Hail Upon Us

Last night it very calm and the air warm and a bit humid; it was the calm before the storm. The hail shower came upon us so quickly and with such an urgency, it was as if the world was turned upside down. The dogs all huddled near the back French door to see what was generating all the noise as the pellets banged the window. There was no rain just yet, just the tap, tap, tap of the pellets ricocheting off in all directions…there were some as petite as dimes and others as stocky as quarters, it was as if the storm itself was uncertain what it wanted to release down upon us. It lasted just about ten minutes and the deck was covered with these white glass-like ammunition from the heavens. Just as soon as the sinister clouds were hurrying by the wind began to mature with intensity and the heavens opened the gates and the water gushed down.


Otis having had his calming medication hours before was groggy and glossy eyed serenely sitting and gazing out the window as if some magical doggie treats were drifting like feathers down to earth. The others were within a step of mommy just incase I got scared and would be in need of their comfort. As with all storms this one continued to rotate along past our home and on to the next neighborhood. The dogs all settled into their normal seats on the couch and the chair, mommy rested among them, and all was still and serine once more as night fell upon the cool wet grounds.

Life without dogs???

I was sitting this beautiful sunny morning with my four dogs all around me on different sides of me sleeping, and one, snoring just a little bit while I am reading random blogs and news on the internet; when a thought came racing into my head. If there were ever a time when there are no dogs on this great Earth, would I still want to be here? Honestly I think not because what would our world be like without them and the attitude towards life. To err is human to forgive, canine. My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am, and my favorite, “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” Need I say more?

Spencer's Spa Day

All week I was planning on taking my 21 year old cat to the vet to get his nails trimmed, but he was looking pretty ratty so I asked my BFF to help me give him a bath. Yes mixing a cat and water…how would this turn out I wondered, and feared to be honest, because after all, he also need a serious nail trim.


First of all Spencer, my cat, used to be this beautiful large fluffy tuxedo black and white tough guy in his younger years. Now he is a very skinny boy weighing no more than seven or eight pounds. He still eats and has all his functions, shows no pain, so therefore he lives on until he is called to kitty heaven. I just have to say that when I placed the lower two thirds of my beloved kitty in the warm water he just laid in there and loved every moment of “Kitty Spa”. To think after 21 years of self cleaning….well not too much the last year that he would LOVE a bath? So I was all smiles with myself thinking wow, I must be super human kitty loves a bath groomer…well he did love it and I was happy to have been there to give it to him.

So off today we went to the vet’s office. I buckled his carrier into the front passenger seat and off we drove, okay so he road and I drove. He always tells me he loves me in that scratchy kitty voice when we travel. I was so proud he would look so clean and fluffy, well sort of fluffy, that’s not the point , he smelled great and was super clean! We have about a twenty minute ride to Dr. Patch’s office so I drive slow using the side street and Spencer sings to me, his own number one hits of course.

I get within two blocks and it happens, same as always, same as the last time, and the time before that, he throws up. Mind you, any other day it would have been no big deal, but he was so clean from the kitty spa (my bathroom sink, but don’t tell him that). So I pull over remove the one towel he threw up on, replaced it with a clean one, wiped his paw that stepped in it and then continued on to our destination. I am happy to report, he got his nails clipped and was back in his warm bed at home in no time, oddly though, he keeps staring at the sink with a gleam in his eye and then back at me. I think we will try the kitty spa again next week, but not the car ride.

What I lack in people skills...

Today is Friday and when I awoke to the wet noses and soft breath on my face I was like, ugh, is it that time already. But to be honest, it quickly turned into playtime with the “babies”. The youngest, Abby of course giving all her love to Daddy, while my boy Marley could not have gotten any closer to me in the bed without literally digging and burrowing into me. My handsome “grandpa” Otis lay on the floor stretching his elder body and joint as I do each morning and Brock, well he was front paws to the top of the mattress tongue and tail a wagging. It was morning at our house and all was well.

I am told I seclude myself and don’t allow humans too close to me, and for the most part that is a true statement. Very few “elite” chosen are allowed in. This comes from a past history of hurt, abuse, and seeing and experiencing what one human can do to another human. Dogs, ah dogs, now that is my true love…they are always there for you, then will do anything for you; they see you at your worst and love you the most. Nothing is a pure as a dog’s love. So therefore my motto is as follows: What I lack in people skills I make up for in dog skills. You think I am rude, but my dog thinks I am god. You judge by my outward appearance, my dog judges me by the size of my heart. So why should I care about what you think of me?" Only one person is above these fur-children and that is my adoring and remarkable husband, because he has shown he is as faithful, loving, and respecting man and above any other human I know…so I have come to the conclusion he must have been a dog in his previous life, and for me, that is the highest compliment I can give another human.

Nail Trim

I just completed canine First Aid and CPR training this Saturday past. I even have a bona fide Red Cross card to prove that I am certifiable, (this many of my closest friends and family already knew). Anyhow, this evening hubby picks up Abby, our youngest, and says, “why don’t you trim her nails?” Simple request I thought, the clippers are out, hubby is willing to help, and it needs to be done. So I proceeded to do what honestly is my first ever nail trim on a dog. I did the front nails one by one and all went well, then she got wiggly, so I stopped with plans to do the back nails later on.

I was smiling, actually proud of myself, like Wow, that was not too bad at all. Yes, I was nervous and so was she, but I got ten nails done and all is good, or so it was. Marley came by as I still held the clippers in my hand, so I placed him in hubby’s lap and started on the right paw one nail after the other quickly snipped off and into the air, after all I am now a pro at this, not so. I got to nail number ten and Marley let out a YELP! Hubby said, “you cut a quick“ and sure enough I did.

I felt faint, sick to my stomach, I had brought pain to my “baby” how did this happen, why was I attempting to trim nails anyhow, I am not trained in this, not a professional, barely knowing how to hold the clippers in my hand….ugggghhhh where is the throw up bucket. I put pressure on his nail, reached for the styptic container and covered the red blood nail with the powder and held his paw while I spoke softly to him words of comfort and apologized many many times over.

So lesson learned this evening, First aid training never really prepares you for the sad doggie eyes, the drooling, nor the blood. I know my first, second, and last, doggie nail trim has been completed all in one evening, they will all go to the vet next time as I am not woman enough…I am too much Mommy.

Doggie Summer

Good morning everyone! I was lucky enough to see a video posted by a friend on FB called “A doggy summer - A kutyák is szeretik a strandot” Dog's Day at The Beach At the end of this very sweet video it states that the dogs were all trained using the mirror method. I have to say I was tapping my feet and bouncing to the music, “Walking on Sunshine” as I watched with amazement these dog’s performance at the beach. So I ask my brilliant audience, has anyone used this training technique, or even have heard of it?

Per what I was able to find on Google, the method consists of three, equally important, parts: relationship – training – natural for the dog interactions. They also go on to say that your dog reflects the behavior and personality of you, the owner, consequently to change the dog’s behavior, one has to make changes in her own first. I have to say I am very intrigued and a bit fascinated after viewing the video and reading the little I have.

I would never begin a training method without proper research and knowledge of it as possible to be certain I will in no way harm my “fur-children”. So for now I am on assignment to find a book or further articles on this training method, because if it is all I believe it could be, then I want to begin as soon as possible. Who knows, the next video I share with you all may be my "A-M.O.B." (Abby, Marley, Otis, Brock) as the stars in their own video.

Therapy dog?

Today as I sit at my laptop and sip my Joe staring into the backyard through the French doors, the feisty four are lounged around me; two stretched out in front of the door awaiting either the door to open or the sun to shine through. One, laying in front of the television, and one below my feet. We took them all on a walk yesterday, for the youngest and newest Abby, it was her first walk on a leash. She did well, yet of course needs our weather to cooperate so that we can get out and do it again each and every day. Practice makes perfect and I need the walking more than she does. For some reason this winter my body took on the mission of a winter of hibernating and retaining my excess weight…but that is another story for another day.

I have been contemplating training Abby to become a therapy dog, but question still…am I am appropriate person to be a therapy dog mom. I love my fur-children at times more than most humans, it is because of my early childhood and adulthood…dogs are more faithful, compassionate, and loving. So will Abby sense my distaste for a human we may encounter and it cause her to be aloof towards this human? I will offer help to any human that needs help, but I cannot tolerate hateful, mean, stupid, or angry drama queens. So I will ponder this some more as I train her in the essentials of doggie hood and will allow her to advise me if this is something we should attain together as our next goal in this wonderful life we share.

Red Cross Canine CPR and First Aid Class

OMG the First Aid and CPR canine class offered by the Red Cross was awesome! I learned so much in those three hours and we had practice time on doggie manikins for rescue breathing and CPR. I am now Certified in Canine First Aid and CPR and because of that, I am a better person than I was this morning. I would recommend this class to anyone that works with dogs or has dogs of their own. As they say, the training may just save a life and think about how that would make you feel!

Oh and don't forget to have your emergency kits stocked and your disaster kits packed as well, especially now with the "stormy" season upon us. These are important "tools" we must all have on hand to keep our fur-children healthy and happy should an emergency arise.

Have a bow wow day to all!

The Dogs and the Storm

One dog is asleep, one dog is out in the yard throwing a stick in the air and playing catch with it in-between the raindrops, one dog is watching the dog in the yard, and one dog is shaking violently on my lap, problem, yes, the lap dog is the one asleep.

Hold on tight the storms have arrived with vigor and zest and the sky is tormented by lightening and black ominous clouds dropping their water buckets to the thirsty earth below.

I adore the stimulation a vivacious storm brings with it, but for my four-legged fur children, it is a feeling at least one of them could do without so for him it is time for calm and sleepy pill and for the one in the yard, I guess all I can do is laugh and get the shampoo and towel ready.