Archive for August, 2010
Dog Day on the Green
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 | Bone Cancer Dogs, Canine Cancer, Dog Day on the Green | No Comments
Sunday the 29th was Dog Day on the Green at Montrose Harbor in Chicago. I had previously committed to work this event for the Bone Cancer Dogs people (BCD). As the date approached, I was kicking myself for agreeing to this, mainly because my schedule the week before was crazy (out of town) with work. A few days before the event, I learned that a celebrity of sorts, McKey Sullivan, the winner from cycle 11 of America’s Next Top Model, would be working the tent with us. Given the stressful state I was in, this seemed terrible to me purely because of my own insecurities – I would feel old(er), fat(ter), and ugli(er) with her around. But I am the type of person that follow through with my commitments, so I soldiered on.
I arrived around 7am that Sunday. Keep in mind, this means I left our block party early the night before and went to sleep while people were still partying outside. The beer pong was my idea, and I think I may be a bit relieved I did not participate. I met up with Julie, the treasurer for BCD, and helped setup the tent. She might have been convinced that we would not get people to visit the tent in the beginning, but we had a fair number of people stop by…maybe seeing the “C” word doesn’t freak everyone out like it used to.
I spoke to a lot of people. I did my best to educate people, or at least pass out information that would start the process for them. But for some reason, I did end up speaking to a lot of people about nutrition and supplements. I really hope that I didn’t steer them in the wrong direction – I am not an expert, but I do consider myself to be informed. I was good and suggested they speak with their “health care provider” to cover the bases.
The (nicely) surprising part of the day was McKey. Yes, she’s gorgeous. But she’s a nice person and seems to be grounded firmly in reality. Dogs are important to me, and I am very happy that she was willing to use her “celebrity” to bring any amount of attention to them, and the Bone Cancer Dogs organization. She has 2 small dogs, but knows her big dogs too. She has a Weimeraner, Axel, who she lost to Osteosarcoma last year. She’s previously been owned by a red Doberman as well, and she handled it in the ring. Who knew – a former show dog person. She also seemed attracted to the big, blue Dane we saw trotting across the field. I had already met said Dane and completely approved of this attraction. Her boyfriend would prefer a Harlequin, methinks, but I have a feeling she will end up triumphant with the Blue at some point. She also spotted and named a Leonberger and Neopolitan Mastiff from a distance.
All-in-all, it was a nice day. You may have realized, I enjoy talking to people, even if I consider myself somewhat shy. And I am very comfortable talking about dogs and health.
I spent a fair amount of time thinking about Abby the Pyr (aka the Great White Swissy) and what she and her family must have gone through during her Osteo battle.
Cancer sucks.
Dog Day on the Green
Thursday, August 26th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Yes, I’m still working silly hours. But I feel I should mention a neat event in Chicago that is happening on the 29th.
The second annual Dog Day on the Green will be held at Montrose Harbor on Sunday. There will be a number of events, like a Bark for Life walk, plus vendors and dog-related booths galore! I will be working at the Bone Cancer Dogs tent all day.
Hope to see you there!
Stupid Work
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Sorry – too much work stuff is keeping me from blogging. Please check back next week!
Search for a training facility
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 | Indigo, Ozzy | 3 Comments
Is it possible that our search is done?
I’m not sure how long you’ve been a reader of this blog. If you’ve been around from the start, you may recall that we’ve gone through several trainers since we brought Indy into our lives. I was considering taking Ozzy to obedience at the same facility we used (different trainer) for Indy’s Cautious Canine class, but they aren’t easy to get to right now with all of the construction. I also found a boarding facility that is walking distance from our house, but the classes are very expensive (6 for $200), and I can’t get a trainer to call or email me – so they’re out.
For Puppy K, something we’ve never done before, I decided to settle on Petsmart because they are inexpensive and close by. Tonight is our 5th class (out of 8), and I knew from the 2nd class that it was not the right facility or trainer for us. There is nothing wrong with them, but it’s meant for people who want a pet only – no competition training, no working stuff. So, not for us.
I found a place, Wiggles-n-Wags, that is half an hour (or less) from us, depending on traffic. I conversed with their novice rally instructor via email and went to observe a class. There was another instructor actually participating in the class, so I got to speak to two of them during my visit. It’s all positive, which will work well for us, and all participants seem to enjoy themselves. So, we’re going to sign up for their puppy 2 course, and if things go well, novice rally.
Yup, I’m really happy. I think this place will be great for us.
Ozzy updates
Friday, August 13th, 2010 | Alex, Beowulf, Dogs, Gryffindor, Indigo, Ozzy | No Comments
You know, it occurred to me that I’ve been posting lots of pictures lately, but I haven’t given too much detail about life with Ozzy. I’m sure you all love the pics, but I think I’ll just talk about him and how he’s doing. It may come out as one giant stream of consciousness…my apologies in advance if it comes out as goo.
Ozzy is a fantastic dog. To be honest, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. He’s a well-mannered (well, usually), happy dog. He has a fantastic appetite, hasn’t chewed on stuff he shouldn’t (unless Indy counts) yet, and has been very easy with house training.
Actually, I jokingly mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I should rename the blog to “The Daily Swizzle” because on average, that’s all we get. We’ve had a few multiple-accident days, but he will go for four or more days without having any at all. He knows he’s supposed to go outside, and he has very good control for a Swissy. He just hasn’t figured out how to tell us he needs to go. We are pretty good at watching his signals, but we don’t always get him out in time. Of course, it happens during or post play, right when we are trying to usher him to the door. He’ll get there soon, I think. (Or is it I hope?)
Ozzy is doing very well in our household in general. I do believe I’ve mentioned before that Indy loves him, but it’s important to note that I believe Beowulf, the old curmudgeon, actually enjoys his company. I have caught them cuddling and – gasp – playing just a little bit.
His socialization is going quite well. We have completed four weeks of Puppy K, and I believe he is the star of the class. Perhaps that’s what happens when you actually work with your dog on the basics before class starts, and when you work with him daily when it’s going. I could be wrong.
There is one thing about him that worries me. While Gryffin was a great dog for obedience because he WANTED to please us, Ozzy is just plain smart. The obedience comes quickly, and he enjoys it. But I have a feeling he’s doing it because he wants to and he likes it, not because it makes us happy at all. The reason this is worrying is because this is how Alex was-extremely smart, frequently extremely obedient, but cunning beyond belief. While I say I’m worried partially in jest, it’s not all funny-although I don’t believe this is the end of the world. Put Alex’s mad skillz into a dog that will likely end up near 140lbs and tall enough to graze counter tops, and you can see why we might have issues. I guess this means training, training, and more training.
In other news, the small puppy (we brought him home at eight weeks and around 13lbs) is no longer small. He’s around three and a half months old, and weighs in at 37lbs. Our vet met him this week and believes he’s around a quarter of his eventual size. We initially thought it was possible that Ozzy may end up on the smaller side, but we have since revised our opinion. Please send help.
That’s all for now. I hope all three of my readers have a fantastic weekend! Stay cool!
Red Moon Pet Food
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 | Beowulf, Indigo, Ozzy | 2 Comments
While trolling around on the Swissy forum last month, I heard of a new(ish) company out there (well, new to me) that manufactured and shipped custom pet foods. I contacted the company, Red Moon Custom Pet Food, about getting a trial for our three dogs. I received a prompt reply from someone who was happy to help out. Go figure – she was a Swissy person that I met two months prior at the National event in May. Now I was even more interested in getting my hands on some of this food.
Navigating through the site is pretty simple. You pick your pet type (dog or cat), and it has a process that you follow to pick your base formula, then add-ins. You have six options for your base:
High Protein: Lamb and Potato Fusion or Chicken and Yellow Pea Medley
Moderate Protein: Lamb and Potato Fusion or Chicken and Yellow Pea Medley
Low Protein: Lamb and Potato Fusion or Chicken and Potato Medley
All options are grain, soy and gluten free. You basically need to determine what formula is right for your dog given their breed, age and activity level. As you mouse over the options on page, it gives you assistance. For example – I chose the low protein chicken option because I have a Swissy puppy. If I was unsure, they can provide me assistance, but the mouse over told me this:
Low protein chicken and potato medley is formulated to be ideal for large and giant breed dogs and puppies, or for any dog that has a low activity level. The formula contains no grain, no gluten, no corn, no wheat, no rice and no soy.
After I determined the correct base formula, I chose an energy level. There were three options, and I actually did two separate bags and used two of the three options. You can pick Senior or Weight Management, Normal Activity and Weight, or High Energy or Puppy.
Next, you pick your bag size, and it also gives you a base price. Don’t be freaked out by these prices – it’s a premium food (meaning you won’t be feeding as much as you would with Iams or Science Diet), and the shipping is free. (Or at least it was at the time of this review.)
After the bag size is picked, you have the option to add in up to six supplements – two are free. I picked Digest-Aid and High Gloss Skin and Coat Makeover. You can also chose Antioxidant Immune Booster, Perfect Pant Oral Health Support, Spring Step Joint Reviver, or Spring Step Joint Reviver Plus.
Next you finalize your order, and you can save your custom food formula with a name that gets printed on the bag.
I ordered on a Tuesday and had my bags on a Thursday. I was amazed! I opened the bags up immediately and let all three dogs try a small amount. The smell of the food was fantastic – even grouchy Beowulf was super interested. I’m not exaggerating when I say that they were all clawing at my hand to get a taste of the food. They really, really wanted it. I let each of them try a little, and we used it mixed in with treats for a few days since we were traveling and didn’t want to do a food change out of town…
The following Monday, we started feeding them all the Red Moon food for one meal per day. Again, they were very, very excited about the food. I don’t think it was only because it was a different food – it was a nice, substantial kibble and it had a very, very good smell. Mister Picky Eater (again, Beowulf) ate his food in record time.
We experienced the same things you would expect during a food change – a little gas and funky poop. Seeing that we didn’t go through a full food trial (I would consider a full trial to be 4 weeks), it’s difficult to tell you whether or not my three would have resolved their issues or not. I have a feeling they would have. I am considering purchasing a full month supply for Beowulf, partially because he was so very enthused about this food. I love to see the old guy interested if food again.
So, initial review is definitely a thumbs up with a possibility of more info to follow. It’s definitely worth a try.
Bark for Life
Friday, August 6th, 2010 | Canine Cancer, Gryffindor, Indigo | No Comments
The Bark for Life that Indy and I will be walking is coming up! It’s Saturday, August 21st, and we are really looking forward to it!
In their words:
The American Cancer Society’s “Bark for Life” is a Relay for Life fundraising event that honors the care-giving qualities of canine companions.
Last year, Indy and I participated in Abby the Pyr’s memory. This year, we’ll be walking in Gryffin’s honor, in addition to all of our friends and family, furry and human, that have been effected by cancer in some way. Putting it mildly, cancer sucks. Heck, I’m tearing up just writing about it.
So here’s the scoop. This particular event is being held at Fullersburg Woods. If you would like to join us, we would absolutely love it! You can register for the event here. If you are unable to join, but have the ability to donate to our cause, you can do so via our secure site here. Every dollar helps.
To be honest, money is great, but if you are in this area, I’d really love it if you joined us. To give you more incentive, in addition to the walk, the event will also have:
• Dog/owner look-alike contest
• Best bark contest
• Pet photos
• Pet-product vendors and services
• Dog wash
• Pet trick competitions
• Canine Therapy Group
• Pet communicator
Last year’s event was fairly small. I would not be at all surprised to find it the same way this year. Please help us make it a great event!
Wordless Wednesday
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 | Indigo, Litter Mates and Swissy Friends, Ozzy | No Comments
Playtime for everyone!
Monday, August 2nd, 2010 | Beowulf, Dogs, Indigo, Litter Mates and Swissy Friends, Ozzy | No Comments
While someone was playing around in Vegas this weekend, I took the opportunity to socialize the dogs and introduce them to new situations. Are you at all convinced that I was super glad to be at home for 4 days with a puppy that doesn’t like to sleep past 5:15am? I should probably work on my delivery.
Despite my sarcasm, I did actually have a nice time at home with the dogs. As you already saw, Ozzy and I spent some time with puppies on Thursday. On Friday, we went over to Indy’s sister’s house for some play time.
Vasey and Ozzy had some fun first.
Vasey trampled her human’s plants.
She was kind enough to show Ozzy how to do it.
Indy and Vasey had some “adult Swissy” play time, which included running around like crazy dogs.
Indy rolled around while Ozzy cuddled.
Vasey thought that looked like fun, so she tried it too.
Why is it all Swissies love to roll around on their backs? There was no raccoon poop or anything…
After we did that for a couple of hours, we went home to recharge for Saturday. That was the big day, as it included our first ever trip to a house with a pool! I was hopeful that after Indy’s introduction to water in May (Lake Michigan at Bark in the Park) that she might be someone who enjoys swimming. So we tried to lure her into the pool. (All Saturday pictures courtesy of Jodi and Clare May.) It’s setup for dock dog diving, and has a nice ramp.
(Please ignore the lady in the bathing suit.)
She went in very slowly her first time, but was completely willing.
Although once her feet were off that ramp, she was not too pleased. She enjoys water, but likes her feet to be on solid ground right now.
See?
But I didn’t keep her in long. She was able to get out on her own, and wasn’t too upset.
She actually came back on her own a second time and went most of the way into the pool with a float coat on. She was most of the way down the ramp on the third try, but then changed her mind. I’m not sure if she was distracted or what, but I was very happy with her.
I did bring Ozzy into the pool for a “swim,” but I did not let go of him at all. He wasn’t entirely pleased, but wasn’t entirely upset either.
(Again, please ignore the funny looking person.)
We also met Toby the Swissy (who won our pack giveaway last year!) and his humans, in addition to our hosts Leonbergers, cute mutt Huntley, and new ESRA foster, Sierra.
None of the host dogs are worried about the water at all, as you can tell by the lovely and damp Cleo.
Thanks for looking!
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