Mischief Monday - A Little Destruction to Warm up a February Day

Those of you who stop by regularly will have heard us complain about the cold. February 2015 was the coldest February on record and the second coldest month on record (January 1974 still holds that record). It has been awful. Exercise outside was limited. Hailey does have super nice boots but she will not wear them and keep them on. Even if she would have, and she would have worn  a coat, her ears and nose and tail would have been exposed, leaving her at risk of frostbite. It doesn't take long for the cold to do serious damage (several people froze to death in Ontario this winter,  so tragic). It was so cold that even Niagara Falls froze over.  (Note: We don't live near the falls, but given they usually have milder winters than we do, we are impressed).

Picture from: http://www.country1071.com/2015/02/20/niagara-falls-are-frozen

Given that Hailey only had 2 or 3 walks all month (and only 1 or 2 in January), it is not a surprise we had a few accidents and one incident of destruction. Fortunately it was nothing major, just a jay cloth and an investment report (which we can get online).

I am proud of Hailey for doing so well during this very difficult winter. A few years ago I fear she would have destroyed the house. Let's hope the worst is behind us. 

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We are hosting a guy's day of camping, hunting and fishing on March 23. Please send us your pictures by March 20th to leeandphod@bell.net. [Note, our email address was incorrect on the original post].

Black and White Sunday - Until Next Time

If you have missed over at  Enid's there is her annual dress up contest. Hailey has entered. Go over and vote for your favourite pup. Voting closes March 7th.

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Emma was suppose to be staying with us until mid-April, however, she went home yesterday. She went home because Uncle Chris got sick and couldn't finish his course at this time. The doctor believes he will be better in a few weeks, but he could use some POTP. We are sure the 87 million kisses she gave him when she saw him will help.

This is likely Emma's best visit to our house. She only had a few accidents. Both Hailey and Zaphod enjoyed playing with her. The other day Nin and Emma were both on my lap and Nin gave her kisses. The time went by quickly. We will miss her, but we know she will be back because Uncle Chris will have to go on course again sometime.

Until next time!

Emma

Updated: For the Guys of Blogville

Girls, look away - this is for guys only.

As part of Guys Day Out, with Hailey's permission (she is the boss after all), we will be hosting a camping, hunting, fishing day at our place.

Lady doesn't have the ability to photoshop (someday she will learn she promises) so to participate send us a picture of you camping, hunting, fishing or another way of enjoying the great outdoors.

Please send the following to leeandphodATbellDOTnet by March 20th.
Updated: Thanks to Molly the Wally for letting me know Lady entered our email address wrong!

The name of all the animals in the picture (we want to screen out sneaky girls)
Your blog
Your picture

Hope to see you there!

FFHT - Zaphod's Tail

Today we are participating in Murphy and Stanley's FFHT. It is easy to do. Write a post with this month's key phrase.

Today's Tail is brought to you by Zaphod

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Once upon a time, there was a handsome dog who didn't have a name. He lived with the cruelest of people and after slaying a dragon, he escaped. 

On his own, he wandered the streets, weary of people. One day, he was captured by a man and taken to jail. This handsome dog thought, "this is the end". But he was wrong. A nice lady came and took him out of jail and took him to a house.

At this house, the handsome dog was named Zaphod. While he was a little nervous to be with people, his gentle nature made everyone who met him fall in love with him. He lived with this nice lady for a few weeks. She told him, this was temporary, some day he would have a forever home.

Zaphod was nervous about this. What if evil people were at his forever home? What if he had to run away and live on the streets again. What if?

Finally, his day came. Zaphod was taken to his new home.

While it took a bit of time, Zaphod finally realized "It was so much better than I could ever have imagined."

He has people who love him

A sister to chase

A sister to wrestle with

Lots of food to eat

Bush to explore

Water to swim in and things to fetch

He lived happily ever after.

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For the Guys only. Come back tomorrow for a special announcement!

Project Hailey - Another Special Walk

Sunday was the warmest day we had in weeks. From January 1, 2015-to February 20, 2015 we had 45 days below -15 and 30 below -20, making it the coldest winter on record. We broke the record form 1888.

Sunday was a lovely -8 C. Given how good Hailey has been through this terrible winter and with her cousin Emma, I decided she should get another special walk. She and I went out for a lovely walk. It was the longest walk we have taken since before Christmas.

Since I only had one dog, I could take some pictures on my phone.

Walking down our private road

Checking out the main road

The hills are beautiful on a winter's day

Listening to the birds by the hay field

We have been lucky that the past few days have also been warmer during the day and we could finally get some more walks in. Maybe spring is coming!

Wordless Wednesday - Hailey and Lady

Dental Health Month - Confessions of a Neglectful Lady

February is dental health month. Today is the day I confess, I have been neglectful in my pet's dental health. When we first moved to this house, I was great. We were brushing teeth at least 3 times a week (as recommended by my vet). But then it stopped being a habit. The toothpaste expired and I didn't buy new stuff. Life happened and for far too long, brushing hasn't happened.

Now, that being said, we aren't totally neglectful. The pups get dental treats daily. We have antlers to chew on. It is just the formal brushing that is not getting done.

The neglect has been reinforced by my history with pets and dental issues. Bagheera lived to be 19.5 without ever brushing his teeth and without any problems. Loki had a heck of a lot of problems, but no dental ones (other than his crazy teeth). Nin did need some dental work, but at 15. Gemi also had dental work done at age 6. So far, Hailey and Zaphod have not really had problems.

I am hoping that today's blog hop will inspire me to go out and get new toothbrushes and start brushing away!