April 25, 2014

A Quiet Blog for a Bit

I've missed you guys! Hope you've missed us, too. Know I haven't blogged much recently, and other than this post I probably won't have a chance to blog again until our May 6 Give Cancer the Paw hop. 

BTW, hope you'll join that! 

April 16, 2014

Oh, I Could Write a Blog Post About Your Easter Bonnet #TBT

Don't you love old family photos? I mentioned last month that my bro had uploaded a bunch of old pics and I thought I'd share some in honor of "Throwback Thursday" (TBT) and the upcoming Easter holiday. 

With a nod to Irving Berlin and his Easter Parade, here's a sonnet blog post about some Easter bonnets.

First, we have my mom in this fine floral number. If you've got an empty basket, some faux flowers, and a hot glue gun, you too can dazzle with this look!

April 15, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Garage-Sale Dogs

Okay, no this isn't a post about dogs for sale at garage sales. (That would probably be a subject for a Blog the Change for Animals post...) This is about all the dogs my sisters and I met when we went to the annual garage sale event in my sister's 'hood this weekend. So many sweeties! 

Our first stop was to say hi to Marley. Isn't he a cutie? (I was there the day his momma found him - he was a stray. Hooray for Marley hitting the Doggy Lotto!)

April 14, 2014

#BtC4A: How To Get Your Puppy-Fix Without the Chewed Shoes

Puppies are pretty much the cutest things ever, right? (If you thought, "No, I'm pretty sure it's babies that are the cutest things ever" you are probably reading the wrong blog...) Sometimes you see a friend post a picture of their adorable new pup on Facebook or they email you a picture, and you think, "Oh, I'd love a puppy! They're so cute and cuddly!"

But then you come to your senses, because you know that puppies = chewed shoes, chewed furniture, chewed wires, inappropriate puddles on the carpet, middle-of-the-night trips out to the yard, etc. etc. etc. Let's face it - they make puppies that cute to take the sting out of what little pains in the butt they are.

But... today for Blog the Change for Animals, I wanted to let you know there's a way you can get a fix for your puppy addiction without the chewed shoes!

April 11, 2014

#SeeBeautiful: Ode to Spring - Dew Bee Dew Bee Dew

Today, it's the This Moment: See Beautiful hop, so for those of you emerging from this seemingly never-ending winter (aka "winternity"), here is a wee ode to spring, ala Sinatra... Dew-bee, dew-bee, dew!

DEW

April 9, 2014

#WOOF: 3 Things to Love About Reactive Dogs

It's time again for the monthly WOOF (Working Out Our Fears) Support blog hop, where reactive dogs and their owners come together to share similar experiences. This month's theme is "What I love about my reactive dog."

I easily came up with the three top things I love about my reactive girl, Rita.

1. A Reactive Dog is the Perfect Dog for an Introvert
Our first dog, a beagle, was not super interested in strangers when out on a walk (unless she could sniff them). She just wanted to sniff and do her own thing, so we rarely interacted with our neighbors. Which was perfect for introverted me.

Then we got Abby, who loved everything and everybody in the world and wanted to say HI! Not good for introverted me, forced to finally interact with all those neighbors.

Luckily, now I have Reactive Rita. 

April 8, 2014

Less-Wordy Wednesday: When I Get Home

We have a frosted panel in the door that leads from our garage into the house. So, usually when I get out of the car, this is what I see:

April 7, 2014

April 4, 2014

FitDog Friday: Creative Games From the Mind of a Beagle

Happy Anniversary to the FitDog Friday blog hop! There's lots going on for the celebrations, so check all that out at the end of this post.
I haven't joined in the FitDog hop for a while, partly because I've been trying to focus on getting book no. 3 done and partly because you can only write so much about walking the dog. We're boring, Rita and I. We mostly just walk and walk and walk. She's not much of a one for games. She'll play for a couple of minutes, but then she's done. 

It makes me fondly remember our beagle, Bailey, who was a great lover of games. 

Oh, she enjoyed the usual stuff too, like walking and hiking, ...

April 1, 2014

Less Wordy Wednesday: Crazy Dog Lady Art

{Before we get started... I made a lot of tweaks to my blog template this week. Let me know if anything looks stupid on your end!}

A few weeks ago, I worried that my inner child was actually a cat person, when a found photo of my childhood bedroom revealed a wall full of cats. 

I thought maybe I'd show you what my walls (and shelves) look like now, so you can see that I am in fact a card-carrying Crazy Dog Lady. In order to keep this from looking TOO crazy, I'm not including photos of my own past/present pups. This will all be "dog art".

So, ready for the doggone dog-art tour?

When you first walk in the door, you are greeted by my felted angels, Bailey and Abby. (Yes, the Abby only has 3 legs.)

March 25, 2014

Less-Wordy Wed.: Note to Self(ie), Games of Bitey-Face + Selfies Don't Mix

The other day during a Reg & Rita play date, the dogs were resting next to me on the porch, so I thought I'd try to get some selfies of the 3 of us. 

The break in the action was too brief though, and I ended up with this
Yikes!
And this:

March 24, 2014

Monday Mischief: A Message in the Mischief

On our walk this weekend, we noticed these two cars parked at a neighbor's house:
On closer inspection, they had a message for pup owners (or bad boyfriends?):

March 18, 2014

Less-Wordy Wed.: What the...? Am I... A Cat Person?

Not that there would be anything wrong with me being a Cat Person... It's just that I'm trying to make my way as the Dog-writer Lady. I'm practically a card-carrying Crazy Dog Lady.

But, you know how a lot of folks know who they are/what they wanna be from a young age? Not me. For a long time, I didn't know what I wanted to be "when I grew up." Like, I'm talking, even in my 30's... I always wished I was one of those kids who knew all along.

Then, the other day, my brother uploaded a bunch of old family pics on the web and shared them with me and my sisters. And amongst them, I found this pic of my room when I was a kid:
Click to big-ify
Notice anything funny? (Other than that the slide somehow was reversed, as obvious from "Smithsonian" backwards across the tiger poster.)

March 12, 2014

#WOOF: Frustrations and Successes with My Reactive Dog

Today I'm joining the WOOF Support blog hop. WOOF (Working Out Our Fears) Support is where reactive dogs and their owners come together to share similar experiences.

I've mentioned before that Rita has a lot of fears ("Have you seen this man?" - may need to re-run that post some day. It was funny, IMHO, and I think 4 people read it.) and, when on-leash, is reactive to dogs (and motorcycles, and crows, and sudden surprises, etc.). Back when we used to go to the off-leash park, she was fine with most dogs, but on-leash, it's a crap shoot.

If you also have a fearful/reactive dog, well, lucky you! And you may want to read all the posts in the hop, because we're sharing: "Successes, Frustrations and Everything in Between"

March 11, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: A Chew Review with Words Few

Hope you don't mind me being a weeeee bit wordy to do a quick review of a new bone we tried that Rita really likes - Benebone.

My sis, Reggie's mom, turned me on to these. Rita is very picky, but I ordered one (via Amazon) to give it a try. It was a hit! I like it because it's well-designed and the Y-shape gives her something to hang on to. Rita likes it because it tastes like BACON!

March 10, 2014

Monday Mischief: Found and Lost and Found

Found
Back in late 2012, I found this perfect tag for Rita, which I posted a pic of on the blog.

As you can see, it says "Insert Treat" with an arrow pointing at her mouth - very appropriate for her!
Lost
Well, this week, I noticed it was missing. I was bummed, but figured it broke and fell off on one of our walks, and I mentally added it to the always-growing To-Do list.

March 6, 2014

FitDog Friday: Five Ways To Rev Up Your Walk with Rover

Have you fallen into a slump with your dog walking? Did you resolve on January 1st to walk your dog more, but now it's just so boring you don't wanna?

Well, here are 5 tips to put some oomph back into your walks with your pup.

1. Bored with the scenery? Drive to a different 'hood!
I used to do this in our old neighborhood, which was kind of isolated so I'd get really bored walking the same loop over and over and over and over. Some days I'd drive to another neighborhood, even just a short ways away, and then we'd have someplace new to explore. New smells for the pup, new houses to check out for you.

2. Use the time wisely
Our sniffy angel on a hike
2A. Does your dog take unusually long to catch up on his/her pee-mails? We used to have a beagle, and believe me there is nothing like walking a scent hound to let you know that "walking" is a relative term. What I generally did with her was stand around a lot, while she sniffed like she was a recruit for the bomb squad. Luckily Rita is only half beagle, so she's much less stubborn when I tell her to heal and we can keep moving. Still, sometimes I let her sniff.

March 4, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: An Unwelcome Visitor

Do you like it when folks just pop by? Personally, I kinda hate it. After all, I'm a writer. So on most days if you stop by unannounced you'll find me in yoga pants (winter) or shorts (summer) with no makeup and my hair barely brushed. (At least I get out of my PJs, but that's only because Rita has to be walked every morning.) 

Also, the house is usually a mess. If it isn't a mess, that means I'm procrastinating* on my writing.

Anyway, it turns out Rita hates uninvited guests just as much as I do. Case in point, this little guy showed up at our back door the other day when we FINALLY got some rain.
The neighbor's cat

February 25, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Tongues and Teeth

It's almost the end of February and National Pet Dental Health Month, so Rita and Reggie will now flash their healthy mouths as a reminder that even though February's almost over, it's never too late to start paying attention to your pet's dental health! Check those pearly whites, and check your pet's mouth and tongue for lumps and bumps.

These shots are from a recent play date at our house. It was their first time attempting play here, since we don't have a great yard for playing - mostly hardscape. Hardscape or no, it was a successful play session! And it was pretty much all tongues and teeth. 

Tongues:

February 24, 2014

Monday Mischief: Another Mischief-Maker in the House

Rita is generally a very good, calm girl and doesn't get up to a whole lotta mischief.

Sometimes, though we still end up with mischief in the house, coming from the direction of The Daddy.

Like this weekend. Saturday I went with my sisters to the annual dog show in town, where I bought Rita a bag of duck feet. (Human grade, USA-sourced duck feet. Good stuff!) They were, of course, a hit with Rita.

Sunday I asked the hubs to go get Rita a duck foot for her afternoon treat. And then I tried to go about my business.

Only to have this happen:
Of course he can't just give the duck foot to the dog. He has to torture me with it a little first.

February 16, 2014

Monday Mischief: Little Dickens or Mother's Angel?

Rita and her cousin, Reggie, had another play date recently, and it was as wild as the last time.

Here they are playing sort of a backwards game of peekaboo:


February 13, 2014

See Beautiful; Eat (?) Beautiful

Today we are participating in the {This Moment} See Beautiful blog hop hosted by Sugar the Golden Retriever every 2nd Friday of the month.

Last time, I posted "see and hear beautiful," so this time I thought I'd try both see and eat beautiful. 

See Beautiful
We have a hawk that hangs out in our neighbor's huge eucalyptus tree.


February 12, 2014

Guest Post from MAF: Help Save Dogs and Kids!

As you know, we lost our angel Abby to osteosarcoma. 
Pamela Anderson had nuthin' on our beach babe.

It was while Abby had cancer that we discovered Morris Animal Foundation when we participated in their K9 Cancer Walk with our girl. We also entered her in the Orvis Cover Dog contest which raises money for MAF. We've been supporters ever since, and attended their gala, and I've pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds from Rescue Me, Maybe to them. 

So, when MAF contacted me about doing a guest post, I was happy to agree! I asked if they'd specifically write about a new project they recently started. Thanks very much to Katie and MAF for sharing this info with Pooch Smooches' readers! 

Take it away, Katie: 
~ ~ ~
Every year, ten thousand American dogs are diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. This is a number that Morris Animal Foundation, a nonprofit working to further veterinary science, would like to change. Even more devastating than the sheer number of dogs with this terrible disease is that this type of cancer develops in young dogs—those between two and three years old. Osteosarcoma does not let up, either, as this cancer will commonly come back in dogs that have already had this ailment.
Photo provided by MAF

Owners can often tell that something is wrong when their dogs start to show symptoms of lameness. At this point, it is highly likely that the cancer has spread to other parts of the dog’s body. The current treatments for osteosarcoma include amputation and extremely strong chemotherapy drugs.

In order to combat this terrible disease, Morris’ 5-5-5 Project will fund five osteosarcoma studies. This project as a whole will last five years and will provide the chosen five studies with approximately $5 million. Every year for five years there will be a new osteosarcoma study bringing hope to dogs affected by this illness.

This study even has the potential to help kids, too. Finding the most effective cancer drugs for dogs, could potentially mean finding the most effective treatments for children affected by osteosarcoma. Morris is continuing the fight against cancer with this new project; join us and donate to Morris Animal Foundation. Thank you to all of our donors and those spreading the word about Morris studies!

Author Bio: This is a guest post by Katie F. on behalf of Morris Animal Foundation. Visit morrisanimalfoundation.org/ to learn more about the animal health research that Morris Animal Foundation participates in.

~ ~ ~

With Abby, she was hit even younger by the disease, being only 15-months old when she was diagnosed. As Katie writes, it was the limping that caused us to take her to the vet. With such a young, goofy dog, we figured she'd just overdone it. But when the limp didn't go away, x-rays confirmed osteosarcoma. 

We opted for amputation (obvi, from the above picture!), and also a lotta chemo (both IV and at-home pills) plus holistics treatments. We had another amazing 15 months with her and lost her at age 2 1/2. But she lives on in our hearts, and now in the character of Maybe in Rescue Me, Maybe.

Here's hoping the research funded by MAF can find some answers and bring hope for parents of both dogs and kids who get this horrible disease!

Thanks again MAF for the post and for everything that you do for the animals! #CancerSucks!

Thanks to Heart Like a Dog and 2 Brown Dawgs for hosting the Thursday Barks and Bytes Blog hop. 

February 11, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Boys, Boys, Boys

Rita here. I'm taking over cuz Momma's always too wordy. I'll tell you what's been going on with pictures. My post is kinda all about boys. And at the end, you get to see me naked on a faux sheep-skin rug.

First, of all... Remember this little guy? My cousin, Reggie?

Well, he's not so little anymore. He turned 1 recently and we had a FUN playdate!

February 10, 2014

Monday Mischief: Picking Granite to Match Your Dog

Remember a while back when I mentioned my bro and sis-in-law were re-doing their master bath, and my bro selected the granite because it matched his brindle mastiff's coat?

Well, it's all installed now, so here's the final product next to the inspiration:
Leo next to the new shower bench

February 4, 2014

Less-Wordy Wednesday: Rita's Super Bowl Sunday

Did y'all watch the Super Bowl? Or just the commercials? We watched, and since the Broncos are a sworn enemy of the Chargers, we were quite happy with how the game went down. In fact, I may have yelled a time or two: It just keeps getting better! (Sorry, Denver fans...)

As for the commercials, on the whole, I found them disappointing (and some were downright annoying). We agreed with Rita, that the Budweiser commercial was the best one. 
Rita rooting for the horse & puppy to get together

February 2, 2014

Monday Mischief: It Is Evil and Must Be Destroyed

Last week we brought something new into the house. A harmless BOSU ball (which the hubs wanted to help build strength and balance). 

However, the bosu ball was accompanied by a force for evil that we, obviously, did not recognize as such when it came into our midst. 

Luckily, Rita - Defender of the Realm - was at the ready and alerted us to the intruder.

January 30, 2014

Barks and Bytes: Beasts on Beds and Bestsellers

Better late than never, I'm joining the Barks and Bytes blog hop today.
Heart Like a Dog

I like this hop because you can either post about dog-related stuff (the Barks) or not (the Bytes). So, today I have a little of both. 

The Barks: Rita "Helps" Make the Bed
I was changing the sheets on the bed in the guest room the other day and thinking how I missed Abby, because she would ALWAYS leap up on the bed and get in my way when I tried to make it. (She was such a mischievous little beastie!)

January 28, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Dog-crazy Spam

You know you're a dog-lover when one day's junk mail looks like this: donation requests from the ASPCA, the local Humane Society, and Best Friends.

January 21, 2014

A Wordy T-shirt on Wordless Wednesday

Today I'm belatedly sharing one of my "surprise" Christmas presents. (And by "surprise" I mean: I ordered it, checked it out when it arrived, then pretended to forget about it until Xmas morning. But the hubs did wrap it. And by "wrap it" I mean: stick it in a gift bag. Lest you think that's laziness, no! It's just being green. Okay, and maybe a little lazy. We have these dog-themed gift bags that we've probably been using for a decade or more!)

Anyway, here it is!


January 20, 2014

Monday Mischief: When Bed Dogs Equal Bed Hogs

I totally jinxed myself.

A few months ago, Mrs. Taleteller over at Tales & Tails posted about her bed hogs (if you don't regularly read this blog, you should since it's always got amazing pics and great writing). She mentioned the battle for real estate in their bed. I commented that Rita "mostly sleeps curled up in one spot all night - next to the hubby." 

I should have known better.

January 17, 2014

Follow Up Friday: Beggars Still Choosing, No 1, and Not My News But...

I had this post almost completely done. And then I hit some strange key combination on accident and lost the whole thing. Even though I'd already saved it several times. ARRRRRGGGGHHHH.

Anyway....... It's Follow Up Friday... the blog that lets you wrap up your week.

Beggars Are Still Choosers
I posted about Rita turning down an offering of some lobster. She continues her choosy ways in this video:
{Please ignore the dog hair on the floor. I bet you have no experience with that sort of thing...}




January 14, 2014

Blog the Change for Animals: Take a Chance on the Best Friend You'll Ever Have!

The shelter where I volunteer, Helen Woodward Animal Center, has a pretty good turnover rate for the dogs. But, once in a while, we'll get a dog or two that are there for months on end. I know those dogs gets lots of good care and loving from the staff and all of us volunteers... but still... it would be nice if someone would take a chance on them. 

So today, for Blog the Change for Animals, in honor of one of the dogs that's been at Helen Woodward for a while now, Lilo, -- as well as all the shelter pups out there -- I present: "Take a Chance on Me," with lyrics appropriate for a pup waiting for their furever buddy, set to the tune of Abba's classic hit:

January 9, 2014

This Moment - See, Hear and Remember Beautiful

Today we are participating in the {This Moment} See Beautiful blog hop hosted by Sugar the Golden Retriever every 2nd Friday of the month.

And today I not only have a SEE beatiful (and also sea beautiful) treat - I also have a hear beautiful moment for you. 

So, let's start with seeing the sea. This spot is at an overlook on a walk we take about once or twice a week down to the coast. 



I love this spot because of the rocky beach. Most of the beaches here are sandy, or big boulders, so this beach is pretty unique. Listen to this wee video - after you hear the roar of the wave itself, there's another beautiful, soothing sound:

Did you hear the rocks are nestling against each other? (If not, crank up the volume and hit replay.) It sounds like rain. Your moment of zen for the day. (You're welcome!)

Remembering Beautiful
January 10th is not only the {This Moment} See Beautiful hop, it's also the 2nd anniversary of our angel Abby heading for the bridge. So, in her honor, here are a few beautiful moments from her.
Our gorgeous angel Abby


Finally, just to show that you can see beautiful in everyday objects:
Click to "big-ify" if you can't read it.

Thanks to Sugar for hosting the {This Moment} See Beautiful blog hop, and thanks to Miss Lydia, the founder of the See Beautiful movement. And extra thanks to them both for the lovely handmade soap and the bumper sticker they sent me!

Hope you see lots of beautiful today!

January 7, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: An Angel's Twin?

I told y'all about my new car. Well, since it's also Rita's ride, I decided this time I'm (hopefully) going to keep the car a little less dog-ified. (Seriously, no human rode in the back of my last car for years! It was dog hair central back there! Even with the seat cover that I washed... oh... infrequently.) 

So, I ordered a new seat cover and also this time thought I'd try door protectors. I ordered a set from Kurgo.** Here's the cover of the box:

January 5, 2014

Monday Mischief: Apparently Beggars CAN Be Choosers

The hubs took a day off in December, and we took Rita for a hike. Afterwards for a treat, we went to lunch at a local small chain called Bite of Boston for lobster rolls. (We had one of those Groupon type coupons, so they were not only delicious, they were a deal! I love a bargain!)

We decided to share a bite with Rita...
The beggar in question

January 2, 2014

Resolving To Move My Mutt and A Fun Follow-Up

Oh my gosh, it's been so long since I blogged, I think I mighta forgot how! Might have to keep this short since I don't remember how any of this stuff works!


Okay, for starters - we are joining in with co-hosts SlimDoggy and Keep the Tail Wagging and we resolve to move our mutt!


"You're not going to let me down, are you Momma?"