog collar booth caught my eye. Of course, I had to check it out, and I had to take a photo of Cabana in the booth! But she was very distracted by something under the table and wasn't compliant about posing. The vendor at the dog collar booth was nice enough to bring out a dog treat and helped me get Cabana facing the camera. After finally getting my shot, I looked at the vendor's face and realized that I knew her! Her name is Jessica, and we used to work together over 10 years ago, when we both worked at a scrapbooking store in San Rafael, probably less than a mile away from the Guide Dogs campus.

In fact, I have often thought about Jessica because she was the first puppy raiser and true "dog person" I ever met. All her scrapbook pages were filled with pictures of dogs, which I thought was slightly unusual at the time. Little did I know how like her I'd be some day! She raised for Canine Companions, and I still remember her career changed dog, Ocean, a beautiful lab/golden cross. She used to bring Ocean to the scrapbooking store sometimes, and I was amazed that this dog was a "flunkee"! She could do all kinds of tricks and could even read words--of course, she wasn't really reading but had been trained to point to the correct word. Ocean is now 13-years old, which shows how long it has been since I've seen Jessica.

Now, Jessica has a little beagle, in addition to Ocean. She didn't have Ocean with her, but she did pull the beagle out from under the table (so that's what was distracting Cabana earlier). I think she is the cutest beagle I've ever seen.

Jessica also makes some of the cutest collars and leashes I've ever seen! They are handmade from natural and eco-friendly materials. Check them out at Aroo Studio.

One final shot of Cabana with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Walking along Chrissy Field and across the Golden Gate Bridge with Cabana are on my dog bucket list. I can't believe we haven't done those things yet!

Dog Park Class

2011-07-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today, Cabana and I took a class at the Marin Humane Society called "Dog Park Survival Skills". There were 8 dogs in the class, one of which is Cabana's dog pal Mindy, a tri-colored springer spaniel. It was confusing to Cabana and Mindy to be there with each other but not be allowed to greet or play.

The class was okay, but honestly, I didn't feel like I learned a ton. They talked about body language, group dynamics, human responsibility, and prevention tactics. I would have liked more depth on everything, especially the dog body language component, but it was only a 2-hour class, which isn't much time.

The fun part of the class was for the dogs to actually get to meet and play. I could tell Cabana was interested in this male dog named Darwin from the moment she saw him. She likes those rambunctious male types.

First, Darwin and Cabana had to meet each other on leash politely, where ideally, we want the dogs to arc around each other and sniff each others' bottoms. But Cabana was so amped up and eager to meet Darwin that she kept trying to meet him head on, which is an etiquette no-no. I think Cabana would have been much more polite off leash, plus Darwin was sending definite "let's play" signals so she already knew they would be fast friends.

When they were finally allowed off leash, they had a great time with each other. Cabana's play style would please Twilight fans (which does NOT include me, I am compelled to make perfectly clear)--in vampire style, she loves to have her neck bitten. She always presents her neck to the other dog, encouraging them to grab her scruff. Darwin's owner said that Darwin doesn't usually do that when playing with other dogs, but he definitely did that a lot with Cabana, a confirmation that she's encouraging that behavior.

Finally, Mindy and Cabana got to play, too. Mindy didn't even want to play with the other dog she was supposed to be playing with, but instead came running over to Cabana. It was really sweet!

The instructors encouraged us to call our dogs out of play often, to help keep the play mutual and under control, and to let our dogs know that when we stop them, it doesn't automatically mean it's time to go home. I saw some things that I still need to improve with Cabana--when she was focused on Darwin while on leash, she was totally blowing me off. She couldn't have cared less about me at that moment--dog distraction, it's her nemesis. Other than that, though, I was pretty proud of her.

Quarantine for Francie

2011-07-08T12:43:00.001-07:00

For the past two months, I have been going to the animal shelter six days a week to work with Francie. Sometimes, we go for a hike, other times we play Chuck-It at the park. When it's too hot to walk or play fetch, we mostly snuggle in the shade of a tree. I started doing this because Francie was floundering. She had lost a lot of weight (she was already skinny to begin with), wasn't eating her meals, didn't wag her tail, rarely sniffed anything, and seemed to be constantly pacing.

I knew what Francie needed was consistency and plenty of exercise, so that's what I tried to give her. Now, she is eating her meals and seems truly happy when we are out together. She is extremely affectionate and sweet. Look at that happy face in the pool!

The first three minutes with Francie have always been a challenge because she is beside herself with kennel stress, excitement that someone has come for her, and anxiety from all the other dogs in the adjoining kennels barking and going bonkers. She doesn't know what to do with herself, and so she bites the leash. After all this time, I know exactly what she's going to do, so I don't allow her to do it. I grab her collar before she can go after the leash in my hand, I clip the leash on, and we exit the kennels as quickly and safely as possible. We've got our routine down pat.

Today, as usual, I went to walk Francie, and as I started to go into the kennels to get her, one of our animal control officers stopped me. She said Francie had bitten her arm and had to be quarantined for 10 days because of rabies or whatever. The bite was purely accidental (as usual, she was trying to bite the leash), but still, due to rules and regulations, I am not allowed to be anywhere near Francie for the next 10 days.

So I went home and showered. But then, because there is a lot of ugly political stuff going down at the shelter this week, I got scared. There has been talk about having to euthanize half the animals at the shelter due to budget cuts. In a panic, I quickly got dressed and drove back to the shelter to make sure Francie was still there and still breathing.

Thankfully, I saw that she was alive, in the quarantine kennel behind the building. I found the shelter director, and I asked her to promise me that they would not put Francie down. She assured me that they would not euthanize her, but it broke my heart to see Francie back there, cooped up and not able to do much of anything. Francie could see me and hear my voice, and she started yelping and whining. The one hour that she looks forward to each day has been taken from her. She's being quarantined for a behavior that is caused by kennel stress. And yet, the consequence for that behavior is to confine her and cause even further kennel stress. How is that right?

Hike at Mount Burdell

2011-06-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Cabana and I met our friend Bucky and his owner for a hike at Mount Burdell. (My camera lens is dirty; can you see the big smudge next to Cabana?) Every time we get together with them, it seems like it's foggy, drizzly, or raining. But that's okay, we still have a good time anyway.

"Cabana, come!" Dogs are allowed off-leash here, and Cabana did a fabulous job of coming when called. Having an extremely food-motivated dog like Cabana can have its downside, but it's definitely a plus in the recall department.

There weren't many other dogs out, but we did meet this foxy little guy.

I said, "Whippet, whippet good."

I think Cabana had a great time, don't you?

Here's a little shelter update. I got an email from Seamus/Buster's new owner, telling me how much they adore him. She sent me this photo, saying that Seamus thinks he's their third child. They put him in the far back seat, but he always climbs into the middle seat, in between the twin girls. We're planning to get together soon. I miss that guy!

Also, Loki was adopted last week. In fact, she had 3 groups of people wanting her! Several people have been interested in Francie. Two of them were crazy people, though, and there was no way we were letting her go home with them. But one very promising couple, who were extremely pitbull experienced and dog savvy, even took her home for a trial run, but it didn't work out. Sigh, she was a bit too much for their current dog, a blue heeler mix. Double sigh. I'll be showing Francie this weekend at the Cuddle Shuttle mobile adoption truck, so I've got big hopes for her. She just needs the right person....

Book Review: Bones Would Rain from the Sky

2011-06-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

Before I start my book review, I wanted to share that Tabi, the dog we fostered last weekend, got adopted today!! The shelter training director texted me this afternoon and gave me the good news, saying Tabi got a wonderful family. I don't know why, but I felt EXTRA happy about it. Maybe I had some guilt inside because I actually didn't feel much for Tabi. I liked her and thought she was a very nice dog, but I didn't feel a connection. I suppose it's good because I don't necessarily want feel like keeping every single dog that crosses our threshold. Yes, that's a very good thing, indeed. Still, I felt that Tabi deserved a good life, and I guess I felt guilty for not wanting to provide that for her personally. Hence, my relief and joy about her adoption today.

Bones Would Rain from the Sky by Suzanne Clothier has to be my all-time favorite dog book. It was beautifully written, and the information in it was so different from other dog books. Sometimes, you read a dog book and think, "I've read all this before in other dog books." I didn't feel that way at all this time.

The book is about having a relationship with your dog, not just training your dog by following some prescribed method or another. It's about taking the time to figure out what your dog needs and learning to communicate with each other. There are many examples in the book about dogs that had issues and who were brought to the author for help. Her approach was always positive, sincere, and thoughtful. She encourages readers to listen to our gut instinct. If it doesn't feel right to treat your dog in a certain way, don't do it. Many times, we get so much conflicting information from the "experts" and wonder who is right, who to listen to. Usually, we know inside what the right thing is, if we'd take the time to figure it out.

One of the most important points I got from this book is that being a dog lover should make you a better person. Sometimes, we can become "crazy dog people" who only care about dogs, while forgetting to be patient with the goofy kid at the grocery store or cursing behind the back of a mean boss or retreating from a difficult family member. If we can show kindness and patience to our dogs, we can extend the same kindness and patience to the people around us. We can learn from our dogs how to be more joyful, more forgiving, more loving.

A New Foster - Tabi

2011-06-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

As much as I would have loved to do a mini-foster with Francie, I knew that her personality wasn't a good fit for our family. Still, I decided to give it a shot by bringing Francie home for a few hours last week.

Cabana and Francie had been introduced a couple weeks ago at the shelter, so I knew there weren't any issues with aggression. But Cabana only tolerates Francie. Francie's body language and play style are just so different from Cabana's. "Playful" to Francie translates as "way over-the-top" to Cabana.

Can't you just see the discomfort on Cabana's face? Francie is a bit like a bull in a china shop, jumping all over the furniture, grabbing all of Cabana's toys, claiming all of us by sitting all over our laps whenever we sit down. Fostering shouldn't mean sacrificing Cabana's comfort. A little inconvenience is okay, but misery is not. Still, Francie is completely house broken, never barks, doesn't dig, doesn't counter surf--so, for the right family, she'd be a great dog.

My husband has taken an immense liking to Loki, a mystery breed dog who was found in a swamp. Loki has the face of a lab, a black tongue like a chow, a dark ruff and tail like a shepherd, and dew claws on her hind legs like a hound. She was so skittish that it took two weeks for the man who found her to be able to get close enough to bring her into the shelter. After he finally did bring her in, he came by daily to check on her--such a kind person! Loki was definitely afraid of men. Her tail was tucked way under when my husband first approached her in her pen. But he quickly got Loki to warm up to him, and now she is his buddy.

We had hoped to foster Loki this weekend, seen playing here with Francie and my husband in the shelter play yard. But before ending up in the swamp, Loki seems to have come from a nice family. Even though she has some fear issues, she has very good obedience and manners.

Meanwhile, Tabi is a dog that was surrendered by her owner and came in shortly after Loki. Tabi makes Loki look like a courageous superhero. The two scaredy-dogs have been kenneled together, and Loki has helped Tabi gain confidence. The shelter folks were worried that if we brought Loki home, Tabi might feel totally lost without her friend. So, we brought Tabi home for a mini-foster instead because Tabi has never been taught anything and could benefit greatly from an in-home experience.

Tabi reminds me of a little black bear. She's sweet, petite, and smart. With Cabana's friendly comfort, Tabi has had almost no fears in our house. Her tail is always high and waggly. She follows Cabana outside to do her business whenever Cabana does. Oddly, they don't really play together, but Tabi tries to curl up next to Cabana and always licks Cabana's ears and nether-regions. I have a feeling that Tabi doesn't know how to play--I've been told that she has had zero socialization and was left in her backyard for her entire life.

We took Tabi to our dog park this morning, and she did great. She wasn't afraid of the dogs or activity or people. I didn't let her off-leash, though, because she won't even come to me in our fenced backyard. We'll work on sit, down, come and leash walking while she's here. She's a quick study, so I think it won't be long before she's mastered them.

And Now, Back to Cabana

2011-06-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

Poor Cabana, this is supposed to be her blog, but somehow, her air time got usurped by a lot of other doggy activities! Even though I've been busy at the animal shelter, I make sure Cabana never gets short shrift in real life, although she might sometimes get left out on her blog.

Cabana still enjoys her daily morning walk to the dog park fields, about 3 miles round trip, plus whatever running Cabana does at the park. Now that school is out, we leave the house around 7am. The streets and paths are quiet, so Cabana gets to walk off-leash most of the time. There are still a few spots where I have to leash her because of the lure of cat poop, but other than that, Cabana has earned the privilege of freedom. If we cross paths with other people, with or without dogs, I always call Cabana over to me, and she walks alongside me until the people pass, after which she's free to meander.

On our morning walks, we often see the former trainer for Guide Dogs for the Blind who lives in our neighborhood (he recently retired after 27 years there), along with his wife (also a former dog trainer) and their German shepherd, Dillon. Last week, they both commented on how much Cabana has matured and has become such a well-mannered and wonderful dog. They had witnessed firsthand how much I struggled with Cabana when she was a puppy in training, since Cabana always seemed to be extra uncontrollable around them. So it was a proud moment for me.

A less-than-proud moment was when, later that morning, Cabana found a mud hole at the dog park. It seems there is a faulty sprinkler head in the middle of the field, and it forms a puddle that never dries out.

Cabana decided that the puddle was an invitation to dig her way to China. Cat poop ingesting is not the only cause for leashing, as Cabana learned that day. Getting to be off-leash is a privilege, even at the off-leash dog park.

Cabana's therapy work has had a few hiccups. We stopped going to the Alzheimer's residence for a number of reasons, but mostly because they had us scheduled to come during their social hour, which is when all the residents are eating snacks. It was just too challenging to keep Cabana from becoming a vacuum cleaner every time. Plus, the therapy dog organization was dealing with internal political junk. The organization splintered into three different groups, then two of the groups joined back together again. They assigned us to a library for a reading dog program, so we got mentored there, only to have them take the post away from us before we could actually begin, because one of the splintered-off groups took over that location.

Long story short, we have now started volunteering at our local Boys & Girls Club. Today was Cabana's first day as a reading buddy! She did a fabulous job. The kids loved her, and she loved them. She curled right up on their green naugahyde couch, and kids ranging from 6 to 16 took turns reading to her. They each gave her a treat after saying, "the end". I think that might become her favorite phrase.

Book Review: The Lost Dogs

2011-06-14T15:46:00.001-07:00

My vacation dog book reading riot included The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and their Tale of Rescue and Redemption. While I can't say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, mostly because I found the writing style a bit dry and clumsy, the subject matter was very interesting.

Despite the sad beginning of this story, it truly is a happy "tale of rescue and redemption." Most of the dogs turn out to be loving, healthy pets, with quite a few of them passing the Canine Good Citizen test and even becoming therapy dogs. Only a very small percentage are yet unable to overcome their aggression toward other dogs. The majority of the dogs didn't want to fight at all, which was a big problem for Vick and a large part of the reason why he treated them so badly (as punishment for not fighting).

The myth about pit bulls being dangerous is so prevalent today. It's a travesty that these sweet, loving animals continue to be regarded as uncontrollable monsters. Pit bulls want so much to please their humans, and it is this very trait that makes them popular for dog fights. They do it, going against all their own instincts, because a human is MAKING them do it.

Meanwhile, I have my own pit bull rescue story, playing out at our local animal shelter. Here is pit bull Francie, pictured with my husband and shelter dog Loki, in the shelter play yard. With the exception of while I was in New York, I have been going to the shelter daily to exercise Francie for at least an hour. Some days, we run together, sometimes we walk. I try to vary the route and expose her to as many situations as possible. We have been back to the park for Chuck-It a couple times when it's quiet and we can keep a distance from other people and dogs. We go for car rides (she no longer humps the dog bed in the back seat), walk on busy streets, stroll through quiet neighborhoods, and shop at pet stores.

While I'm out and about town with Francie, I've noticed that she gets a lot of attention. It's probably a combination of factors--that Francie is a striking pure white, the disconnect of seeing a "scary pit bull" being walked by a 5' tall Asian woman, and that she walks SO nicely on leash. Oh yes, Francie has come a long way in her leash manners. She heels beautifully, sits at the stop lights, and when she sees a nice patch of grass, she lays down and rolls over for a delicious tummy rub--she is one affectionate girl.

On busy traffic days, I've had as many as 5 people poke their heads out of their car windows to yell things like, "What a great dog!" I decided to capitalize on this attention by making Francie a little jacket that says "Adopt Me". People probably just think she's my dog, but I want them to know she could be THEIR dog! My ploy is working because yesterday, a guy pulled over, rolled down his window, and handed me his business card, saying, "Give me a call about that dog!"

Hopefully, someone will adopt Francie soon. She's been at the shelter since November of last year, the poor baby. (She scratched her face yesterday by shoving her head under the chicken wire fencing in the kennels.) It will take the "right" kind of person to be a proper fit for Francie, but that person is out there. We just have to find him/her--soon!

Book Review: Pukka

2011-06-12T19:15:00.001-07:00

While I was on vacation last week, I brought along lots of books to read, all dog-related (why would I want to read anything else?!). I rarely make the time to read when I'm home, although I do listen to audiobooks while I'm driving or sewing. But since not all books are available in audio format, it was a treat to choose from a wider selection.

Pukka: The Pup After Merle is mostly a picture book and reminded me of a dog blog. It was written by Ted Kerasote, who wrote Merle's Door, which I read several years ago, before getting a dog or raising a guide dog puppy was even a blip in my brain. (Click here for my review of Merle's Door.) So it felt full-circle to me, reading this book about Merle's successor.

Yellow lab mix Merle died in 2004, and it took 5 years for Ted to get another dog. Ted took over 14,000 photos of Pukka during their first year together, then selected 200 of them for this book.

Pukka reminded me so much of Cabana, which was nice since I was missing her while we were away. Early in the book, Pukka gets bitten by a neighbor's dog, right below his eye. It leaves a little scar that reminded me of the black pigment mark below Cabana's eye (her beauty mark).

While not the most substantive dog book on the market, it was really fun to read. I hope the author will publish a sequel so we can see Pukka when he's all grown up.

More book reviews to come!

Dogs in the Big Apple

2011-06-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

Did you know that former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani used to have a yellow lab? (This photo is taken from the book New York Dogs, by Andrea Mohin.)

All last week, my human family members and I were on vacation in New York City. Cabana stayed at Bucky's house, where I hear she had a great time, playing tug with Bucky and demolishing all his stuffed toys.

We thoroughly enjoyed NYC, living on the top floor of a charming four-story brownstone, taking the subway all over Manhattan, visiting museums, shops and attractions. The only downside to our trip was, of course, that Cabana couldn't be there with us. So I consoled myself by reading lots of books about dogs and by nerdily (is that a word?) taking photos of passing dogs.

Although we didn't cross paths with Rudy Giuliani or his dog, during the first few days of our trip, I photographed every dog I saw. But then, I thought, wow, this is really stupid, so I stopped doing it. I was a bit embarrassed while taking them and felt sheepish since I hadn't asked anyone for permission, so I took the photos really fast, hoping no one would notice.

Now, looking through these dog photos, I am surprised at how much they convey and wish that I had kept taking them. I thought the photos would look too random and boring, but instead, they show the grittiness of the city, the traffic, the people, the movement, the hurrying. I had planned to use the photos to make a little collage to share on my blog, but the photos are so interesting (to me, anyway), that I want them to be viewed singly and at full-size, rather than as a tiny 1" square in a collage. So I made the slide show below.

Even though these are random dogs that we don't know anything about, they each have their own unique character and story. I recently read that city dogs have to be much better trained than country or suburban dogs. After all, city people can't just throw their dogs in a big backyard or let them run loose while they're at work all day. When neighbors literally live on top of you or on the other side of your wall, barking is just not acceptable. And you can bet with all of New York City's fines, that someone is going to get on your case if you don't bag up your pooch's poop!

A Retriever of Sorts

2011-05-30T06:41:00.001-07:00

Because Cabana started out as a guide dog puppy, she wasn't allowed to play with balls for the first year of her life. Having a guide dog that is distracted by balls could jeopardize someone's life, so balls of all kinds were strictly forbidden. After Cabana was career changed, though, we tried to get her to retrieve balls, but she showed zero interest.

There's not much that's more embarrassing than throwing the ball for your dog to fetch, only to have her sit in the grass, looking at you bewildered--and then YOU have to trudge through the field and get the dang-blasted ball yourself. Now, after almost a year and a half, Cabana can be coaxed to retrieve the ball--but ONLY if no other dogs are around and if there's a treat reward after every fetch. (Food motivated is Cabana's middle name.)

Here Cabana gets ready for the toss.

She looks pleased with herself as she jauntily brings the ball back. Don't Cabana's ears look like curly pigtails in this photo? Makes me think of Cindy Brady.

"Blah," she says as she releases the ball, "This retrieving is hard work!"

Good job, Cabana! "Dad, where's my kibble reward?" For some dogs, the game is reward enough--but I don't know if that will ever be the case for Cabana.

Update on Seamus/Buster: Seamus' new mom brought him to the shelter on Saturday for a training session. Seamus definitely remembered me and jumped all over me in excitement. His coat has gotten much softer (thanks to good food mixed with yogurt, according to the new mom), and he seems to be doing really well. The family lives in a cul-de-sac, so he hangs out with the twin girls while they ride their bicycles. When the girls fall down or get hurt, Seamus licks them to make them feel better. He has learned how to open their guinea pig cage, so the new mom says with greatly feigned sadness, "Oh well, girls, I guess we might have to re-home the guinea pig." Poor guinea pig, but I admit I'd choose Seamus over a guinea pig any day.

And Nicole, now that I know who Buster Posey is, I am aware that he got hurt. See, I'm not a total loss, right?

Cabana's Kibblesicles Recipe

2011-05-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

Famous blogger and renowned author, Tall Guy from Daily Dose of Jack, is putting together a canine recipe book to be sold on Amazon. All proceeds will be donated to a "worthy cause", which I'm sure does not refer to Jack's toy and treat allowance. My recipe is one I shared a while ago, but with summer just around the corner, I think it's a timely one. Not only that, it's easy and just about the only dog treat recipe I've ever made.

WHAT YOU NEED:
• a couple of ice cube trays (mine are colorful ones in fun shapes from Ikea, but any old ice cube tray will do
• kibble or small treats (I'm using Itty Bitty Buddy Biscuits just because they're cute)
• plain or vanilla yogurt (non-fat, low-fat, or whole milk is fine)
• broth (chicken, beef or vegetable, your choice)
• a mixing bowl and spoon

WHAT YOU DO: Put a few pieces of kibble or a treat in each receptacle.

Mix together equal amounts of yogurt and broth until smooth.

Carefully pour yogurt/broth mixture into the ice cube trays.

Even more carefully, freeze ice cube trays on a level spot. Toaster Strudel boxes make a great platform for freezing. (It's suddenly quite embarrassing to show the world what's in my freezer!)

When kibblesicles are frozen, take them out of the tray and serve to your favorite dog, poolside if possible. Mmmmm, Cabana loves them. (But I gave her 4 of them in quick succession so I could get a few photos--and she barfed them up a few minutes later. She got a tummy freeze instead of a brain freeze maybe? So don't do that with your dog. Normally, I only give her one at a time, which doesn't make her barf.)

If you have a recipe you'd like to contribute for the book, click here for more information.

Baby Steps for Francie

2011-05-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Fresh on the heels of getting a successful home for Seamus/Buster, in my "out to save the world, one dog at a time" zeal, I decided to hone in on my training efforts with Francie, the young white pitbull at the shelter. All we know about her is that she's very smart and loves to snuggle, but she also tends to freak out and grab her leash with her teeth (which my poor thigh still bears testimony to from nips several months ago). She is absolutely ball-obsessed and INTENSE in everything she does. For example, Francie doesn't just drink water--she DRINKS water, frenetically lapping up everything in the bowl, splashing and dripping, as though she hadn't had a drop of water in the past week.

Because of Francie's intensity and unpredictability, I can't bring Francie home to foster. Until I know more about her, I don't want to risk my family, Cabana, our cat, or our home. Still, I felt I could do more for her than just taking her for a short walk and playing 20 minutes of Chuck-It with her until she was too pooped to go after the ball anymore, whereupon she would lay down in the dirt and gnash the ball into shreds.

So yesterday, I asked for permission to take Francie offsite, to give her a change of scenery, see how she behaves in the car, and eventually, in weeks to come, maybe I could even take her to my house for an hour or two. After all, how a dog acts in a house is what potential adopters want to know--is she house trained, does she get on furniture, does she chew shoes, can she be left on her own, etc. We don't have any answers to those questions right now, so how many people are going to be willing to adopt her? Although I guess it only takes one.

Francie was okay in the car, definitely not as stressed as Seamus had been. I put her in Cabana's usual spot in the back of the car. Looking in my rear view mirror, I could see the top of Francie's back convulsing and convulsing. I thought she must be vomiting, the way her back was undulating like crazy--is she car sick? No--she was just humping the dog bed. Humping and humping and humping. What's with that?!

I made Francie a purple front-clip harness, to keep her from yanking the dickens out of my arm. At the shelter, Francie tends to pant and pace. If she's within 100 yards of the Chuck-It area, she pulls like a draft horse to get over to it. She doesn't sniff, rarely wags her tail, and can't seem to relax.

The road in front of the shelter is super ugly, not many good smells, and lots of trucks. I took Francie to a nearby lake with a pretty path encircling it, where we ran and walked for 2 miles and then did a bit of training (sit, down, come) with a retractable leash. Francie heeled very nicely in the harness and seemed generally happy and calm to be away from the shelter. Good things!

That was yesterday. Today, I decided to change things up a bit with Francie. Again, I ran/walked with her for 2-3 miles, then we stopped at the park where I always take Cabana. It was raining, which was ideal because it meant the fields were totally empty. Since there's still a lot I don't know about Francie, I didn't want other dogs around to create potential problems.

I thought Francie would look at the big green field, full of soft grass, and think, "Wow, this is awesome!" But instead, she was tentative. She stuck close to me, even though I had put a 10-foot drag line on her so we could do some recall work (with me still holding the drag line, just in case something made her bolt).

After about 10 minutes of walking on the field and practicing "come", I let Francie have the frisbee that I had been holding. I didn't want to bring a ball since Francie is already so ball-obsessed, but I thought a frisbee might be a nice alternative for her. Holy guacamole, was I wrong!

Francie took the frisbee in her mouth, and it was like a switch went off. She became frenetic, growling and thrashing. She wasn't being aggressive toward me, yet I couldn't tell if this was her way of playing or exactly what she was doing. But it was undesirable behavior, to say the least. I got the frisbee away from her and hoped we could go back to just walking calmly...toward the car! But Francie started biting and pulling at the drag line, which suddenly became exceedingly long and cumbersome and impossible to pull away from her.

The one thing that has always made Francie stop this kind of behavior is a squirt bottle. A couple squirts of water in her face, and she stops whatever she was doing--so I ALWAYS have a squirt bottle with me when working with Francie. And I had a squirt bottle with me now--but maybe because it was raining, the squirt bottle tactic didn't work! After all, she'd been "squirted" by rain all morning.

Suddenly, I was vexed that no one else was at the park, since no one would hear me calling pitifully for help. Finally, I had to unclip the drag line, drop it and everything else I was holding, grab Francie by the collar and drag her to the car.

(Sorry this post is so long. Thanks for hanging in there with me!)

In retrospect, I don't know if it was the frisbee that triggered something. But what I do realize is that Francie is a dog who has done nothing new in the past 60-120 days (however long she's been at the shelter, I don't know how long she's been there). She's been looking at the same four walls for 23+ hours a day! I was being overly ambitious in exposing her to new things. A car ride and a 45-minute walk would probably be more than sufficient, and I should have been much more gradual in doing more. She's just so muscular and athletic, I thought she could handle and would be craving more physical activity--but I forgot to consider her mental capacity. Some dogs may have been fine with what I did, but since I don't have any idea what Francie's past was, I should have been taking baby steps, not leaping vaults.

I learned a lot today, and thankfully, I don't have any new teeth marks on me. And I've made it through to try to save the world again tomorrow...or not.

News from the Cuddle Shuttle

2011-05-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today, I took Seamus to the Cuddle Shuttle, the shelter's eye-catching mobile adoption unit. The shelter's capacity is stretched to the max right now, so adoption fees were reduced to $25. The glass windows house cats, and the dogs hung out on the sidewalk, ready for passersby to hopefully fall in love.

And what's not to love about this handsome face?!!! Seamus got a lot of interest, but the morning brought no serious applicants.

I took Seamus home for an hour to give him a break, then brought him back for the final hour of the adoption event. To keep him comfortable, I took Cabana's car couch out for him to relax in. The very first time we brought him home in the car, he was a panting, nervous mess--but after he realized car rides lead to good things (nice home, green grass, dogs to play with), he got a lot better. And I think Cabana's comfy car couch helped a lot, too, both physically and mentally.

During that last hour, a woman stopped on her way into the grocery store and showed great interest in Seamus. She took a picture of him with her phone and sent it to her husband. He called back immediately and said he would come over, bringing their 7-year old twin daughters to meet Seamus, too. They all fell in love with him and adopted him on the spot.

The woman is a stay-at-home mom, and the dad works from home two days a week and will run with Seamus every morning. The kids were very gentle and used to dogs, since their golden retriever died just several months ago. Best of all for me, they live in town, will let me puppysit when they go on vacation, and meet for park playdates with Cabana. They also plan to come back to the shelter for a few basic obedience sessions, so I'll definitely get to see him again.

Here's a photo of them all, disguised to protect their privacy--but I think you can still tell what a cute family they are!

I lent them Cabana's car couch so Seamus could lay in it for the ride to his new home. They have already emailed me with an update, saying he is doing really well, settling in nicely, and that they plan to buy a dog bed just like Cabana's. They sent me this photo of him. It gives me so much comfort to see him laying in Cabana's car couch--it's the perfect transitional love object for him. And the perfect new family.

Seamus' new name is Buster, named after some baseball guy, Buster Posey. Better Buster than Posey, I say.

It's a happy ending...and a happier beginning.

A Final Decision

2011-05-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Here's Cabana, hanging out in Seamus' crate this morning. I wonder if she's laying in there because it's comfortable or because she hopes he's coming back.

Longtime blog readers may remember how hard and long I agonized over the decision to adopt Cabana after she was career changed (flunked out as a guide dog). Sitting on the fence without leaning in either direction is a terribly difficult and uncomfortable position to be in. A year and a half ago, I felt the full weight of making a 10+ year commitment to adding a canine member of the family to our household, and I didn't want to make the wrong decision. Now, everyday, I feel so blessed to have kept Cabana, and I can't imagine life without her. In the words of the witches in the musical Wicked, "I have been changed for good."

After sitting on the fence for the past week regarding Seamus, we have decided that we will definitely not adopt him. As you all have noticed, I adore that dog, and according to my husband, Seamus has "glommed" onto me. But I didn't get into fostering in order to adopt a second dog. After all, I'm not a crazy multiple dog person like many of you all are (wink wink, blink blink blink). If we adopt him, my life, house and heart will be too full of dogginess to continue to volunteer at the shelter. My goal is to help as many dogs as possible, not just one, and I'm fortunate to be in a position where I can do that.

There's also our 16-year old cat to consider, as well as the one-year old baby that I babysit fairly often. In two short years, both my daughters will likely be off at college, and we will have more room and wherewithall to consider another dog.

In the meantime, I'm going to do everything I can to help Seamus find an AWESOME home. I made a poster for him yesterday, with photos and a detailed description of his attributes. Today, I'll bring him back home with me for another mini-foster. And tomorrow, I'll show him at the Cuddle Shuttle, a mobile adoption unit, that will be parked in front of our local Petco. I'm going to exercise Seamus in the morning, brush him until he shines, and tell everyone who comes to the Cuddle Shuttle about how wonderful he is.

No, No, No, We're NOT Adopting Him

2011-05-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Today, I dropped Seamus off at the shelter so he could be there for people to see and meet. If no one adopts him this week, we'll probably do another mini-foster next weekend. I was afraid that Seamus would be really unhappy to go back to the shelter, but when we got out of the car, he seemed fine, like, "Okay, I know this place. Whatever." I told the shelter director what I had observed about Seamus--he's housebroken, very teachable, extremely social, doesn't beg, doesn't bark, doesn't dig, no real bad habits at all that I could see. However, he was VERY stressed in the car, panting and breathing heavily, but we took him on a number of short car rides, and by this morning, he had already improved greatly. Anyway, I was really happy to have so much positive information to give, and the director thanked me profusely.

But I miss Seamus a LOT. This morning, my husband went for a 2-3 mile run with him and said he was a great running buddy, was awesome on leash and kept stride with him the whole way with barely a pant. There are so many things to love about Seamus, like how fascinated he was with squeaky toys. It seemed like he hadn't played with one before, the way he cocked his head at the sound and threw them in the air like a puppy.

Cabana will miss Seamus' huge crate, provided by the shelter. I would put a frozen Kong in his crate at night so he wouldn't be too unhappy in there. The first night, he whined for about 5 minutes. By the third night, he didn't need the Kong anymore--he went to sleep without a peep. Here, Cabana tries out the crate and checks to see if there's anything left in his Kong. She probably thinks, "That lucky guy, how come HE gets to sleep in a crate with a Kong and I don't?!" Freedom is so overrated, especially where peanut butter is concerned.

Seamus got along so well with all of Cabana's doggy pals. He rivals Cabana in his good social skills.

In this photo, Seamus is the little one! Big Leo makes him look like a dwarf.

Could two dogs get along any better? Cabana loved running and playing with Seamus...

...even when he was biting her on the butt.

Here's a full minute of them playing bitey face, which is probably more entertaining to me than to all of you. But it's sweet the way Seamus always lets Cabana have the upper hand.

Arrrgghhh, I KNOW he's a great dog, a perfect fit for us, and handsome, too. But please refer to the title of this post! We don't need a second dog, we don't need the expense, we don't need the dog hair, no, no, no!

Let's change the subject. The winner of the treat pouch giveaway is RAISER ERIN! Thank you again for all your wonderful feedback. I will post photos of the updated treat pouch with new and improved features soon!

Fostering Seamus

2011-05-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

The potential adopter never came back for Seamus, so yesterday, we brought him home for a 3-day mini foster. I still have hopes that the big man will come back to adopt Seamus, but in the meantime...we are enjoying him in our home.

After the initial stress of coming to a new place, Seamus has settled down beautifully. We kept him on tie-down for the first few hours, but he earned his freedom to be loose downstairs quickly. He seems to make mistakes once but when we tell him "no", he doesn't do it again. For instance, he "marked" our chair in the family room, but I told him "no" and took him outside immediately. Now he hasn't had any more accidents. Same goes for counter surfing, grabbing and chewing blankets, and picking up shoes--he tried them all once but doesn't persist after being shown that it's not appreciated.

Of course, Cabana is thrilled to have Seamus here and is very good-natured about sharing everything with him--her beds, her ottoman, her antlers and toys, and her humans.

Amazingly, Seamus fits through Cabana's doggy door! He does have to hunker down a bit, but he seems to love the novelty of being able to go in and out at his discretion, so he does it often.

This morning, my husband and I walked Seamus and Cabana, with a stop at our favorite park, where we saw all our weekend doggy pals. I brought a drag line for Seamus, but he didn't even need it. He was GREAT with every dog he met, and he stayed pretty close by. If he started to venture too far, I'd call his name (which he doesn't even know very well), and he'd come running. It took me a year to teach Cabana to do that! Seamus doesn't know any verbal commands, but he's great about understanding what we want and so eager to please us.

Our dog park friends said that we should adopt him NOW and not fool around with this fostering stuff. One guy at the park even said we'd never hear the end of it if we don't adopt him, and he offered to take care of Seamus for us every time we go on vacation!

Seamus does get along beautifully with our family and especially with Cabana. I could easily love Seamus, but I'm not convinced about keeping him. After all, he's a great dog that anyone would love, and my goal is to find a wonderful home for him. More specifically, a home that is NOT our wonderful home!

His Name is Seamus

2011-05-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

First of all, a huge thank you for all the treat pouch feedback I've received so far. It has been immensely helpful, and I'm going to try to incorporate a lot of the suggestions I received. I just got back from a fabric shopping spree of new colors--bright red, hot pink, purple, black, turquoise, and olive green. I'll put up a photo after I've made them. If you haven't commented yet, there's still time to enter for the giveaway!

Last week, I shared a bit about this German shepherd mix at the animal shelter. I said he probably wouldn't even get a name since he would be adopted so quickly. Well, after being at the shelter for about 3 weeks, now he has a name--Seamus. My husband met Seamus when he came to volunteer at the shelter with me and really liked him as I figured he would, so he agreed that we could try a mini-foster with Seamus. Yay! The shelter is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so a mini-foster is when people take the dog home on Saturday, then return the dog to the shelter on Tuesday. This gives the dog a break from the kennel environment, allows us to see what their home skills are like, and hopefully makes the dog more adoptable in the long run.

So yesterday, I took Cabana to the shelter to meet Seamus. I wanted to make sure they were going to be compatible before bringing him home this weekend, and I thought that meeting away from Cabana's territory would also be a smoother transition. Of course, they got along famously, so no surprises there. Saucy Cabana has a definite "thing" for big male German shepherds.

But while I was there, the training director told me that a man was very interested in adopting Seamus! She asked me to meet him and tell him what I knew about Seamus since I had worked with him the most (which sadly, is only about 4-5 times). So we all met in the get-acquainted room, and I told the man what I knew--that Seamus is a very sweet dog who doesn't seem to have any training or know any commands. I had been there when Seamus and his German shepherd buddy were dropped off at the shelter. They were brought in by a Hispanic man who spoke no English but was able to convey that he had "found" these dogs and was just dropping them off. My suspicion is that they were really HIS dogs, but he didn't want to pay the surrender fee. If the Hispanic man really was Seamus' owner, then it could be that Seamus just doesn't understand English!

In the get-acquainted room, it was apparent that Seamus really had bonded with me. He kept coming over to me, leaning against me for affection (he loves to be massaged), and ignoring the potential adopter completely! I didn't want to get in the way of any bonding they might be experiencing, so I thought it best for me to leave the room. But hopefully, the man was encouraged that Seamus is such an affectionate dog and capable of bonding with someone so easily in such a short amount of time.

Before I left, the potential adopter, who is a big burly outdoorsy man, said his previous dog died recently but that he owned a 1,000-acre ranch where the dog could run freely. He said the dog would sleep with him on his bed and go to work with him everyday. SCORE! What more could anyone want for Seamus!

I'll find out on tomorrow if the man ended up taking Seamus. If he did, hooray! If he didn't, then we'll get a chance to foster him after all. I think I'll be both happy AND sad with either scenario.

Tuesday Topics #38 - Treat Pouch & Giveaway

2011-05-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

It has been almost 3 months since I posted a Tuesday Topic! Not that I haven't had questions. But Tuesdays would go by before I could get the question posted, and then I'd miss my opportunity for the week, since heaven forbid I ask a question on Wednesday or Saturday. Because then it wouldn't be a Tuesday Topic!
Once again combining my love for sewing and for dogs, here are some treat pouches or bait bags that I made. A couple years ago, my puppy group gave out Gentle Leader/Premier pouches, and I loved it. Eventually, the French hinge wore out and broke, but I loved the stay-open convenience of that hinge.

I knew the hinge feature was one I wanted to incorporate in my own design because it's so easy to pop open and slap closed. But I also wanted to try to improve on the overall design, including other features that I personally found useful.

My pouches have enough room to hold a ball, in case Cabana ever wants to play. (She likes to retrieve when no other dogs are around to play with, kind of like, "Sure, Mom, I'll play with you IF there's no one better.")

The zipped outer pocket holds a cell phone or other items that you want to keep secure.

And on the back, there's another zipped compartment for keys and ID, with an open pocket for easy access to a poop bag. The design of the back panel also helps keep the pouch from flopping around too much when you're walking or running.

The webbing strap is adjustable and has a loop to insert a carabiner. I like to clip Cabana's leash onto the carabiner and go hands-free. (Mandy made me the pictured leather leash, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it--the color, the length, the texture. A number of volunteers at the shelter have commented on how nice it is.)

I am trying to decide whether to make and sell these treat pouches, before I invest in more supplies. But I need a little market research first, which is where this post and the GIVEAWAY comes in! I tried to incorporate features that I'd like in a treat pouch, but is there anything I've left out? Here are some questions I'd love to get feedback on.

• Which of the included features are most appealing to you?
• Are there other features that you think I should add?
• Is my color selection too boring? Should I be using bright colors and prints instead of solids? (I also have it in solid burgundy, but it's not pictured.)
• What would a reasonable price be for these pouches, remembering that they are a handmade item (no sweat shops or overseas production)?
• Are there already too many competing bait bags like this on the market?

I would appreciate constructive feedback with specific information (not just "those are nice" please). A random winner will be selected to receive a free treat pouch in the color of your choice. If possible, I will even try to incorporate your preferences into the design. I will announce a winner next Tuesday morning, May 10, 2011. Thank you in advance for your help, I really appreciate it!!

Time for Dinner, Time for Dinner

2011-04-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

Every morning, either my husband or I feed Cabana her breakfast. The first person up feeds her, while the lollygagger makes the bed. It's pretty much 50-50 which of us does which task. We measure out one and one third cup of food, then we take about 40 pieces of kibble from Cabana's bowl and put it in her Everlasting Treat Ball. (I'm a bit wacky, so I actually count out 40 pieces each time. I think my husband puts fewer pieces in the treat ball when he does it.) Then, we add warm water to make a nice gravy. Here, Cabana waits patiently while I take a few photos and tell her "okay" so she can start eating.

Cabana always eats what's in her bowl first, then picks up the treat ball and takes it into the living room to dispense. When the treat ball is empty, she comes back to her bowl and licks up every bit of flavor.

At dinnertime, our daughters take turns feeding Cabana another cup and a third. But memories are short, and we often can't remember who fed Cabana the night before. Last night, both daughters thought it was their turn, and Cabana accidentally got fed twice!! Of course, Cabana didn't let on that she'd already eaten, less than 10 minutes ago. There was no telltale body language to give anyone a clue--but I bet the wheels in her brain were just churning, "Wow, another dinner! These forgetful humans are awesome!"

It's the Easter Cabunny!

2011-04-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Hippity hoppity!

Here comes Cabunny Floppintail,

Prancing down the cracked sidewalk trail,

Hippity hoppity, Cabunny's on her way.

Bringing fake Easter baskets to good little dogs everywhere.

"Hey, there aren't any eggs hidden back there!"