Missing my fur-babies...

I have a great job, I really do!

But I travel and, unlike when you have children & loved ones you can talk to on the phone, skype with, 'facetime' with, etc., there's no 'chatting' with dogs while I'm away.

I wonder if other people's pets "recognize" them digitally??  I've tried to talk to my dogs via Skype and the likes, but they really seem to have no reaction. 

Well, I've been gone all week so far & I do miss my sweetheart, but I get to TALK & text and chat with him - so I'm really ...    NO SERIOUSLY....  REALLY!  in need of some puppy-luvin'!!! 

I'll be home tomorrow night !  Yahoodles!


Bark, Bark

The loyal subject,
Christine

Valentine's Day Doggy Treats

Hello puppy lovers!    Happy Valentine's Day!

I love making homemade treats for our dogs.   I used to do it all the time, so they always had good, natural, fresh tasty-treats.  I'll admit I've been a little lazy lately and we've had to resort to grain-free store-bought treats. 

We feed our dogs raw meat for their meals.  (Research says that this is a safe, natural and healthy diet for dogs and that they can & will live longer, healthier lives eating a raw-meat diet)...  More on that in another post.

The following is a great recipe for treats with a grain-free option:

Peanut Butter Dog Treat Recipe

3 cups whole wheat flour   (OR 3 cups of Garbanzo & Fava Bean flour (I have found this in the health-food/vegan-ish section of my grocery store - Bob's Red Mill Brand) ) ½ cup of organic peanut butter (or at the VERY least, use a sugar-free, salt-free peanut butter - Kraft makes a great one) 1 cup water 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Toss all the ingredients into a bowl & mix, mix, mix until combined. Kneed a few times & form into a circle shape & then roll out on lightly floured surface.  Use a cookie cutter to cut out cute shapes (or, like me... I like smaller pieces for treats so I use one of those wheel-type pizza cutters & just cut out strips about an inch wide & then cut those strips into one inch pieces.  Then I place them all on a cookie sheet (either on parchment paper or on a non-stick pan - I highly recommend parchment paper though!) Bake for 10 minutes & then leave turn the oven off & leave them in the oven to cool & harden.  They'll get nice and hard - great for crunchiness!! I pop them into a large zip-lock freezer bags & they'll keep for 3 or so weeks... or even 6 weeks if you keep them in the fridge.  Also, if you're feeling ambitious, make lots & freeze them!!

Dogs Don't Care

Dogs don't care if we don't shower till noon - -  in fact, they'd probably prefer it.

Dogs don't care how much money is in our bank account.

Dogs don't care if their collar has rhinestones or biker-studs on it.

Dogs don't care if we made a big error at work today.

Dogs don't care if we didn't vacuum as often as we should have this week.

Dogs don't care if we live "on the right side of the tracks".

Our dogs care that we love them, we give them good, healthy food, fresh & clean water and daily exercise.

They just want to be with us and love us back.

HOW SIMPLE AND BEAUTIFUL IS THAT ??

I once bought a leash because it matched a collar  - ya, that was totally for me.
What crazy thing have you done for your dog that, truthfully, was just for you?   

Puppy Love....

So, its not all barking and chaos.   I do love the furry beasts... and here are some of  the things I love:

• I LOVE that Cyrus smiles when he wants something.  A big toothy-grin with the corners of his mouth curled up in anticipation of a scrumptious morsel of food or a romp in the puddles outside.  Love.
  
• I LOVE how Leo curls up at my feet in the home office.  Softly snoring and sharing his lo-o-o-ong sighs of content once in a while. When things get hectic, I can always de-stress with a little puppy-head-scratching.  Super-fluffy adorable.
  
• I LOVE that Cyrus knows the names of all our friends & family.  A mere mention of one of our kids' names, triggers 'perked up ears' and a trip to the window to see if they're here.  Smart puppy monster.
  
• I LOVE how Leo truly believes its his job to snuggle right up to ANY visitor to our house.  He's all business-like about it, getting himself as close as he can... like he's trying to help them feel safe here.  Schmooshy little puppy monkey. 
  
• I LOVE that, when we're all out for our walks, Leo toodles along, peeking over at Cyrus occasionally to make sure he sees what Cyrus sees, sniffs what Cyrus sniffs, greets who Cyrus greets.  (I love that Cyrus doesn't get annoyed with him... err, well... maybe he hides it well.  *wink).   sigh...cute-as-hell.
  
• I LOVE how one dogs naps in the bedroom, while the other one 'stands watch' at the living room window.   The watcher-dog alerts (read "barks")  the napping dog to let him know there's a possible intruder or visitor (not sure they know the difference! ha).   The best part of this is that they take turns being the bed-napping dog while the other is the watcher-dog.  Super brilliant pups.  <3
  
• I LOVE when they wrestle... a big ball of fur & teeth and wagging tails.  Dog experts say a good wrestle session is SO good for our dogs.  They work their muscles and joints jumping, rolling, ducking & weaving and they work their minds strategizing their next moves.   Crazy Canine Chaos!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This list has me realizing how quiet, possibly boring, life would be without them... 
  

Leader of the Pack?

Cesar says:  "Pack leaders are calm & assertive."


As I typed that sentence, I was reminded that I am NOT a pack leader.

Somewhere along the line, Cyrus became the pack leader in our house.  He believes it is his job to protect our house and 'scare away' any threat.    This would be awesome if Cyrus' idea of a 'threat' had any basis in reality. Let's face it... there's few real human threats to our homes, right?  I mean... burglars are a threat and door-to-door salespeople are annoying, but Cyrus has a different opinion.   He sits in that window waiting for the opportunity to bark away the 'bad-guys' - LOUDLY.


He hates (and I can't stress the word "hate" enough) the mailman.   I once went to a talk given by the brilliant Dr. Stanley Coren, author of many books about dog behaviour, training & psychology.   Dr. Coren said that dogs bark at the mailman because it's a learned behaviour.  Bear with me....

* starting when your dog is a wee, playful puppy, he sees Mr.Mailman walking toward the house and may playfully bark to announce a visitor (a normal, balanced, behaviour). 

*  the mailman drops your mail off & walks away. 

All normal, right?

Dr. Coren says that how dogs interpret this is:   
  
           "Here comes that guy with the big bag, walking towards MY house... and I barked
            & he left.  I'M SO POWERFUL, I'M SO DOMINANT OVER HIM"

. . . . .   and so this process goes on & on,  Mailman shows up, Cyrus barks, mailman leaves - reinforcing, everyday, that Cyrus is BOSS.      (Woe is us).

We work outside the home a lot, so it's very difficult to break this cycle.  As a matter of fact, there were several months when a particular mailman wouldn't even deliver our mail.   We were told that the delivery person feared that Cyrus would dive through the double-paned glass and attack him. 

Over the last few years, Cyrus' expert opinion of the mailman has transferred to ANYONE walking by carrying a bag, backpack or baby-bjorn.   Bark, Bark, Bark.

Its pretty much the same scenario with the paperboy, who uses a cart for his papers . . . Cyrus now believes anyone pushing a cart, wagon or baby-stroller are evil-beings who may dare walk up our driveway and throw a paper at our house !!  (apologies to little old lady who tootles by once a week with her little grocery cart in tow).

So I've listened to the  experts, I've read what Cesar says, I've tried to stay calm and deal with Cyrus losing his mind over the mailman with a cool head of my own . . .  inevitably, I end up yelling at him, yanking him away from the window, punishing him by locking him in the bedroom, etc.  I end up feeling angry & frustrated which, I KNOW, is the wrong thing to do. 

Every day I tell myself I'm going to do it better tomorrow.  Today was not that day.

Lucky us . . .  Cyrus has taught this 'delightful' behaviour to his younger puppy-brother, Leo. 

And while I'm at it (being sarcastic, I mean) . . . .  how I ADORE those dog owners out there who's dogs dutifully trot along beside them, sans-leash, obeying every command while said owner gives me a look that says "wow, your dog is a mess" - yet another thought to add to my list of things I'm noodling on for my "dog people" post.

Happy weekend!!


Bark, Bark,

Christine (the Loyal Subject).

I think I'll have a "Cesar"...

This statement probably conjures up the image of an icy, spicy Clamato cocktail, right?  Mmmmm.... 

Sadly the "Ceasar" I need most is spelled with no "a".  

In case you don't know him, his name is Cesar Milan.  AKA, "The Dog Whisperer".  

Click here for his website.

We first learned about Cesar Milan several years ago as we did some research for appropriate techniques to use with our growing puppy, Cyrus.  Watching his television series, The Dog Whisperer, on National Geographic is like watching a magician at work!   This guy blows me away!   Visit his site to watch some amazing video clips!   Cesar Milan teaches that 'speaking' to dogs' natural instincts and behaviours as pack animals, is the key to having happy, healthy, balanced family pets!  

We jumped in with both feet!  Cesar's mantra is:  "Exercise, Discipline, then affection".  

Our dogs are lucky dudes.  They have been walked twice a day, every day (and I mean, EVERY DAY, 365 DAYS PER YEAR - Christmas Day, after parties, before work, etc.) ever since they've lived in our house.   I have to give Mark all the credit though - he's the one who makes sure they get every walk, every day.  I go most nights, but on the morning walks, nowadays, he's usually on his own with the crazy mutts. (I always get a clear reminder of how dedicated he is when he goes out of town on business trips and it's ME & the crazy pups twice a day, every day).     Moral of the story.... my boyfriend is a bloody ROCKstar!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyway....  

Long story, shortened:  Cesar says naughty dogs can be rehabilitated by ensuring they go on purposeful, leashed walks.  Walks where you, the pet-parent, establish yourself as the pack leader.   This applies whether your dogs are big and burly, like ours, or tiny pocket dogs!  

So tell me why...  PLEASE CESAR...  tell me why these dogs are, right now, BARKING up a storm?   BARK, BARK, BARK.    I want to sit them down, school-teacher style, throw on my specs and a pencil-skirt, grab my pointer & say, 

"Dogs, you get your walks in the dark, rain, wind, snow, etc... your food costs more than our food (more on that in another post), you get love & snuggles (after exercise and discipline) and you're BARKING, WHY?"


Barkerville, BC...   you've got nothing on us!!!     Sigh....

Bark, Bark,

Christine (the Loyal Subject).

Hello!

Leo and Cyrus, November 2011, Lynn Valley in the rain.

Hello & welcome!  (Bark, Bark...  )

Over the past few years of puppy-parenthood, I've often said (either in exasperation or in a fit of giggles), "I should write this down".     You know....those crazy, adorable, annoying, neurotic things our dogs do on a fairly regular basis?... ya those things!

Let me introduce our fur-babies. 

CYRUS, (His Royal Highness, Sir Puppy Monster)

Cyrus was our first pet together.   I grew up with pets - an ever-changing menagerie of dogs, cats, birds, rodents, etc.   Mark didn't have pets growing up and don't think he ever saw himself as a dog-person (oh, come on... we all know there are "dog-people" - sounds like a future post title).    

Years ago, we knew this great dog.  His name was Aries & he was a majestic, smart and beautiful Timberwolf/Malamute cross.   His temperament was that of a leader.  He had a 'grand-ness' about him.  He was stoic, but in a good way.  Well behaved, under control and handsome to boot! 

Aries became daddy-dog to a largish litter of squirmy pups.   One of Mark's darling daughters, whom had longed for a dog of her own became 'mommy' to the biggest (and I'm now thinking, most-rambunctious) of the litter, and so began "Life with Cyrus".

On a warm summer day, six and a half years ago, we met this happy-go-lucky, smiling, black puppy with big feet, devilish eyes and a zest for life!  I believe Mark dubbed him "puppy monster" at that very moment.    He didn't live with us, rather he lived in Mark's daughters' other home.  

Like his daddy-dog, he was smart.. I taught him (oops... WE taught him) to sit on command almost within a half-hour of meeting him!   OH! "The things I can teach this brilliant dog"... (ya... that's what I was saying to myself! glee!!!)

As life with puppies often goes, he had his naughty moments.  Chewing (eating - gasp) things he shouldn't, escaping, digging & barking.   Mark and I started picking him up and taking him swimming in the ocean, to the dog-park to play & for hikes through the beautiful parks and trails in Lynn Valley & elsewhere.   Then, as he started to get bigger & a little more boisterous, we picked him up once a week to go to puppy behaviour classes. 

As I'm sure many puppy stories go, Cyrus became a little too much to handle, and perhaps needed more time than his very busy pre-teen daughter had to devote to him.   So, at approximately 10 months of age, this loveable creature, whom we'd grown to love to pieces, moved into our home a few blocks away.

Most days I'll tell you it was one of the best decisions we've ever made.   Truth be told, I can't imagine life without him.
LEO,  (Prince of the Manor, Sir Puppy Monkey)

Leo came to us as a nearly-three-year-old, under-socialized, full-of-beans, nut!   We had met Leo a time or two and when we learned that his owner wanted to find a new home for him, we made the long drive to Golden, BC (at the edge of the Rockies), in December 2010 to pick him up. 

Leo is a  Red Bone Coon Hound mix and, though it's been quite a transition (for us!) from one big dog, to two, he has become the comedian of the family quite quickly.

He, typical of his breed, follows us around the house like he's tied to our ankles with a string.   He's cuddly beyond belief and has settled into the role of "little brother" quite nicely!  More on the antics and craziness that is Leo, the "puppy monkey",  in another post.   Suffice to say... he's sends me into gales of laughter on a regular basis.  :)

I should mention that we do have another fur-baby... of the feline species in our home.  Her name is Blackberry and she came to us several years back, with a similar story to how we got Cyrus.     We also just lost my long-term kitty, Madison,  this past June.  She was a beauty and was 17 years old.  We're still adjusting to life without her.    I will post more on the antics of our cat(s), and pictures of their beautiful selves, in another post. 


So, this is it...  a place for me to try my hand at writing down the puppy stories that fill our days and keep things in a constant state of motion and craziness.  

Stay tuned....

Bark, Bark,

Christine (the Loyal Subject).