Holidays in Our House - by Lee

Our house is a little weird. We are not Jewish and we are not Christian but we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. Our people were raised in houses that celebrate Christmas, so while they don't consider themselves Christian, they do observe many of the traditions of this celebration that have been passed down by their families.

Hanukkah is a different story. It started in 2002 or 2003. The Lady had a Jewish client who invited her to have Hanukkah dinner, and she fell in love. She insisted that the Man make some of this food. So, the first year they did a Hanukkah themed holiday party. It just grew from there. We now have Hanukkah dishes, Hanukkah decorations, a Menorah, Hanukkah books, and our Hanukkah bush. [Ok, it is just an upside down Christmas tree with silver and blue balls and some other Hanukkah decorations, but our Lady loves it more than her Christmas tree].

Christmas at our house is quiet. We don't have a big dinner, we don't visit people. Usually Uncle Chris comes over. It is just our 3 people and us. There are calls etc to friends and family, but it is low key. The Lady is ok with this, actually she really likes it. It is so chill and relaxed. Hanukkah is the stressed out holiday (minus trying to find the perfect gift).  Man and Lady go all out for the annual Hanukkah dinner with brisket and latkes and donuts. Some of their long time friends have actually thought they were Jewish (or part Jewish). It is now Lady's favourite holiday of the year. She says she thinks it is because the food so so excellent and it is really just about food and friends, like all holidays should be.

[Man and Lady's Hanukkah party has become very "popular" and legendary with their circle and there is sort of a waiting list to get invited as they try and keep it "reasonable" about 12, each year, so they can visit and enjoy it].

That is how things work here. Sunday is our big dinner. We will be debuting our wonderful Hanukkah bandanas from Mollie and Alfie's shop. [Mollie, Lady has hidden them and saved them so we couldn't eat them]. If you haven't been there, stop by, they have some really cool stuff. We will share how wonderful we look next week.

Checking out the tree

Feline Friday - Nin in the Box

PS. Sorry we didn't get to visit everyone yesterday. Lady worked a really, really long day. We hope everyone ate too much turkey! 

Happy Thanksgiving to our American Friends and Happy Hanukkah

Lady is too challenged to embed this wonderful video made by My Three Moggies. Please click on it to view to view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4-GNkVwHAE

To all our friends in the USA, Happy Thanksgiving.
To all our friends who celebrate Hanukkah, Happy Hanukkah.

[Note: We celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas in our house!]

Wordless Wednesday - Getting ready for Hanukkah

NaNoWriMo: The Story of Petey - The story continues

As we were missing a few days, I have volunteered to write another chapter . . . .

From yesterday's ending at http://myminipetpig.com/2013/11/nanowrimo-story-petey/

Just as we were about to howl with despair, we saw two very distant lights coming from farther back in the forest. Could it be help? 

Now for today's chapter:

The lights were coming slowly and they looked like they were bumping up and down. It seemed like they were taking forever to get to us. Beast began to pace back and forth and he gave a few barks as the machine drew closer.

Finally it was close enough that I recognized it as one of those ATV machines. Big and strong enough to get through the snow. Beast, stood off to the side, on guard, but didn't charge and after his few warning barks, was waiting silently. I stood beside him, tail up, ears alert. We both knew this ATV was our last hope.

As the ATV drew to a halt, the psychic lady ran over and started yelling about the situation. The driver removed his helmet, and the face of a gruff middle aged man greeted us. While the face was gruff, it was not completely unfriendly and I saw a twinkle in the eye as the psychic lady went on and on in a frenzied pace.

Finally, he stood up, and I could see he was much taller and wider than my master. He raised a hand to indicate to the jabbering lady to stop. She ignored him and kept going on. He began to laugh and then in words I had never heard before said something. The psychic lady stopped talking. She paused. The ATV man said something again. The psychic lady continued to look confused. Beast and I watched equally confused.

This continued for several exchanges before it became clear that the psychic lady and the ATV man didn't understand each other. The ATV man must only speak another language. The psychic lady paused for a minute, before taking the ATV man's hand and leading him to the edge of the cliff. She pointed to the rope and then yelled down to the people below. The people below yelled back.

The ATV man said "ahhhhhhhhhh" smiled and walked toward the ATV. He climbed on it and started to drive.

Beast began to bark. I joined him. Where was he going? What was he about to do?

Tasty Tuesday - Hero

One of the products I bought at the Pet Expo was:

Hero Dehydrated Dog Treats

A whole lung

I bought several different ones. I bought this because I fell in love with the company. Hero (visit their website at: http://herodogtreats.com), is a Canadian own and operated company. It was created by a Canadian Veteran to provide meaningful work to Veterans and their families. Supporting Veterans, and helping them transition to life after service, is an important cause for me. My family has a history of military service, and my brother-in-law is an active member of the Canadian Forces. 

I smell something good

The products they offer are dehydrated protein sources. This includes liver, lung, chicken feet, wings, ears, feet. There are no additives or preservatives. I admit it took me a little bit of time to get over the idea that I was holding a beef lung . . . . but I just wash my hands after and it is all good.

I have decided to judge all treats really by Zaphod's reaction. Hailey does get more excited about some treats, but in general she is pretty excited about anything that is a treat. Zaphod on the other hand doesn't traditionally get too excited about treats. He always takes them cautiously, like we are feeding him poison. 

The first presentation of the Hero Beef Lung, he did that, he wasn't sure. However, ever since, he has actually acted excited about these treats. Like totally excited. He dances, he jumps up, he gets so excited. The only other thing that gets him so excited is his ball. 

Our review of Hero Beef Lung (we haven't tried any others yet)

The Pros: 

• Local Company 
• Company helps Veterans
• No additives or preservatives 
• First treat Zaphod has every been thrilled about
• They easily break into small pieces.
• The are available at a number of local stores and online

Cons:

• They are a little pricer then other treats (but we think it is worth it)
• The pieces are very large and some people may not like that
• Thinking too much about it, gives me the "yuck" factor. 

In spite of the few cons, overall, we are truly thrilled with the lung. We give Hero Beef Lung 4 out of 4 paws.

Disclaimer: I independently purchased this product and am sharing my thoughts without the company's knowledge. 

Mischief Monday - Take that Paparrozi

Background - Last Wednesday, a terrible thing happened. For the first time like every, the Man got stuck at work. Lady happened to be working 1.5 hours from home, meaning she wasn't getting home until late. Man and Lady were both worried that the dogs would have an accident/be bad. Lady got home as quickly as she could and was totally proud that there were no accidents or destruction. The pups were heavily reinforced.

Thursday was a normal alone day, so we weren't really concerned. So imagine the Man's reaction when he got home to find the following:

Pee on the guest bed
Pee and poo on the floor
The cat mat and cat dishes on the floor
A bill chewed up on the floor
and the worst, this:

My emergency camera, the one we bought in Bali when the good one got too wet to work, on the floor, so chewed up it can't work.

When asked why, Hailey looked at me and said: "You left me too long yesterday, so I panicked today. Besides, I am sick of you taking pictures of me!"

SIGH!

------------------------
Regarding bunny from yesterday's post: Bunny had been our Loki's toy. He sang this really annoying song. Loki had tried to dead him, but it was Hailey who finished him off. Mainly because she did bury him and he was so dirty I wouldn't let him back into the house. Hailey was always trying to sneak her toys outside when we first got her.

Black and White Sunday - Flash Back

I am a little disorganized as I spent most of yesterday cleaning and decorating for the holidays, so it is a bit of a cheat to go back through my millions of pictures and finding this one.

It is Hailey, the first spring we had her (2011), trying to bury her bunny!

To my dogs at the bridge

Dear Loki and Gemini,

It occurred to me the other day, that you may be sitting on your spots on the mantle wondering "WTF?" The lives of the dogs who live with us now live very different lives from the ones you both lived. When you were with us, you ate good food; You got lots of walks and play time; You had ample toys; There were always treats in the house; You got dressed up less.

The changes in the house started when Loki died in 2010, and I realized how short my time was with each of my dogs. It changed when I met Hailey, a dog who had very different needs then either of you. It changed as I started blogging and a whole world of dog products opened up to me. It completely changed when Gemi died in 2011.

Gemini and Loki

Now, while I am always on the quest to find the best food (to help keep Hailey and Zaphod as long as I can), the dog treats and toys have taken up 2 cupboards and a box, toys are purchased more often (in part because they don't last as long now), I want you to know something. Even though Hailey and Zaphod have more stuff, they do not have any more love than you had. The stuff is just stuff. Some of it is stuff you would hate (Gemi, I can see you looking at a puzzle and saying "A princess does not work for her treats, hand them over woman"; Loki, I imagine the look on your face if I dressed you up as often), I know there is stuff you would love. I wish I had known about it these when you were with me.

The love I feel for Hailey and Zaphod is different from my love for both of you. Loki, you will always be my first dog, and my special little guy. Gemi, you will always be my princess.  I just wanted you to know that even though I was slightly less of a crazy dog Lady with you, I didn't love you any less.

Missing you both every day


Your Lady

NaNoWriMo Part 22

Because I am hopelessly behind this week, I missed that I was up for today. Thanks to Sophie and Ron for letting me know. If you have missed anything in this story go to http://roccoshouse.com/nanowrimo-officially-starts-today/. You will find links to all the previous entries here. I noticed that there is no one for tomorrow or most of next week, so if you would like to write a chapter, pop by Rocco's house and let them know.

Now back to the story:

Recap: Petey's owner, Beast's owner, and the police have all fallen into the ravine. Beast is off chasing the coyotes (we hope). Petey has been flung up the ravine and has found the psychic lady. He is desperately trying to get her to call 911.

I felt a moment of panic as the Psychic Lady turned the wrong way. She was walking with purpose toward something. I ran after her nipping at her coat tails, trying to turn her around. She ignored my pleas and continued at a quickening pace. In my desperation, I didn't realize how far we had walked. Suddenly I realized we were at her car.

The anxiety was so great that I could barely think. I saw white and panic. She opened the drivers door and slowly leaned into the car . . . oh no she was going to drive away!

Then she stood up, and I saw what was in her hand. It was her phone. The relief was so great, I thought I would faint with pure joy.

She looked at me and must have sensed my relief as she said "Petey, I left my phone in the car to charge. I had a feeling I was going to need it. " She bend down and stroked my fur as she continued. "I am not sure what is going on, but I think I need to call for help. You appear to have blood on you that is not yours. I saw human footprints near the ravine. I am sure I heard people. It is just too dark and dangerous to leave it to chance. I will call for help now. You can wait with me and we will have this all sorted out soon."

I leaned my body against her legs in relief as she turned on her phone and started to dial. As I was waiting, I felt my eyes grow heavy. The exhaustion of the evenings events had caught up with me. Now that I was feeling safe, I felt myself start to drift to sleep.

I heard the Psychic Lady say hello and a few mumbled words. Then there was a scream and the legs I was leaning on were suddenly gone and I felt myself fall over.

In my shear exhaustion I hadn't heard it coming, I wasn't prepared, and now here I was, with my last hopes of saving my master being yanked out from under me.

Feline Friday - Guest Post

First: Congrats to everyone for knowing that humping Baggy was the untrue story. I caught her chasing him last week, but she wasn't successful.

 Now to our special guest post!

------------------------------------------

For those of you who don't know, I am Aunt C and I have two cats, no dogs.  My cats are Panda, a 2.5 yr old black and white darling girl and Lupul, a 1.5 yr old fawn tabby boy.  We got them almost 7 months ago through the Humane Society, and they are the perfect cats for us.  They are energetic and playful, and Panda is the cuddliest girl!  They have a lot of fun chasing each other, and their favourite toys include a tunnel, a laser pointer, various cat nip mice and each other!

I had read on a blog about someone using treat puzzles made for dogs for their cats.  As a matter of fact the exact one i saw is one I got for Lee a few years ago!  Anyway.... I decided my cats needed a puzzle toy to work their brains.

I ended up finding the RawHide toy at a very good price.  The idea is that you put the treats under the cups and the cats have to get the cups off to reap the rewards.   They were very interested in the process of preparing the puzzle, as they are very interested in treats:)
Almost right away, Loopy figured it out.  He would open his mouth super wide to get around the cup, and take it off and set it down away from the toy.  Then he went back for the treat.  Panda watched carefully, but she had a different approach.  After a few times of watching Loopy, Panda realized that in the time it took him to set down the cup, she could easily swoop in and grab the treat without having to do any actual work!!

We've tried the puzzle a few more times and have determined that the treats need to be something special, not the usual Greenies, or Lupul isn't very motivated to remove the cups.  We have also determined that Panda sees absolutely no need to do any work herself, and she still gets treats. Fortunately Loopy's getting faster, so she's not stealing too many:)

Here's my pros and cons from a

cat perspective (keep in mind the toy is designed for dogs)

Pros
- easy to clean, dishwasher safe
- easy to fill, light weight and transportable, although works best for our cats on carpet
- easy to do.  Lupul figured it out super fast!
- multiple ways to get the cups out.  While Loopy uses his mouth, they could move the cups with their paws

Cons
- the cups are a bit big for cats, Loopy has to work a bit to get his mouth around them
- lots of pieces, there's 7 cups plus the base laying around my floor
- maybe a bit too easy, since he caught on so quick, despite it being the first treat puzzle we tried.

Overall, we do really enjoy it, and give it 3.5 paws out of 4.

Not for Santa Paws - False Confession Day - by Hailey

We are participating in false confession day. It has been suggested by some that if we confess, Santa may see and not bring us gifts. However, as Canadians, we think that Santa is probably to shocked by all of Rob Ford's confessions to even notice ours. We are willing to risk it.

So this is how it works, we share two confessions, one is true and one is false and you have to guess which is true and which is false.

Note: It has been decided that Hailey would confess because it would be very hard to come up with anything Phody would do he needed to confess.

Confession 1:
The Wet Floor
I, Hailey Bug, confess to being the creator of the big puddle that was at the bottom of the stairs last week. At the time, I said the cats had done it, but it was really me. The reason I did this was because Lady messed up my routine. She had a very early morning meeting and she took me for a very early walk. Man only took us out a second time. I am use to getting out 3 times. I was a little mad and I peed and I made you think it was cause you left me to long, although I can hold it for hours.

Confession 2:
Humped Baggy
I, Hailey Bug, confess to trying to hump Baggy recently. While I hump Nin almost every day, I know I am not suppose to hump Baggy. However, the other day he was just walking along the living room floor, and I went over to push him over and next thing you know, I was humping him. He did yell at me, but I am sure he liked it. Cause he was yelling, the people yelled, but I ignored them. It was worth it.

______________________________
PS. Lady finally got us our own email address. She said something about not liking to share her work one with us . . . .  we can be found at leeandphod@bell.net.

Wordless Wednesday - Ideas from Twitter - What Were They Thinking? Bat Cat

Caption This: What are they saying?

To get 1 or 2 pictures I like for this blog (well for everything) I generally take a lot of pictures (this is why I have over 15 000 on my computer). During our Remembrance Day photo shoot, I captured this moment. While it is now my current favourite picture of the 2 of them, I didn't feel it conveyed the message of our post, so I share it now and ask you all.:

What is Lee saying and what is Phod thinking?

Mischief Monday - Unequal distribution of love - by Lee

Last week Lady was home sick for 2 days. This really sucked in several ways, the first being we didn't get the exercise and play that we normal get. She said that her sick stomach didn't give her the energy to do it.

I am willing to forgive her for the lack of walks (I smelt her mouth, I know she was really sick), however, I have a problem wit this:

Do you note that the cats are in the best cuddling positions, and Phody was at her feet and I, Lee was far on the side? So while Baggy loved it as he got the premium space, we dogs were left to the side.

That was bad mischief!

___________________________
Lady says we may not get to visit our friends as much as we would like this week because she has a lot of work to do to make up for the 2 days she was sick. We will do our best.

Black and White Sunday - Snow

The end of ball season - a conversation with Lady and Phod

Lady: Phod, you should know, now that it has started snowing, ball season is almost over.

Phod: O Lady, you are so silly. You don't know what you are talking about. There is no such thing as ball season.

Lady: Unfortunately Phod there is. The snow will be too deep and you won't be able to find the ball.

Phod: I can always find the ball, I will look and look and I will find it. We can play ball all winter.

Lady: Sorry Phod, once the snow gets deep, the ball will go away until spring.

Phod: If that happens, I will be the saddest Phod ever. I will sit by the closet and give you sad eyes all day everyday. You will not be able to resist this and you will throw the ball. 

Lady: How about this, once the snow gets deep, I have something else you may like that all sit on top of the snow. It isn't a ball, but I think I will like it.

Phod: I don't know. I don't always like new things, but if it makes you happy I will try it. What is it?

Lady: It is a surprise, you will have to wait and see. I am sure you will love it! 

Stay tuned to find out what may replace the ball!

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Special announcement: Zaphod has been appointed Blogville's Lead Detective. He will now be known as BLD Zaphod. Congrats Phod and thanks to SusieSusie and Sidebite for this honour.

PS: We have heard some of our international Christmas cards have made it overseas already. We mailed them on the 11th, thinking it may take weeks, not 5 days! Amazing mail!

Feline Friday: Nin as a verb

Nin in the tunnel

As a kitten and a younger man, Nin had a problem. Everyday he would eat so much he would throw up. He didn't seem to know he was full. We tried a variety of foods etc. but it kept happening so we learned to live with it. We started calling this "ninning." Now whenever anyone or any creature in our lives eats too much or mysteriously throws up, we refer to it as "ninning" or that someone "ninned."

Nin's eating issues have decreased greatly in his old age, although he throws up about once a week, often a hairball.

I realize he is not getting younger and someday we will say goodbye, but I am confident his legacy of "ninning" will live on.

Has your pet become a verb in your house?

Training Thursday - Off track

The past few weeks, we have not been as dedicated to Hailey's training as we should have been. She has been getting lots of exercise and puzzle time, but we haven't been doing as much "relaxing" as we should.

I have not connected with the behaviourist either. I am not as encouraged to call her because I know the conversation will be what it always is, medication. As I have said before, I have no problems/judgment with others who medicate their dogs. It is just at this time, I don't think this is something I want to explore. The reality is that over the winter, Hailey will not be exposed to the "anxiety" provoking situations such as thunder, fireworks and children. Perhaps medication is something we will explore again during "anxious" season in the spring. For now, we will try and get our act together and practice relaxing. We will continue to work on physical and mental exercise and we will do a better job at practicing relax.

Lee - destroying a free toy from Pet Expo

Wordless Wednesday - First Snow

Pet Expo - Ottawa 2013 Review - by Lady

Last weekend was Ottawa's Pet Expo. I was very excited to go as I had never been to a Pet Expo. The Man was not interested so my sister, aka Aunt C, came with me. I made the decision not to take my dogs. Lee would have been too excited/anxious, and I didn't want to subject Phod to all the car time (besides if I had him, I wouldn't be able to go for lunch and shopping with Aunt C after). This was a choice I was thrilled to make because it was so crazy busy!

These are my thoughts:

The good:
-It was reasonably priced to get in. I got 2 tickets for $12.
-It was great to learn about so many great products I didn't know about.
-I remembered to grab bags to put all my loot in.
-Most of the exhibitors were very knowledgable and friendly.
-I loved all the fundraising for the Ottawa Human Society. Many of the exhibitors gave their samples for a donation to the Human Society.
-It was great to see so many fantastic rescues being features and raising funds.
-I am not going to need to buy treats for months:)
-I have lots of samples, some of products I have been interested in, but haven't want to just "buy" in case they didn't like them.
-Lots of Canadian products were featured. I do like to support Canadian companies.
-I got to see/touch/feel some products I had seen on other people's blogs/online. I was able to buy several of those products without having to pay shipping!
-There was a lot of cat stuff too (Aunt C has 2 cats)
-I didn't see one misbehaving dog.
-It was great to see the doggy rest area and several water stations.

Things I didn't love:

Lupul and Panda checking out the loot!

-There was a wait to get in. I thought the door seemed slow.
-It was really hot inside.
-Some aisles had soooooo many people, and dogs, strollers etc, you could barely move or see things. It was a little busy and overwhelming. I am sure I stepped on more than one paw! This was a very big drawback.
-Since going I want a third dog . . . Man says NO!

Things I would suggest for attending next year:
-Look to see if there was a coat check/leave coat in car.
-Save loonies and twoonies beforehand to use to donate to get the samples.
-Maybe take some time to look at the speakers/shows etc.
-Make measurements of the dogs necks etc if there are products I am interested in.

The coolest thing:
I saw on twitter that @laursica, the parent of @LokiDoberdog was going to be there. We discussed meeting up.  She had mentioned she was with her brother's dog, a blonde lab mix, pink collar. I am at a booth and a dog who would meet that description was there (but I had seen similar dogs as well), and I heard a woman say "Loki" and I knew it was them, so I introduced myself as my Twitter handle, @HaileysLady. That was really nice to meet someone from the blog-iverse/social media. 

Overall, I would give the expo a 3/4 paws and look forward to next year!

I heard from several others who went in the pm, and they did not enjoy it at all. I am glad we went early!

Over the next few weeks or months, I will share my thoughts with some of the products I bought/got. 

___________
PS: Pippa, yes we observe 2 minutes of silence on Remembrance Day! 

Lest We Forget

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada. We take time to stop and thank the people past and present who did or were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to make the world a safer place to live.

A heart felt THANK YOU for your and your families sacrifices.

 We also remember all the animals that helped in the war effort.

We Remember . . . . . . . 

Black and White Sunday - Playing in the Woods

Here is Phod, flying through the woods during our walk last week. 

Trying to Enjoy our Yard

We own 3 acres of land and I admit, we don't use it all like we should. About 1 acre is our house, driveway and front yard (that is where you see us playing ball). We have some bush behind the house and to the side. Given that last Sunday was a cool but sunny day, we thought we would take the dogs out to walk on it. We took Phod off leash and Lee on her tie out.

Phod checking out the long grass

Lee stopping to check things out

Phod coming back to see what Lee has found

Sniffing the find

It is a deer print. We haven't been seeing them as much, but we know they are around. 

Part way through our nice walk, the dogs took off, down the trail that runs behind our house. Here they are coming back (with the Man).

Phod running between the trees

Clearly not discouraged that he was scolded for running away

Lee and Man coming back

Lee thinking about running away again

The fall sun coming through our trees

Heading home

Feline Friday - Sharing the Mat

I admit, nothing makes me happier than seeing my animals cuddling. The dogs aren't cuddles with each other, so I have to take my joy from my cats. Baggy is at the back and Nin is at the front. I think they are cuddling and sharing the mat so nicely because it has gotten cold and we are trying to minimize the use of our heat. The lights over the island get quite warm, and they are curled up on their Nip mat, enjoying the "sun".

Training Thursday - Review of another puzzle toy

 Today we are talking about the Trixie Move2Win Level 3 puzzle.  This is one of the items I purchased through Amazon.ca after our consult with the behaviourist.

I went with level 3 as Hailey tends to solve things very quickly. Here are our thoughts:

 Pros:
-This is the first puzzle that Hailey has not figured out right away, in fact she hasn't totally figured it out yet. Because it is so challenging to keep her and Phod motivated we put special treats like hot dogs in it.

-It is easy to clean.

-The compartments are larger and you can put a lot of different treats in it (unlike some of our other puzzles that can only hold small treats or kibble).


-As it is a puzzle it doesn't get dragged around our floor as much and isn't as noisy.

-The dogs will share this. There are so many different parts, they can each be working on a different part.

-It holds a lot of treats.

-It takes a while to do (which is good and bad).

Cons:

Another chewed piece

Hailey chewed the rope for pulling

-If not completely supervised, it is easy to destroy (while doing the dishes one day, so in the room but not watching, Hailey chewed 2 parts of it). It is not a puzzle we could leave them with while we are doing other things or out




-The Man says he thinks the plugs are too hard to take out (Lady say this is the point and doesn't find them too hard)

-It may be too challenging for some dogs [Phod often gets frustrated and quits].

Overall, we give it 2.5 paws out of 4.

The biggest drawback for me, is I have to directly supervise them with it. It isn't something I can give them to keep busy while I am cooking or if we had people over. However, it is nice to have something that works Hailey's brain so hard!

Disclaimer: I independently purchased this toy and am sharing my opinions/experience. The company is not aware I am doing this.