An Acquired Taste

It seems like this summer has gone on forever. It's been so hot that we've all stayed inside most all day and the dogs haven't had their normal exercise. Last week when we were outside playing I glanced at Tess and she looked fat. I called her to me and felt her ribs and yes, she is fat. Then I checked the other girls and they had all gained some weight. Dr B likes them to have about 1/8" of padding over the ribs and the girls had a lot more than that. It's time to diet.

Everyone hates dieting, but we try to make it a little less awful. I cut the amount of kibble they get in their bowl, but to make them feel nice and full, I add green beans. It's worked before for Morgan, Sky, Samba and Noah.

We made a run to the store for several cases of green beans because I use two cans at dinner. All my dogs have grown up eating fruits and veggies, so the thought of getting beans on their dinner is more of a treat than a punishment, except for Sebastian.

Sebastian has apparently never eaten either fruit or veggies. We've offered him carrots, apple, berries and oranges. He sniffs, then walks away. But I'm determined that the boy will learn to like them.  The first day of the big diet I put two beans on top of his kibble. He picked them out and put them on the floor. After he'd eaten his kibble, he nosed the beans around a little, but he eventually ate them.

The next day I put four beans on his dinner. This time he left them in his bowl and ate the kibble around them. Then he ate the four beans. The third day I put eight beans on his dinner and he ate them along with the kibble.

Last night I put a pile of beans on his food. Here he is waiting for his dinner.

He ate the beans first, then ate the kibble. What do you know? Green beans are pretty good.

Next week we'll try a little apple.

Book Review

Do you like  books about dogs? Do you like books where dogs are the main characters? Do you like mysteries? Then The Fitzy Resolution may be just the book for you.

Here dogs have their own government with elected representatives. Senator Labrador-Casey is the main character and has to work with other representatives to solve problems in the canine community. Now, suddenly, there's a big problem. Yorkies are missing. Where are they and why are they disappearing?

You'll meet lots of doggie politicians, some sweet and trying to work out solutions to benefit all and others that are looking out for their own reputations and  wellbeing. Sound familiar?

Dr A.D. DeSena, the author of this book is originally from Connecticut and now practices medicine in Texas. Though he wrote the words, he had two important consultants working with him on this book.
On the left is Mylie and on the right is Annie.

Annie  bears a remarkable resemblance to the main character. Hmmm.

You're probably asking "who is Fitzy and what is the resolution?" Well, I'm not going to reveal that and you'll have to read the book to find out.

Now, this book is a combination of several genres, dog stories, politics, mystery and fantasy. I love dogs and enjoy reading stories about them. I'm interested in politics, though this never ending political campaign that assaults us day in and day out is causing me to talk to myself in HBO words. I am not a big fan of mysteries and only read them occasionally. I do not read fantasy literature, ever. Therefore, though I think The Fitzy Resolution is a unique idea, it wasn't exactly my style of read. That said, if you enjoy that combination, give it a try.

The Fitzy Resolution is available from Amazon in both soft cover and e-book format.

Splashing Around

Hi, remember us? The weather finally broke and we've been spending lots of time outside playing. I've been too lazy or tired at the end of the day to sit at the computer, but now I'm getting back in the groove. So what have we been up to?

Well, on Wednesday we took Lola and Norma Jean to the lake. We went first to meet Splash, Grace and Runtley, then we all headed for the boat. Lola has never been fond of the water, but this summer she's been jumping into the wading pool, so we thought maybe she'd follow Norma Jean's example and swim in the lake.

Even before we'd tied the boat up, Norma Jean was in the water. She went for a swim before we unpacked the toys. That girl is a true water dog.

Grace and Splash can't get enough of the water and you arm will tire from throwing the toys before they give up.

Splash, as the only boy, had to show off for the girls.

Can you see why he's called Splash?

I really enjoyed watching Miss Runtley. She's very attached to her tiny tennis ball and if someone throws it in the water, it's her duty to rescue it. She's swimming out farther than she did last summer.

Lola was fascinated with Runtley and followed her all around. She splashed around a little, but she got uneasy when she couldn't touch bottom. Rob did encourage her out to swim a couple times, but she needs to work on her confidence a little more. I don't think she'll ever love the water as Norma Jean does.

At the end of the day we had some tired dogs. Mine slept all the way home in the back of the car.

Pool Cool

Guess what!! It isn't 100+ degrees today. We had a storm and today it's only mid 80s. When we went outside we felt more like playing.  There's our little pool, all filled with water.

Oh oh, it looks like Bailey's duck broke one of the rules. We're not allowed to play in water unless Mom or Dad is around. Duck must have hidden from Bailey and stayed outside by himself to go swimming.

One dog.

Two dogs.

Three dogs.

Sky wanted to play ball.

But Mom thought up a new game. She tossed the ball into the pool.

Oh boy, that looks like fun. Who'll get the ball out of the water?

No problem, that's an easy game for a water dog.

Fudge saved the ball.

And so did Samba.

Then we waded a little to get good and wet.

Sebastian doesn't like the water, so he rested and watched us. 

He and Norma Jean kept their eyes on Bailey's friends, Duck and Teddy. They were waiting in the shade.

We sure wish it would get cooler so we could play outside more and we'd be really happy if it snowed.

Woofers and Tweeters

My grandfather was an engineer and he loved music. We always had music playing in the house when I was growing up. With the first paycheck I earned, he took me to buy my own new stereo. While he chatted with the salesman about woofers and tweeters, I picked out the one that I felt looked best and had the features I wanted.

Today we have radios and cd players and Ipods, but I still have a couple stereos, one in the living room and one in the bedroom and we have a huge collection of records. I have a house full of music.

But as you all know I also have a house full of woofers and tweeters of another sort. When we brought the three new birds home we were concerned as to whether they'd all get along. Then we had a bigger concern. Caulder spent the first two days here sitting on the floor of the cage, trembling. We were both afraid that we'd chosen another sick bird. The answer is Calder was young and frightened and now they all get along very well. In fact they're so noisy that at times I have to cover them to shut them up. I found out today that pointing a camera at them also shuts them up. Here they are in action.

Elwood enjoys the company of his three roommates and is especially fond of Stanley.  Norris is just happy and sings all the time (except when I want to film them singing). Calder, the fraidy bird, has turned into destructo bird. His mission seems to be to chew apart every toy and try to take the cage apart all the while screeching at the top of his lungs.

Noah and I want to thank all of you for your crossed paws and good wishes. He's feeling much better. Apparently he did pull something in his lower back, but his pills have made him feel like a new dog. He'll be taking them for the rest of the week, then we'll see if the pain is gone.

Meanwhile, Sebastian is fitting in perfectly with this group. When Fudge tries to bully him, he just walks away and when the girls ask him to play he's only too happy to chase them. He sleeps in a chair, eats two meals a day with snacks and has a couple to toys to play with. Who could ask for more?

And me? I'm very happy with all my woofers and tweeters and the strange music they make.