Dogs Disocvered Social Media Before We Did

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to exercise my dog more,  
so, I've been going for walks around our local Town Lake with my sweet Annie.


It's peaceful, beautiful and calming.
There are big trees and lots of geese and ducks.



 

And I've noticed some patterns.
Annie always pees the minute she gets out of the car and hits the grass.
Then within the first 3 minutes, she has a bowel movement.
And then, as we walk a mile, so continues to pee every 5 minutes or so.




 

When she stops to pee the first time, I usually check in to the Foursquare app on my phone
and log in that I'm at the Town Lake Park.

 
And eventually, the correlation hit me.
The dog is peeing all around the park to let other dogs and animals know that she was there.
I'm signing into Foursquare to let my family and friends know I've been there.




 

We're not so different, her and I.
Maybe dogs are more advanced than we thought. 



 

A Walk Around Town Lake

This weekend, I took some walks around our local Town Lake.

 Even though it looks like fall in Texas ... it's not really.

It was 80 degrees this weekend!

I should be careful what I ask for ... but I'm really, really ready for COLD weather!

This was my walking companion.

  

 Sweet Annie.

Strangely enough, the ducks and geese didn't like her.

Every time I tried to get closer for a photo,

they hurried away. 

 

  

 I didn't mind letting Miss Annie swim a little.

  

that is ... until this happened:

  

 Crap. 

What did you do over the weekend?

 

Dog Sitting, A Piece of Cake, Right?

As our plans for Thanksgiving solidified this fall,
I knew I needed to find a place for our sweet Annie to stay while we were out of town.


I called our vet early on, and was surprised to discover they were full!
Weeks in advance!
And I was a few animals deep into the waiting list.

After a lot of calling around and worrying,
it hit me that I have a friend who might be willing to help.
She was wonderfully willing to dog sit.
I was so relieved.

I figured Annie would be easy, a piece of cake
 ... but of course, she proved me wrong.

While we were gone:

She shed a massive amount of hair on a daily basis. 
She threw up. 
She developed an ear infection and shook her head non-stop, 
causing her collar to rattle all night. 
She threw up again. 
She snored loudly. 
She threw up yet again. 

No problem, right?
Sheesh.

Our friend deserves a medal!

Any good dog-sitting stories?



 

Majestic Annie

 She loves pizza crusts, stinky boys and tennis balls 

and sleeps with a stuffed rabbit.

Enjoy other fun animal pictures over on Camera Critters!

IcyHot & Donuts

With my teenager playing high school football,
he comes home every day covered in bruises and sore all over.
Ice packs and ibuprofen have become a staple with dinner.

And, then I bought IcyHot,
which he has me rub all over his upper back and neck.

It smells good, but I learned an important lesson last night.
Never slather IcyHot all over someone,
and then a little bit later, scratch your nether regions.

The result leads to surprising numbness in unexpected areas.



In other news, my dog woke me up at 1am last night
because she needed to go outside.

That's not normal.

This morning, I discovered why.

She made a late night discovery of donuts and ate half a box!

IcyHot and Donuts.
Dangerous things.


 

Startled

You know that moment were you're just falling asleep, 
curled up in a cocoon of pillows and blankets, 
seconds from dreamland ... 

and then your 100 lb Labrador Retriever,
who is taking up half the bed, 
suddenly starts chasing rabbits in her sleep, 
thereby shaking your entire queen-sized bed?  

Add in some strange barky sound affects 
and a strong startle reaction and 
yep, suddenly you're wide awake again.

Yeah, that. 




 

A Brief Snapshot

Last night was baseball practice. I try to bring Annie, because it's a chance for her to get some exercise, run after her ball and enjoy nature.

My 10-year-old has 3 baseball games this week.  3! And my 15-year-old has a football game. It's going to be a loooong, busy week. But, I have to admit, watching my boys play sports is one of the biggest joys in my life, so I don't mind.

I'm relieved that they are both feeling healthy and able to play.
Not but a few months ago, Remy was having surgery and sick.
And Donny was still recovering from knee surgery.

I'm thankful they are feeling better.
We still have issues, but things are looking better.

Relieved.
Happy.
On ward.

 

Furry Work Conditions

I was sick this week and had to spend a couple of days at home.
Every time I set up a work station on my coffee table:





That face!

How do your pets make you aware of them?
Big puppy eyes?
Eating your shoes?
Barking?





 

Ten Thousand Tweets

 

I reached 10,000 tweets today over on Twitter. 

Annie is not impressed.

 

The Survival Skills of a Pampered Labrador Retriever

The Survival Skills of a Pampered Labrador Retriever

 I'm not so sure my pampered Labrador, Annie, could make make it on her own ... her survival skills are lacking. Princess Annie-Pie. Case in point:

1. Foraging for Food: She tries to chase rabbits, but to date, she's never actually caught one. And, she might never live this one down in the canine community, but she has actually laid on a bed and let rabbits jump around her!

2. Living in nature: She doesn't like to get her paws wet. Or go out in the rain. If she gets muddy at all, she immediately starts grooming. She uses stepping stones and seems to prefer the sidewalk.

3. Mating: She's friendly with other dogs, but she's not that interested in them. She's more likely to steal their bone, tennis ball or squeaky toy. (Also, she's fixed.)


 I'm afraid Annie just doesn't have what it takes to make it in the wild.


Her real skill? She probably holds the world record in longest attempt at begging for pizza ... and fastest ever response to the sound of a bag of chips being opened. Gotta love her.






Have you seen the Tumblr site called DogShaming? If you love dogs, you'll get a kick out it. Dog owners send in photos of their pets with hand-written statements of their shameful crimes.


 

Reason #32 Why I Love the Weekend

It's a chance to take Annie in the car with me to run errands.

(She LOVES the car!)

American Hero Dog Awards

Tonight I discovered the best award show ever on TV,
The American Hero Dog Awards!

So, I called Annie into the bedroom.  She's my Hero Dog.







And had her watch the show with me.





It was so touching and amazing.
Dogs that are involved in military operations, therapy programs and search and rescue....

Seriously the best awards show EVER.

Thank you, American Humane Association, the Hallmark Channel and Cesar Cuisine for such a moving event!

Love at First Bark

This is Annie.

Four years ago, we adopted Annie from the DFW Lab Rescue organization. 

She was an older dog (not a puppy), with an unknown past, 

but she'd obviously had training, she sat on command, shook hands, 

walked well on a leash, and was house-broken. 

She's the best decision we've ever made! 

Don't underestimate the power of a pet in your life!

I grew up on a ranch around tons of animals, 

and when we adopted Annie, 

it was finally my chance to share a love of animals with my boys.  

And love Annie they do. 

I was excited when I had a chance to read and review Love at First Bark 

by Julie Klam for BlogHer Book Club and Penguin Books.  

The author shares a few of her rescue stories and bits about her life.

It's a quick, easy read, especially if you like dogs, and I enjoyed it.  

But, I'll admit, no matter how huge a dog lover I am...

I don't understand the passion and energy some people put into animal rescues. 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE animals, 

but I've never felt the need to do so much for them on the same level as the author.

However, when you decide to get a pet, please adopt!
There are so many animals out there who need homes.
Rescued animals have lived a harder life and need love.
Donate, adopt, foster.

I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.

The Power of a Pet

This is Miss Annie, our wonderful family pet.
We adopted her from DFW Lab Rescue four years ago.

She's sweet, well trained, loving and such an important part of our family.
Everyone needs a pet in their life, because the joy they create is exponential.

If you don't have a pet, here are 5 reasons why you should:

1. Good for your Health.  Seriously.  Apparently they can lower your blood pressure and help relieve your stress. Anyone who has ever spent some time petting an animal knows the feeling. They are sensitive to your moods too.  Miss Annie climbed in bed with me this morning because she knew I was feeling sad about my boys leaving town for a few days.

2. Teaches Responsibility. Animals take patience and a lot of work. If you have kids, this is a big plus, because they learn to feed the pet daily, clean up after them when they do their business in the yard and have to walk them or play with them. My kids take turns feeding Annie, and they have to pick up her poop in the backyard weekly. 

3. Protection. I heard it again and again that some of the best protection you can have for your home is a dog.  Plus, if you live alone, there is the added bonus of not being so lonely... Annie is such a people-pleaser though...she loves everyone, so she's not a huge protection...although she's big and might intimidate some.

4. Exercise.  Whether you walk your dog daily or play with it in the yard, you get exercise and the pet gets exercise.  It's a win-win situation!  Annie loves to play fetch with a tennis ball.  She also loves to swim. 

5. Clean Up.  Dropped a bowl of macaroni on the floor?  Dogs will clean that up for you.  Tired of leftovers?  Dogs will help you out there too.  Yes, I know, people food isn't something you should feed your pet regularly, but now and then won't hurt, right?  Annie took a chicken nugget out of the hand of a toddler the other day...I was horrified!  She's usually much more polite about sneaking food. 

Seriously.  Pets will improve your life...but don't buy impulsively!  Do your research!  Figure out which pet will work best in your life...and even which breed will fit your lifestyle.  But, adopting Annie was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  And my boys agree!!

Annie & her ball

I haven't joined the Camera Critters meme in a while!

But, here's my Annie...happily tired after playing fetch at the baseball fields 

while my younger son has baseball practice. 

She doesn't understand personal space

and she's never appreciated a closed, bathroom door.

What I'm going to miss most about my current job

Bringing Annie to work and playing with Aslan.

I think they might be stuck in this position.

Oh, dear.

Backseat Battles

Annie loves to go for rides in the car.  

Whenever I run errands or have places to go, I try to take her along.

Everywhere we go, people give her doggy treats.

Starbucks, the bank, Walgreens, Chick-Fil-A.

And she loves to sit in the back and stick her head out the window into the wind.

However, whenever my younger son rides back there also, 

he doesn't always want the window down.  

We end up with the backseat battle over the window.  

It seems like there's always a battle over something.

Annie's pretty spoiled though.

The window's usually down.

It makes me happy to see her joy while the wind flaps her ears.

Pop Tart Thieves

Annie & Aslan

Errands with Annie

Annie ran errands with me last weekend.

We went to the bank drive-thru, where they sent her a treat.

Then we went to the Walgreens drive-thru, where they also sent her a treat.

And then we went to Starbucks, where they gave her a "puppy latte."

Annie LOVES running errands with me.