Feline Friday - The time Baggy lost his mind

Baggy is our first fur kid.  He was the king of the jungle until about 12 years ago when we brought the first dog (Loki) home. To say he hated Loki and Gemi would be an understatement. He did not like anything about them. This is mainly because they chased him and took his spot on the bed. He basically lived in the basement for 8 years, a place off limits to the dogs.

After Loki's death, he started to become a little more tolerant of Gemi. Since then he has become tolerant of the dogs. He will be out and about when they are around. He has tolerated a sniff from them (often with a protest). But while he hasn't acted like he is plotting to kill them every second of the day, he hasn't been overly friendly with them.

You can imagine our shock last Friday when the following happened (please excuse the poor quality of the pictures, I only had my phone and didn't want to leave to get my camera).

Baggy came into the room. We put him on the bed (as he can't jump up anymore). Then he went and snuggled right into Phod.

I think the look on Phod's face was fear

Then the unthinkable happened. Bagheera, the dog hating cat began to lick Zaphod. He licked him for several minutes. The Man and I watched in shock and awe really that this was happening. Phod just put his head down and didn't move.

Lick, lick

This snuggle lasted for at least 15 minutes. It lasted until the Man had to get up.

Later that day, we came upon this:

Lee, Baggy at the top, Nin at the bottom, curled up on the couch. Note that Lee has her mouth and head touching Baggy.

Clearly Baggy lost his mind last Friday, that or the end is near!

Training Thursday - Loving Hailey

I love Hailey. She is a wonderful, delightful, beautiful, smart girl. However, if I am completely honest, loving her can be challenging some days, and has been more challenging the past few months. As I mentioned earlier, she has been playing deaf a lot. She has had some accidents in the house (and before Emma came to stay). I have been a little frustrated with her.

 I decided to look at the factors that were influencing my less then favourable feelings about my angel at times:

-I am always seeing her beside Phod, who is just an easier dog.

-The weather. It has been cold and snowy and really a terrible winter. The weather has limited the time we can spend outside safely. We are not getting enough exercise so this is influencing all our behaviour!

-Work has been crazy busy for me this year. Financially good, but emptying my tank by the end of the day and not giving me the time and energy my girl deserves.

For saying I am not perfect! 

What I am doing about this:

-Remember my dogs are each individuals with strengths and weaknesses - aka don't compare her to Phod

-Celebrate her angel qualities more often - she is pretty pawsome!

-While I can't totally change the weather (Man says we can't move to a warmer climate) I can make sure we maximize the nicer days and do more training inside when we can't (we have 4200 square feet, we have lots of room)

-More individual time. This is a big challenge for me because I always feel like I am depriving the other, but I am working to make sure Lee gets her own walk (an extra walk as in the morning I don't have time for 2 walks) a couple times a week. Phod can have his own chuck time, so both are happy. We have done this for 2 weeks and I think Lee is really enjoying it. More about that at another post.

-Working to making my work schedule more manageable - this will be a work in progress because no is not a word I am good at saying - but I am starting to create a plan to work only 4 days a week by the end of the year (maybe if I say it out loud enough I will be able to make that happen!)

These changes have started to make our relationship better. We had a wonderful snuggle on the couch last night!

Do you have have days/weeks/moments where loving your dog is harder?

Wordless Wednesday - Blast from the Past - Angel Loki

Tasty Tuesday - Which food to buy?

Currently my dogs don't have a regular brand of food. I am experimenting with other brands to find one that works for us and is not too expensive.

My preference in a food for them is a grain free one. Not because either of them have ever shown any issues with grain (or any foods, so we are lucky), I just think it is healthier for them. [They do get some grain filled cookies, and I am ok with this because the bulk of their diet is grain free].

For the longest time my pups ate Fromm. They did well on it. My issue is that is $100 a bag. With a Phod in our life who eats 4 cups a day, and a Lee who eats 2 cups, this only lasts us a month. While I liked the food, I wanted to know if I could find one that was as good for them and not so hard on my pocket book! 

Then I tired a Canadian made food that's name has completely escaped me. It is a new company (like a year old). I liked it but it was hard to find (I only found one store that carried it and it isn't in the most convenient location) and again was very expensive. A $70 bag didn't last the month as the bag was smaller.

We tried Nutrience but it gave us farty dogs. Really bad, stinky farts. 

This month we are trying Halo.This is the company Ellen Degeneres is the co-owner of.  It is cheaper, at about $65 a bag that will last a month,  and seems to agree with the dogs. It is also carried at the pet store by my work, so it is easy to get. (I don't have to drive all over the city to find it). 

I am opening to trying other foods. Does anyone have a grain free kibble they love that won't break the bank?

Phod: "I don't care what they feed me, as long as they feed me!"

Mischief Monday - Man's Bad Day

Sorry there are no pictures for this as I was not home. The Man retold his story about last Thursday. Here is the summary.

The Man was almost home when he ran out of windshield wiper fluid. He figured he would just deal with it at home. As he was driving down the private road we live on he saw a car. He was curious so as he turned into the driveway (with his dirty windshield) he was looking into the rearview mirror and cause he couldn't see out the front, he drove into a snowbank.

Driving into a snowbank is only a problem if you get stuck and the Man got really stuck. It took him, the next door neighbour and 2 people who were renting the cottage down the road to push him out. The 2 renters had a dog. While the people were pushing, their dog checked out our yard.

Once Man got his car out he came to take the dogs out. Of course, the dogs had seen this strange dog and when he opened the door 2/3 took off to find the stranger. [Emma was the good dog and she stayed in the yard during the events that followed]. They were stopped part way down the road by one of the neighbours, his dog Ghost (who is wonderful and friendly) and his new foster Shadow. The dogs were all getting along smashingly, until the Man went to put Phod on leash. Something about this action caused Shadow to become aggressive and lunge at Phod. The Man intervened and in the end was the one who got bitten. Fortunately Shadow didn't bite hard and with the Man's winter coat etc no marks or damage done. Man was then able to bring everyone home and he called it a day!

I, the Lady, of course am very supportive and I didn't LMAO at the Man. No, I felt bad for the Man for his series of unfortunate events.

I do admit I am now a little concerned about Shadow. Clearly he has some socialization issues and I am concerned because we live out the country and I know he is often off leash (I saw him running down the road off least yesterday). I am concerned if we come upon him, he may be aggressive again. We will have to be extra careful to make sure everyone stays safe.



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THANK YOU!
I am thrilled to report that we won the bronze in the Canadian Blog Awards - Best Pet Blog.
Congrats to The Cat from Hell for the gold and Nerissa's Life for the silver. I love both your blogs and count myself lucky to share the podium with such great blogs!

Black and White Sunday - Dreaming of Spring

Awards and Other Catch Up

First, we would like to take a moment to say goodbye to our friend Daisy from http://scotsmad.blogspot.ca who lost her battle to oral cancer this week. Run Free Daisy. Hugs to her sisters, Roxy and Bella.


I am embarrassed by how long it took me to formally thank Love is Being Owned by a Husky for the following awards:

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I admit to having been too busy and overwhelmed with work to give my blog the full attention it needs. I see this being a bit of a problem for the next couple weeks, so will do my best to keep up with this and everyone else's (we may comment a little less, but know we are visiting!)

To help with this catch up,  have decided to copy others and have one day a week where I do this. For now this is going to be my Saturday post.

Monday: Attack of the pb

It is far more challenging to get pb on the dogs correctly when you are laughing so hard you can't see! It was a very fun, if unsuccessful photo shoot and perhaps turned out better then planned! 

Tuesday: Life with Emma

Easy: I am sure Emma would love to date you, but I don't think her dad would allow her, he is very strict.

Moving the cat food: The cats are feed their soft food on the counter. Nin can jump up and down but Baggy can't so they are lifted 2 times a day for this. They also have access to hard food during most of the day. The issue is, Baggy can't climb up. We  keep the cat food in the laundry room. We have a baby gate across the door. Our dogs are too big, Emma is smaller than Baggy so she can fit under. I don't think we have another place to put it. We are just monitoring Emma more and during the week only putting the hard food down once Emma is in the crate for the day or gone to bed for the night. 

Cat poop: I don't think Emma eats it, Lee does . . . . Lee also eats cat vomit, dog poop, deer poop etc etc. Lee is just gross! 

Wordless Wednesday:

Hailey gives me lots of kisses (usually when I first come home). I don't normally have to resort to pb, but to get the picture I wanted, I needed help. I washed my face after not because of the pb but because it was covered in slobber! 

Thursday: Love your pet day:

Yes, you are all correct, love your pet day is pretty much every day in the house (maybe a little less when people do things like eat the wall or pee on the guest bed).

Nin has been our simplest pet, so him clearing the magnets is like a human curing cancer. 

Friday: Laundry Inspector:

Baggy has always loved warm laundry and other warm places. When he was younger, I discouraged it as I didn't like the cat hair on the clothes. Now in what may be his last year, he can do what he wants!

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Wishing the Canadian Men's Hockey team all the best tomorrow morning, not because we really care about hockey, but we care about the mood the Man will be in for the rest of the weekend! 

Feline Friday - Laundry Inspector

Just checking to make sure the towels are washed and folded to my liking

You get a B+ - they could be warmer

Bagheera, the inspector

Love your Pet Day

Today is Love Your Pet day and to celebrate the day we have been asked to share your favourite pet story. I have so many, it is hard to pick.

I have decided to share a story about Nin. He is our old cat, who I fear is really starting to show his age at 18.5 years old, more about that another time. 

Back when we lived at the apartment and Nin was a kitten he use to sit and stare at the fridge. He did this for several weeks. We thought he was a very strange. Then one day we came home and found all the fridge magnets on the floor. Nin had be sitting staring at the fridge, figuring out how to get them off. We moved them all up high to the freezer, and he knocked those all off (by hanging over the side).

After these 2 fridge magnet clearing incidents, he never touched a magnet again. He came, he saw, he removed and moved on!

From 2009 - the things he has to put up with! 

PS: Please go to http://cdnba.wordpress.com to vote for the best Canadian Blogs of the Year. We are nominated for best pet blog and would appreciate your votes!  Thanks! 

Wordless Wednesday - Loving my Lady - PB was involved!

How life is with Emma

Emma has been with us for over 2weeks, and for the most part it is going well. We have had some accidents but fewer then previous visits. She is asking to go out (by whining) far more often so we know and can get her out in time. Unlike my brother in law, I don't live a life where I can just follow her around and wait for the moment her body language indicates she may have to pee!

She has been causing a little trouble. She has figured out she can sneak into the cat area and eat their food. This has upset her belly a little, messed up her feeding time, and upset my old cats. 

She has also destroyed all stuffed toys. There is no stuffing left in anything. 

Overall, though, we are having a good visit and neither Lee or Phod seem bothered by having her here. She seems happy. Which is good, because she is here for another 2 weeks! 

Emma's colouring has changed as she has gotten older. She is a neat brindle now. 

Mischief Monday - Attack of the Peanut Butter

I had the brilliant idea of trying to get the pups to kiss each other for my Valentine's Day post. I knew this just wasn't going to happen to I tried to put peanut butter on the side of each pups face and get another to lick it off. It didn't go very well (as you will see none of these pictures made my post). It was very funny! I caused mischief by putting the peanut butter on and they caused mischief by not co-operating with the lick off!

A couple out-takes:

Notice the pb on Lee's face and that the man had to hold him still!

Somehow in the chaos, Phod got pb on his head. Look how happy he is about it!

Black and White Sunday - Forced Love

The miracles of peanut butter!

Queen of Hearts Dance

We are ready to dance the night away!

Thanks to all of Blogville, especially Madi, who organized this ball. Thanks to Mollie and Ranger for helping dress us up!

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing you a day of love!

Zaphod, Hailey and this sad heart because Lady doesn't really have anything Valentines-y!

Are we a match?

I was contacted by Sunny from Seer Interactive about doing a compatibility match with me and my pups. I have always thought astrology was fun (if naming a dog Gemini didn't give that away) so I jumped in to see what they had to say.

Here is the report:

There’s nothing that rivals the bond between a dog and a human. Much like our relationships with friends, family, and lovers, our connection with our furry loved ones can be impacted by our astrological influences. The astrological insights from some of the pet psychics at Hollywood Psychics can help shed some light on the deck the Lady, Hailey, and Zaphod were handed from the stars.

The Lady, the human leader of the pack, is a Gemini. She is guided by her sharp mind and will stop at nothing to accomplish or learn whatever her mind is set on. There is tendency for the Lady to switch focus more quickly than other signs. This character trait is often the basis of Gemini’s reputation as “the twins” because it can seem like they are jumping from one mood to the next.

The stars can tell us a lot about our relationships with our four-legged family members, but one can always call a psychic to get more detailed understandings into the relationship with their pet(s). However, the stars still can help!

How do the signs of the Lady and her pets affect their relationship?

The Lady and Hailey

Capricorn dogs appreciate the finer things in life, whether it is the highest quality bones, the most extravagant collar, or a luxurious experience at the dog grooming salon. These often reserved dogs also know how to warm your heart with their specific breed’s attractive qualities. Being an earth sign, Capricorn canines are very set in their ways and can be stubborn.

With Hailey being a Capricorn, her relationship with the Lady is prone to some conflict, at times. The Gemini Lady can have a variety of interests and have no problem jumping from one project to something else, however, Hailey will want to spend her time on whatever is catching her interest.

This combination can cause many situations where the Lady will try to get Hailey to listen, but the stubborn Capricorn canine will ignore her and focus on whatever she finds most appealing at the moment.

The Lady and Zaphod

Dogs born under the sign of Aries are often the most lively and joyful of the signs. They love to play and be as active as possible. Since Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, these dogs often want to be the leader of the pack.

Zaphod is a rescue, so it’s unknown what experiences he went through before joining the Lady’s pack. Previous owners who neglected him or abused him – and his time on the streets – certainly influence his innate tendencies. However, with the love in his new household, his astrological qualities will still shine through and keep Zaphod a playful and happy pup.

The Lady’s Gemini tendencies to switch gears quickly will not bother Zaphod and he’ll gladly play along – as long as he’s able to run around, play, and get attention. In addition to their Alpha Dog tendencies, Aries dogs are active and love to be the center of attention. With Zaphod being a rescue, he is very grateful to his new owners and will gladly forego his need to be “pack leader” to the Lady. These circumstances likely lead to a harmonious pairing for these two.

The Pack Together

Hailey will naturally be nervous of Zaphod’s characteristic energy and enthusiasm. She will want to focus on her favorite bone, or find the source of that curious smell – meanwhile, Zaphod is running around trying to get the Lady to play fetch with him.

As Capricorns age, these canines tend to let go of some of their stubborn and aloof tendencies. They will begin to embrace a more carefree attitude, almost as if they age backwards. For this reason, Hailey and Zaphod will likely bond more strongly as time goes on and play with each other more often. Zaphod will also slow down in his old age and can spend more time slowly appreciating each step with Hailey.

The Lady and Zaphod will naturally get along better, so Hailey will often get jealous and this could materialize with more detachment and anxiety. There will need to be extra attention given to Hailey in order for her to not feel left out. Compromising the Aries and Gemini flexibility at times and getting more on Hailey’s pace will help strengthen this trio’s bond.

This pet psychic compatibility reading was provided by our friends at Hollywood Psychics. Call a psychic if you’re interested in getting your own reading today, and finally figuring out what’s really going on inside your furry friend’s head.

Thanks Sunny, this was fun!

Us last winter

Wordless Wednesday - Now!

Who Knew????

Ok,  apparently, I the Lady, am total out touch with the real world.

I was visiting http://catfromhell.wordpress.com and saw Nellie had asked us to go vote for her as part of :

I had never even heard of these awards, so imagine my surprise when I scrolled down and under pet blogs saw my blog! I have no idea who nominated me (thank you very much whoever did) or anything, but there I am. What a wonderful surprise. 

 If anyone is interested in voting for me, or any other great Canadian blogs, go to:

http://cdnba.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/2013-canadian-blog-awards-polls/

Vote runs until the 22nd. 

Mischief Monday - Play Time

Fetch time, inside or out goes like this.

I throw the item.

Phod runs and gets it. Emma follows and takes it.

To make up for some of this, Phod has been getting his own play time outside (without any girls). This way they can't cause him mischief.

Black and White Sunday - Waiting Phod

A week of chaos

I feel like this week has just been chaotic. Part of the problem is that since our return from vacation, we haven't had a whole day at home. I had to work on Saturday. Sunday we had a Harry Potter party plus had to watch the Super Bowl:) I have had a crazy work week, with a dentist appointment, and several other personal appointments, that of course just all fell on the same week.

On top of this, we have had the 3 dogs. For the most part they have been ok, except maybe Tuesday.

Tuesday would be the only day I would have described as bad.

The day started at 5:20 am when Hailey started throwing up. Not sure why. Emma pooped on the floor.
Then the dogs were really good until 8:30 pm when the Man got home from being out. He wasn't home for 5 minutes, when Hailey decided to jump on the bed and pee and Emma pooped on the floor. It wasn't our favourite dog owner day!

We move forward and I am enjoying most of today off. I have one more crazy work day tomorrow and then the weekend and I have a great schedule next week!

Looking forward to catching up with everyone today!

Wordless Wednesday - And the Little Ones Chewed on the Bones

Firmoo - Helping me see my dogs better

I was very excited to be asked to try a pair of Firmoo glasses for an honest review of the product. I have been wearing glasses since I was 5 (so for 30+ years). I have tried contacts, but the chemicals damaged my eyes, so I will be staying a glasses girl.

Firmoo (click on the link to learn more about the company) ships its product from China. It took about 3 weeks for me to receive my trial. A second pair had to be sent as the first pair was lost, so I think they would normally arrive sooner.

It appears from a search of their site that the prices of the glasses are all under $100 (that includes frames, lenses and lenses). Many are under $50. As someone who has always bought my glasses through the optometrist I know this is a steal!

What I liked:

• The price - I could have several pairs of glasses for those prices.
• The selection - there were lots of different pairs to chose from.
• The look - I think I look cool:)
• The prescription is perfect.

My selfie with the Firmoo Glasses

Things I didn't like:

• I didn't like not being able to try them on - probably because for 30 some years I have been trying on at least 30 pairs to pick one. I think if I was to use them again, I would go somewhere and try similar pairs on to get a feeling of how they would look.
• I have yet been able to adjust the one arm so it doesn't rub. I will keep at it, but I still don't have them adjusted correctly (again, likely because for 30 years I have had someone do this for me).

Overall, given the price and quality, I would definitely consider going through Firmoo for my next pair of glasses.

Bonus: Firmoo has offered me five - $30 vouchers for glasses. I will give them to the first 5 people to email me at leeandphodATbellDOTnet.

Mischief Monday - "Deaf" Dog

Hailey and I have been butting heads so to speak for the past few weeks. Normally, she gets to be outside on her tie out, not tied to anything and she stays in the yard. However, starting just before we went on holidays she decided to explore the world more without me. When I call her back, she apparently is deaf. She doesn't flinch and continues on her way. Now getting her back is a challenge in the winter because I end up sinking to my thighs in the deep snow as I try to get her. She has never gotten further then the neighbours (as she is also slowed down by the deep snow) but it is still annoying. What makes it extra annoying is that she doesn't do this with the Man. 

It is challenging to work on recall because most days I am not home during daily light hours (or very limited day light hours) and work day mornings need big walks etc. Also, we have many days it is just too cold to work on outside. It is my goal once we get back into the routine of life and I get caught up with work (the draw back to being self-employed) but we will be spending extra time working on this. 

In the meantime, while outside with me, she has to be on her leash. 

Black and White Sunday - House Guest

She is back! Cousin Emma will be staying with us for the month of February while Uncle Chris is on an exercise.  Mischief and mayhem to follow!!!!!!

Chuck One was not located before it snowed a whole bunch again yesterday. Phod has accepted that Chuck Two is what he has and is more readily playing with him. 

CHUCKER ALERT

Chuck One was last seen in the early morning hours of Thursday January 30, 2014. It was approximately 6:10 am. It was still dark. Lady had Hailey on the leash in her right hand and was throwing Chuck One with her left. She didn't watch where it was going as she was untangling Hailey.
After an extensive search, Chuck One was not found. Lady called Phod to come in, but he didn't want to give up the search. As Lady had to go to work, she presented Chuck Two to coax him into the house.

Chuck One was last seen somewhere near the septic field. If found, please contact Phod. He misses him very much. Chuck Two is good but is not the same. Chuck Two doesn't smell right and he isn't broken.  However, he will do until the spring thaw!

Phod with Chuck One before he went MIA