Posts tagged ‘birdie’

Mar 6

Our Love Smells Like A Hot Tuna Melt

This past weekend we celebrated Birdie Day at our house. Five years ago we brought Birdie home to live with us (her full adoption story is coming…stay tuned!) and she’s been making our home a much funnier place ever since. Mostly because she farts really loud while watching us eat dinner. It never fails to make us laugh. We are a simple people.

Birdie is the world’s easiest dog to live with and has been since the day she arrived. Because she lived the first six years (that’s right YEARS) of her life at a shelter, Birdie gets to do whatever she wants. That’s the deal. If she had any issues, we’d certainly work with her on them, but she doesn’t, so we don’t. Birdie is polite, sweet, likes naps, and doesn’t poop in the house. My dream dog.

And now she’s 11 years old. So what do you give a silver fox(y) lady like Birdie on her 5th Gotcha Day and approximately 11th Bird-day?

Hot Tuna.

Thanks to our friend Teri who runs Canine Kinship here in Portland Maine, we happened to have the world’s stinkiest dog treat recipe on hand. It took just minutes to whip up these uber-smelly tuna treats.

Here are the deets:

Tuna Fudge

(2) 6 oz cans undrained tuna (or salmon or mackerel)

(2) eggs

1 and1/2 cups of flour

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix all that greatness together, then press it into a greased 9×13″ pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Let cool. Cut into strips, then dice. Makes approximately one ton of treats. Give or take. Refrigerate or freeze treats.

Super easy, super cheap, super stinky. Birdie thought it was an excellent Birdie Day gift.

Especially because I let her lick the bowl.

These treats came in handy for the Nose Works class Birdie and I have been taking recently at Canine Kinship. It’s our Girl’s Night Out and Birdie thinks it’s thebestthingever since all she has to do is wander around smelling stuff and eating treats. Stinky treats like Tuna Fudge. What more could a Birdie Dog want?

Our pal Nola is also in the class (read her blog here) and was gracious enough to sample our treats this week. Nola gave them a snarf of appreciation.

So there you go: two out two dogs in our class give these treats their drool of approval.

p.s. more on how awesome Nose Works is later. If you’re not doing it with your dogs yet – sign up. It’s a hoot.

Well, that’s all for now kids. It’s just this one thing: I love this dog.

And our love smells like a hot tuna melt.

Thanks to Teri for the treat idea and to Nola’s mom Danielle for snapping some photos of Birdie working hard in class!

Feb 10

22 Comments

One Weekend in Maine…

We had a blizzard this weekend. How about you?

Three feet of snow in 24 hours + hurricane-force winds = six foot high snow drifts.

It was awesome. The dogs can tell it better than I can, so here’s Boogie and Birdie (and one snow ninja):

Day One: We dig out. Note: for perspective, the snow ninja is almost 6 and half feet tall.

Boogie’s first bathroom run during the blizzard

Because of the winds, there were huge snow drifts and bare spots where the grass was showing. Boogie headed towards the nearest patch of grass.

Snow Face.

Slow Motion Shake Down

Day Two: The sun comes out. Birdie smells the air. She is sad to report that it does not smell like peanut butter or pepperoni. She heads back to the house.

Boogie channels his inner bunny rabbit to hop through the snow drifts.

Boogie?

Spotted!

Birdie returns for a quick flight around the yard. Flap those ears Bird!

Did someone call for a Super Bird?

That’s my girl.

Boogie digs…digging

Boogie gets ready to go in face first.

But what he really wants is to play catch. Here's Boogie waiting for me to throw some snow.

The only thing he loves more than digging is playing catch. Here’s Boogie waiting for me to throw some snow.

Eye on the prize.

Going for it.

YES!

And then it was time to go inside and warm up...

…and then it was time to go inside for a nap.

For me, playing with the dogs is the best part of snow days. I hope that those of you who got stuck in the blizzard were safe and able to have some fun too.

Wishing all of you a warm, play-filled week!

Jan 24

23 Comments

Junk in the Front: Dog Coats that Fit

It’s FREEZING in Maine this week. The only people walking around these days are the dog walkers and the postal carriers. Half the dogs I walk are disgusted by this weather and demand to be taken inside right away, the other half are oblivious to the cold, no matter how many times I tell them that I can’t feel my legs anymore.

Since it’s 5 degrees out, I figured this might be a good time to talk dog coats. If you have dogs that are shaped like triangles, like I do, it can be hard to find coats that fit them. Both of my dogs are very broad in the chest but have narrow waists and I had to try a million coats before I found ones that were big enough up front, without being super long and huge all over.

In Birdie’s case, she’s got so much junk in the front that she has a tendency to bust her coats open at the chest. So she starts off fine, but then she takes one breath and the front strap explodes open. Next thing you know, she’s running around with her coat “unzipped”, trailing from around her waist, like some sort of streaker. It’s embarrassing.

So, if you have a top-heavy public exhibitionist of your own, there are a few brands that I’ve found worked well for my dogs. Of course, they might not fit your pups. That’s the thing about dog coats: usually your dogs have to try a few until they find the right one. And there’s no universal sizing system. If you’re in the market for a coat, I recommend visiting a pet store that offers a range of brands to try on. If your dog can’t handle doing a fashion show in a pet store, buy a bunch to take home and then return the ones that didn’t fit (let the store know what you’re up to and find out if they have a good return policy first!). Same goes with ordering online: buy a couple of sizes/styles and return what doesn’t work.

Here are the coats that I like for my dogs (for reference, Boogie is 50 pounds with a very narrow waist and Birdie is 40 pounds and shaped like a hot potato.)

Chilly Dog Sweaters: I know a lot of dogs with big chests that really rock these affordable sweaters. In fact, they’re a wardrobe staple among those of us with bull dogs (any kind of bull). They almost always run long, covering their tushies a bit, but the sweaters stretch and fit their chests really nicely. Plus they have adorable designs, like this monkey. The sweaters run small: so usually you need to go up a size larger than normal for the right fit. I think Boogie is an XL or XXL.

Teckelklub Trench Coats: This was the first coat I found that could contain Birdie’s bust line with ease. No Velcro busting to be found with this baby. Both of my dogs have the fleece-lined Trench style coats. On really cold days, Boogie will wear his Chilly Dog sweater underneath and this coat on top. But most of the time, the coat alone does the trick for him when he’s out making sweet love to his big red ball in the snow. Boogie is a size 6, Birdie is a size 5 in this coat.

Apache River Dog Coats: The next time I have to buy a coat for a dog, this is what I’m going to get. I used to work in a pet store that sold Apache River and on the coldest days these simple coats would fly off the shelves. Made by folks who also make horse blankets, these fully lined fleece coats are very warm and they fit dogs so well. I highly recommend them for any shaped dog. Like sweaters, they slip over the head, so there’s no Velcro strap across their chest to bust open. And the extra coverage up front is good for cold climates where every exposed inch counts. There’s a ton of stretch in these snug coats (think Spanx for dogs), so what fits in the front, will also fit in the waist. Plus, they make x-long versions for wiener dogs. What up!

There are tons of other options out there: Ruff Wear, LL Bean, RC Pets…but if you’re looking for coats that fit dogs with junk up front, those are my top 3 picks. Oh, and here’s one more, just for fun:

We won this cheap-ish dog coat in a raffle years ago. It fits Birdie perfectly and she’s taking a nap in it right now. She told me the faux sheepskin shearling coat makes her feel rugged – like a rancher or a cowboy. Hey, as long as Birdie isn’t flashing anyone, it works for me.

Do you have an odd ball dog that doesn’t fit into regular stuff? Tell me about your favorite coats and sweaters in the comments section!

2014 update: My friends at Fit For a Pit carry an amazing collection of dog coats and clothes that fit pit bulls and other chesty dogs. I love their products so much that, yes, this is an affiliate link.

Dec 31

7 Comments

The (Dog) Days of Our Lives

I don’t know about you guys, but between the (almost) end of the world, the holidays, and some snow shoveling, December was one busy, where-the-heck-did-it-go month around these parts.

Allow me to give you the highlights. Or, if you prefer, the blooper reel. In no particular order, the dogs I did the following:

Played in the snow. Fell down in the snow. Shoveled the snow into his face so Boogie could eat the snow mid-air.

Also: After recovering from a serious collar-buying addiction, now I only indulge my habit once a year at Christmas. Boogie gets a custom martingale, and Birdie gets a flat, buckle collar. Last year, Boogie and Birdie got matching collars from Preston, a New England company. 2012 was the year of the preppy alligator.

For 2013, we decided to switch coasts (B+B are jet setters like that) and order our collars from California-based Sirius Republic. I couldn’t decide on a matching set, so we went individual-styles this year.

Boogie will spending 2013 as a lumberjack:

Boogie thinks getting his photo taken is lame-o lame.

Birdie will be spending 2013 in a ring of love birds:

Birdie doesn’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day

Speaking of loving Birdie, I signed her up for a Nose Works class this winter. It starts in February and I’m looking forward to our girls night out together. If the class is a good fit, maybe I’ll let Boogie get in on the fun (ew, boys!) in the Spring.

One of the reasons Birdie gets to go to class first is because she’s a senior citizen. This winter she’s turning 11 and in preparation for her forthcoming geezer-ness, Birdie decided to get really drunk the other week. Or at least, that’s what it looked like when she suddenly started walking like her legs were made of rubber. One minute: sober as a judge. Next minute: falling over drunk.

It looked like something was misfiring in her brain, so I called the vet, blubbered, and drove 85 mph to the office. By the time we got there, she wasn’t falling over like a narcoleptic goat, but she was stumbling and her eyes were vibrating (nystagmus). Bloodwork, x-rays, and hours of observations later, Birdie was once again walking a straight line and her eyes were ok. All the tests came back: healthy. With no clear diagnosis, we decided on a run of prednisone to clear up any possible inflammation. We just wrapped the meds up the other day and so far, so good.

Although, as you can imagine, I’ve hidden the key to the liquor cabinet and I’m watching the Bird Dog like a hawk.

If you’re wondering, it’s possible that this was Old Dog Vestibular Disease, but the vet wasn’t totally convinced (her symptoms weren’t severe enough to warrant a clear diagnosis). We just have to wait and see. Fun! But I did read this helpful article from Bark Magazine, just in case.

So, speaking of being petrified and worrying about bad things, I decided to use Legal Zoom to help me draw up a Pet Protection Agreement, just in case you-know-what-happens to me and the husband. I felt like a lunatic doing it, but for $40 bucks I bought myself some peace of mind knowing that if you-know-what-happens to me and the husband, the care and guardianship of our pets is clearly spelled out in a legal document. Asking family and friends to be the “guardians” of our various pets (we have 2 dogs, 3 cats) was one of the weirder emails I’ve ever written to my crew, but I’ll do anything to ward off the heebie jeebies.

Well, that’s not a very fun way to wrap things up, so let me tell you about some good stuff coming very soon in the new year:

I’ve been working with the cool kids at Design Lab Creative Studio to come up with a couple of fab things for y’all. I don’t want to spill ALL the beans, but there’s a new poster, new handouts, and even a new-ish site coming in Jan/Feb of 2013. I don’t think it’s going to start a revolution, but I’m very excited to give you guys better quality tools and a really cool poster! It’s almost done, so bear with me as we finish up the last steps and then I’ll take you guys on a walking tour of all the new stuff.

And I know that on our daily walks it may not seem like the world is getting the DINOS message, but on this last day of 2012, let me leave you with this nugget:

Banfield Pet Hospital, the largest privately owned veterinary practice in the United States, has added a DINOS-related page to their website and will be releasing a beautifully done DINOS handout in the new year. Banfield has an enormous client-base, including lots of first time dog owners and folks with puppies, so I’m very excited about the DINOS message spreading to this new audience. Every day, in ways that are big and small, the message of responsible and respectful dog ownership is making its way into more conversations. Change is slow to take hold, but it is happening.

On that note: Thank You! Team DINOS (that’s you guys!) is made up of such incredibly smart, compassionate people. Your thoughtful comments, your resourceful tips, and your funny jokes are what makes this all possible! Thank you for being such an important part of the conversation and making this wacky project a pleasure for me to work on. I appreciate your support – the big hearts and the big laughs – so very much.

Happy New Year everyone – may 2013 be the Year of Safe, Happy Dog Walking!

Oct 17

20 Comments

No More (Doorbell) Drama

If your dog goes bonkers every time the doorbell rings, may I suggest this?

Over the weekend I picked up a wireless, plug-in doorbell for $15 at Home Depot. I bought it because our new house has a funky entrance that forces visitors to enter our small, enclosed porch in order to get to our front door. Rather than having strangers half way into the house before they could ring a bell (and startle the pants off of me), we got a wireless doorbell and installed it on the outside of the house. This allows people to stand on our front steps and ring the bell – without entering the porch/house – and gives me a second to tell Boogie to go to his room and chill out while I deal with ~~botherers~~ vistors.

Turns out, this little gadget has a bonus function: my dogs don’t recognize the chime as the doorbell! So when someone rings the new bell, Frick and Frack don’t bark. My mom also has one of these bells and she reports that her dog doesn’t bark at the wireless door chime either – so it’s not a fluke. Two out of two families recommend it.

Granted, desensitizing dogs to the sound of the regular doorbell and teaching them to stay calm is the way to go about this issue. And you can use these battery operated, portable doorbells to do that sort of training. But hey – it’s not such a bad thing that the new bell doesn’t register, in their ears, as a doorbell. Of course, that will change with time as the dogs make the connection that the ‘new sound’ = people at the door. In the meantime,we’re working with a clean slate.

So, if your dog turns into a hot mess at the sound of the doorbell, this cheap solution just might be what you need to help them make some progress. The kit I bought only had 2 different tones to choose from, but other more expensive kits, give you the option of 8+ chimes to pick from. So in theory, you could keep changing the sound and your dogs will be totally mystified for years.

And for anyone that has a weird front door set up, like me, this is a great, cheap solution because YOU get to decide where visitors stand when they ring the bell. Buy yourself some extra time and put your doorbell somewhere really convenient – like next to a pay phone at the end of your driveway, so visitors can call first and tell you they’re about to ring the door bell. That should give you enough time to tell your dog to “go to his mat”, right?

And if you get one now, it’ll be just in time for all those cute ~~intruders~~ Trick or Treaters!

So go for it – put an end to all that doorbell drama! Mary J. Blige understands, don’t you Mary?

May 30

14 Comments

DINOS in the House

So things are going to be a wee bit quiet in the land of dog walking and DINOS-loving for the next week or so. The gang and I are up to our wet noses in the insanity that is house hunting. Things are percolating with one house in particular – I don’t wanna say too much, since it’s a sure jinx.

Things have been a *wee* bit busy. Like I’m under siege.

Anyway, what I wanted to tell you all is that every time I look at a house, I do it with DINOS in mind. How much space will my dogs have to run? How far away are the nearest neighbors? How much time should I spend sitting in my car, stalking this house, to see if there are loose dogs that run around these parts?

Yes, please.

As soon as things chill out, I’ll share how much living with DINOS (both my own and the dogs I walk) has impacted my home search and maybe we’ll spend some quality time talking about fences. Because I. can. not. wait. to have a fenced in yard. Gimme gimme.

Happy dog walking everyone!

May 10

22 Comments

The Never Ending Rainy Day

It’s been raining for, like, a hundred years straight here in Maine (ok, ok two weeks) and I. am. going. crazy.

Between playing ball with Boogie in our mud pit of a back yard, coaxing Birdie to please, pretty please, stop pretending she’s a camel and go to the bathroom already, and all the soggy dog walks I’ve been doing every afternoon, I’ve lost my mind.

And I’ve decided this is my future:

That’s right. I want a Patio Park.

Not only do I want one, but my rain-induced insanity is making me think that buying a van, throwing one of these inside, and offering up a mobile, door-to-door, covered potty break station is exactly what the pet industry needs and I’m the gal to do it.

Right?!

I know that’s bonkers. But I kinda wish I could do that today, this millionth day of rain.

p.s. This actually might be handy for city-DINOS. Or is that the soggy mush in my head talking?

Apr 9

12 Comments

Treat Yo Self: The Dog Edition

Yesterday we took our dog Birdie for a long walk. We left Boogie at home.

We did this because Birdie is easy to walk and Boogie can sometimes be a challenge. So we played ball with Boogie in the yard, to exercise him and make him happy, then we roped up the Bird and headed out for a stroll around town.

We encountered a loose dog, a pissed off dog that was tied up in front of his house and barking expletives at us, a gang of off leash kids running to church (Easter morning), and a million other things that would have been a challenge if we had been with Boogie.

We would have had to manage him around the kids, because that would have scared him, the off leash dogs would have forced us to do u-turns, and the cursing pooch would have required some finesse to pass without a return F-bomb from Boogie. A lot of work.

But he was at home and we had Birdie instead. Birdie is not phased by much of anything, so neither were we. It was…relaxing.

Every single dog I walk is reactive. All day, every day, I’m on guard while I dog walk. So once in a while, I like to take a walk with Birdie and try to remember what it’s like to walk a non-reactive dog. Whenever I do, I’m always struck by how incredibly easy it is!

It also helps me to understand the “others” – you know – the MDIFs. Some of them really have NO idea what we’re dealing with – and that’s why they never really get why we’re running in the ocean to escape their dogs.

But that’s not why I’m writing this. I’m writing this because I want to tell you that it’s totally ok to leave your dog at home sometimes. It’s ok to take your easy dog for a walk or to the pet store or to the strip club and leave your more challenging dog at home some times.

Look, we all need a break. Working with our dogs can be really exhausting, sometimes scary (if you encounter a lot of loose dogs), and can suck all the fun out of having a dog. So it’s cool to take a day off, you feel me?

I used to feel bad about doing this. It always had to be both dogs or nothing. But then I got over it and I’m way happier. Judging by some of your emails and Facebook comments, a lot of you feel really guilty about doing this sort of thing.

So, if it helps, I hereby declare: It’s ok to Treat. Yo. Self.

Choosing to go for an easy, relaxing walk with your other dog or leaving both dogs at home, so you can take your time browsing for that perfect cable knit sweater at the dog boutique or whatever it is that you want to do and not be stressed – doing those things doesn’t make you a bad dog owner.

Want to know a secret? Your dogs told me they sleep the whole time you’re out sneaking around behind their backs. Mostly, they’re sniffing for crumbs, napping, licking their paws and leaving wet spots on your side of the couch, and napping. They are not writing in their journals about how abandoned or rejected they feel when you leave them behind. Promise.

Seriously, your dogs love you. They’re really psyched that you love them so much. They really appreciate the food and soft bed and fun toys and the training you’ve been doing with them. They think you’re the bees knees, even when you’re picking up another dog’s poop. And they really want you to be happy. Happy people keep their dogs.

You guys are working hard. Really hard. Please don’t feel guilty or naughty for taking a break.

So go on and Treat. Yo. Self.

Look, even the kids at Parks and Recreation have your back:

Mar 2

7 Comments

Happy Birdie Day!

Today is Birdie’s Gotcha Day aka the day we adopted her.

Because we don’t know her exact date of birth, we celebrate her birthday on March 2nd (many excellent dogs were born on March 2nd, in particular, the fabulous Ms. Lola of the Lola Bean in Philadelphia. Happy Birthday Lola!).

And that means today is Birdie’s 10th birthday! Since we think Birdie Dog is the bees knees and love her to pieces, we always get her a special treat on Birdie Day.

To celebrate she’s doing this right now:

Birdie and Boogie are big fans of the Everlasting Treat line of toys. Some of you have told me your dogs are able to get through these in minutes, but they keep my two buzzards busy for a while.

Boogie, not to be left out of the Gotcha Day fun, is also doing this right now (it’s real loud and slurpy at my house at the moment):

Birdie is already exhausted. It’s not easy being a senior citizen taking on a fireman’s challenge:

Happy Birdie Day Everyone!!

Dec 19

21 Comments

All I Want for Christmas is Dog DNA

I have a confession to make. Along with reading piles of magazines, taking quizzes is one of my favorite guilty pleasures in life. I’ll take short, silly quizzes (If I were a loaf of bread, what kind of bread would I be?) and long, involved personality tests, like the Myers Briggs. I take them for fun or to help me figure out my strengths and weaknesses. I’ve taken countless career assessment tests, all of which tell me I should be a therapist, a teacher, or a minister. I may not listen to the results, but I really like taking the tests.

So when I discovered that I could do a cheek swab DNA test at home on my two dogs, Birdie and Boogie, I was powerless to resist. I didn’t care what the results were (I love them no matter what). I didn’t care if the tests were 100% accurate. I just wanted to give my mixed breed dogs the ultimate quiz! So as a Hanukkah and Christmas gift to myself, I ordered two DNA test kits from Wisdom. Last month I swabbed their cheeks, sent the kits back to the lab, and have been patiently waiting for the results to come back.

Side Note: For any of you interested in doing this, swabbing the inside of a dog’s cheek turned out to be a little trickier than I thought it would be. Birdie wanted to eat the swab and then I fumbled it on the way out of her mouth, causing it to rub against the palm of my hand. Luckily, they give you two swabs per dog, so I got a second chance to do it right. I sent both swabs back, per the instructions, and figured if Birdie’s DNA results came back as a Jewish Beagle from New Jersey, this kit was legit.

I just got the test results back and I’m dying to share, but before I do, here’s a little quiz for you. Take a look at their photos below and, in the comments section, give me your best guesses on what breed mix you think they might be. I’ll reveal the actual results later this week!

Here are some hints:

Birdie is 40 pounds and she was listed as a “Beagle Mix” on her adoption paperwork.

Boogie is 50 pounds and he was labeled a “Pit Bull” on his adoption paperwork.

(DNA test info: Because Boogie has been labeled a pit bull, I should share that Wisdom cannot test for the breed “pit bull”, due to the genetic diversity of dogs within this group. However other dog breeds, that were historically related to the American Pit Bull Terrier, often show up in DNA tests – for instance: American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bulldog, and the Boston Terrier. If you’d like to read more, Wisdom explains it here.)

Let the guessing begin!