Despite waking myself up coughing every few minutes, I rolled out of bed all too early Friday- as is becoming all too common.
Tim & I loaded up River and headed to Concord, North Carolina. There was a dog show going on at the Events Center and along with that was a health clinic.
I thought our appointment was at 11:20, but it was actually at 11:00. Oops. Add to that the 20 minutes we wandered aimlessly trying to find the clinic and we were significantly late when we showed up.
Thankfully, the ladies running the desk allowed us to wait and the doctor and her assistant were kind enough to go ahead and take us around noon.
River had to be coaxed in to the door- she hates small, confined places. And mailboxes. She's a nut.
We watched as an echocardiogram was performed. Basically, they were looking for any arrhythmia or problems with the heart. The "ear test" went off with out a hitch, but I don't think I breathed the entire time we were looking at her heart on the screen. I'm pretty sure the most traumatic part for River-butt was when the vet tech clamped her mouth shut with his hands so the doctor could listen to her heart beat.
Finally it was done and we got the results- our baby girl is 100% normal! Her test results will be sent in to OFA and she will become certified as having a healthy heart!
This means...wait for it-
River will be entering a breeding program! Ok, breeding program sounds a little grand for my plans, but River, her "sister wife" Sienna and an adorable little mini poodle I happen to know named Biscuit will form the trio for KW Kennels- Breeding Small, healthy Goldendoodles.
Yes, goldendoodles. There is a market out there for these dogs and my kennel partner and I have very carefully selected healthy dogs with excellent temperaments to meet the needs of those wishing to add a "doodle" to their families.
I'm very, very excited, as River will be bred very soon. She will be coming back to raise her litter here- I can't wait!
-Kristen
Showing posts with label Dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dogs. Show all posts
Friday, March 29, 2013
Monday, September 10, 2012
Babysitting a Geriatric Poodle
We are watching my friend's extremely old poodle while she and her husband are in Fiji for the week.
Spade is approximately 900 years old. He's mostly deaf, mostly blind, partially incontinent and so needy that I think his fur is actually velcro. He takes 100 medicines twice a day and two more once a day. I'm not sure how he is still alive.
Joy.
Spade is a good dog in general. He is very devoted to Becca, my friend, and apparently females in general as he is suddenly glued to me. Unfortunately, Becca and I train our dogs differently. Spade is accustomed to sleeping in the bedroom with his owner, if not actually in the bed with her once her husband goes to sleep.
We don't let dogs sleep in the bed with us.
This led to the first fun moment of the night last night, when I put him in the bathroom for the evening, along with food and a loaner toy (and his blanket). He proceeded to howl and bark for 20 minutes. So in to the bedroom he had to come, since there is no place we could stick him that we wouldn't hear him.
Ugh.
Off came the collar, because every time he moved it was "jingle jingle jingle". Diaper on (Yes, Spade wears diapers), in case he decided to lift a leg in the house (also not acceptable behavior).
Then came the crying to go out at 1am. He'd already peed in his diaper. I hadn't managed to get to sleep at this point, so I was obviously annoyed at taking him out.
Fast forward a few minutes when I force him to come back in because he's just standing outside with his nose buried in the dirt doing nothing. It takes him 15 minutes to settle back down, after wandering the room, rustling bags, etc. Finally he curls back on his bed and goes to sleep.
5am in the morning, he decides he wants to go back outside. Tim stomps him outside, because if Tim is awake, damnit, everyone else is going to be awake too. Thanks Tim, I was finally working on getting some sleep.
Spade comes back it, it takes a few minutes to herd him back to the bedroom. Then Tim forgot to put his diaper on. The lights come back on, more stomping around the house, etc. Finally, Spade is diapered and settles back down.
Alarm clock comes on at 7:40 am. Just when I am finally sleeping hard. I get up, get ready, take the dog out, he comes bouncing in thrilled to be up and even happier to receive his arthritis and heart medicines. Then I shut him back in the bedroom because Tim is trying to sleep and I have to go to work.
He starts scratching at the door. Also not acceptable behavior in our house. As I left this morning, Tim was yelling at a deaf dog to "STOP IT".
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind dog sitting at all. Becca is my bunny sitter when we are out of town. I am just really hoping this first night was rough simply because he was being too nosy to properly go outside and use the bathroom. He also needs to adjust to our schedules. Becca and her husband stay up later than Tim and I do, so I'm sure that has thrown the potty breaks off a bit.
It does leave me wondering though....can I safely roofie a 15 lb, 900 year old dog? Because I could really, really use a good night's sleep tonight.
-Kristen
Spade is approximately 900 years old. He's mostly deaf, mostly blind, partially incontinent and so needy that I think his fur is actually velcro. He takes 100 medicines twice a day and two more once a day. I'm not sure how he is still alive.
Joy.
Spade is a good dog in general. He is very devoted to Becca, my friend, and apparently females in general as he is suddenly glued to me. Unfortunately, Becca and I train our dogs differently. Spade is accustomed to sleeping in the bedroom with his owner, if not actually in the bed with her once her husband goes to sleep.
We don't let dogs sleep in the bed with us.
This led to the first fun moment of the night last night, when I put him in the bathroom for the evening, along with food and a loaner toy (and his blanket). He proceeded to howl and bark for 20 minutes. So in to the bedroom he had to come, since there is no place we could stick him that we wouldn't hear him.
Ugh.
Off came the collar, because every time he moved it was "jingle jingle jingle". Diaper on (Yes, Spade wears diapers), in case he decided to lift a leg in the house (also not acceptable behavior).
Then came the crying to go out at 1am. He'd already peed in his diaper. I hadn't managed to get to sleep at this point, so I was obviously annoyed at taking him out.
Fast forward a few minutes when I force him to come back in because he's just standing outside with his nose buried in the dirt doing nothing. It takes him 15 minutes to settle back down, after wandering the room, rustling bags, etc. Finally he curls back on his bed and goes to sleep.
5am in the morning, he decides he wants to go back outside. Tim stomps him outside, because if Tim is awake, damnit, everyone else is going to be awake too. Thanks Tim, I was finally working on getting some sleep.
Spade comes back it, it takes a few minutes to herd him back to the bedroom. Then Tim forgot to put his diaper on. The lights come back on, more stomping around the house, etc. Finally, Spade is diapered and settles back down.
Alarm clock comes on at 7:40 am. Just when I am finally sleeping hard. I get up, get ready, take the dog out, he comes bouncing in thrilled to be up and even happier to receive his arthritis and heart medicines. Then I shut him back in the bedroom because Tim is trying to sleep and I have to go to work.
He starts scratching at the door. Also not acceptable behavior in our house. As I left this morning, Tim was yelling at a deaf dog to "STOP IT".
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind dog sitting at all. Becca is my bunny sitter when we are out of town. I am just really hoping this first night was rough simply because he was being too nosy to properly go outside and use the bathroom. He also needs to adjust to our schedules. Becca and her husband stay up later than Tim and I do, so I'm sure that has thrown the potty breaks off a bit.
It does leave me wondering though....can I safely roofie a 15 lb, 900 year old dog? Because I could really, really use a good night's sleep tonight.
-Kristen
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Make your own Dog Treats- Peanut Butter
I've got tons of dog treat recipes I'll be sharing as I rediscover them (in whatever part of the house they are hiding in).
This is a great way to save some money and to know what your dogs are eating- no more worrying about treat recalls! They also make a great Christmas gift to pet lovers out there.
You'll need:
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter
1 Cup of Water
3 Cups of Flour
Mix all ingredients together to form a dough. Roll the dough out to desired thickness, then cut as you desire. You can do fun cookie cutter shapes or simply cut them in to strips or hunks- the dogs don't care.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so.
There you go! You just made dog cookies. I keep them in freezer bags in the freezer because it helps them last longer. In a treat container you can expect them to last a week or so. We have three dogs though- nothing lasts a week around here!
-Kristen
This is a great way to save some money and to know what your dogs are eating- no more worrying about treat recalls! They also make a great Christmas gift to pet lovers out there.
You'll need:
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter
1 Cup of Water
3 Cups of Flour
Mix all ingredients together to form a dough. Roll the dough out to desired thickness, then cut as you desire. You can do fun cookie cutter shapes or simply cut them in to strips or hunks- the dogs don't care.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so.
There you go! You just made dog cookies. I keep them in freezer bags in the freezer because it helps them last longer. In a treat container you can expect them to last a week or so. We have three dogs though- nothing lasts a week around here!
-Kristen
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Update from around the "Homestead"
For the past few days it has been gloriously overcast- the temperatures have dropped from the 100s to a much more comfortable mid-80s. Yesterday, thanks to the impending rain, it was cool enough that I could open the window of the barn and let some fresh air circulate for the rabbits. They were appreciative and so were our noses!
The rain is helping cool off the garden- what is left of it. The super high temperatures and the unrelenting sun have combined to kill some of the plants and wither a lot of the produce on the vines. I am not sure what is going to make it, but the cantaloupe is at least doing well, so something is surviving. We are starting to get roma tomatoes ripening. Unfortunately, the peppers are withered, so I am not sure how well this season's salsa-making is going to go. In a fit of frustration, I told Tim we may just go to the Farmer's Market next year and buy a ton of tomatoes- it is heartbreaking to put so much work and care (not to mention money) in to a garden and have it burn up in the sun. Part of the problem is our location, as the people that lived here before apparently felt the need to cut down 90% of the trees. Way to go, brainiacs.
I am expecting a shipment of chicks in at the end of this week. They should have been here two weeks ago, but the hatchery royally screwed up my order- I don't even want to blog about my frustrations with that! We'll be adding 5 Americaunas and 5 Black Australorps for more (and full sized) eggs. I will probably grow out the eggers a bit, then sell six or so, hopefully to make back a little of my investment. I will also be receiving 25 Black Broilers- meat chickens. This is our first attempt at raising a solely meat breed of chicken (I failed once with rabbits due to the doe's inability to kindle). I am hoping to keep the breasts for regular meals, the legs and wings for specialty nights (like when Tim is really craving hot wings!) and the thighs will go in the crockpot and become dog food. We don't particularly care for thighs and with the excess of eggs, I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt for the chickens to supplement and stretch the dog food- which is getting more and more expensive, by the way.
In a quick update on the baking soda shampoo: I switched back to my regular shampoo today and oh my gosh, my hair feels wonderful. The shampoo really lathered up well and my hair was much less tangled than usual. The curls are a bit off- I think it's my hair readjusting itself, but it doesn't look bad and could also be chocked up to the humidity in the air. Overall, I'm a big fan of doing a baking soda cleanse occasionally. Since I paid around 50 cents for a box of baking soda, it is going to last me forever. Sounds good to me!
So that is what is going on currently, other than my working on my novel and planning our October vacation. I've set a deadline of October to finish the novel, so we'll see what happens!
-Kristen
The rain is helping cool off the garden- what is left of it. The super high temperatures and the unrelenting sun have combined to kill some of the plants and wither a lot of the produce on the vines. I am not sure what is going to make it, but the cantaloupe is at least doing well, so something is surviving. We are starting to get roma tomatoes ripening. Unfortunately, the peppers are withered, so I am not sure how well this season's salsa-making is going to go. In a fit of frustration, I told Tim we may just go to the Farmer's Market next year and buy a ton of tomatoes- it is heartbreaking to put so much work and care (not to mention money) in to a garden and have it burn up in the sun. Part of the problem is our location, as the people that lived here before apparently felt the need to cut down 90% of the trees. Way to go, brainiacs.
I am expecting a shipment of chicks in at the end of this week. They should have been here two weeks ago, but the hatchery royally screwed up my order- I don't even want to blog about my frustrations with that! We'll be adding 5 Americaunas and 5 Black Australorps for more (and full sized) eggs. I will probably grow out the eggers a bit, then sell six or so, hopefully to make back a little of my investment. I will also be receiving 25 Black Broilers- meat chickens. This is our first attempt at raising a solely meat breed of chicken (I failed once with rabbits due to the doe's inability to kindle). I am hoping to keep the breasts for regular meals, the legs and wings for specialty nights (like when Tim is really craving hot wings!) and the thighs will go in the crockpot and become dog food. We don't particularly care for thighs and with the excess of eggs, I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt for the chickens to supplement and stretch the dog food- which is getting more and more expensive, by the way.
In a quick update on the baking soda shampoo: I switched back to my regular shampoo today and oh my gosh, my hair feels wonderful. The shampoo really lathered up well and my hair was much less tangled than usual. The curls are a bit off- I think it's my hair readjusting itself, but it doesn't look bad and could also be chocked up to the humidity in the air. Overall, I'm a big fan of doing a baking soda cleanse occasionally. Since I paid around 50 cents for a box of baking soda, it is going to last me forever. Sounds good to me!
So that is what is going on currently, other than my working on my novel and planning our October vacation. I've set a deadline of October to finish the novel, so we'll see what happens!
-Kristen
Saturday, February 11, 2012
My Dog is Smarter Than I Am.
River was being particularly obnoxious, chewing on Bear's head while he sat beside of me on the couch.
"Go get your penguin...er...uh...your...uhm..."
While I was desperately trying to figure out the word for that new pink, birdlike toy that she is currently in love with, I noticed Dixie tearing through the house.
Before I could finally figure out what in the hell that bird's name is, Dixie appears, holding this:
Yeah. It's the penguin toy. She picked it out of the 15 stuffed toys scattered through out the house. It's not even her favorite toy. It's River's.
Before today, Dixie was kind of what I'd call... well... a doofus. When I saw her go running off, I figured she was simply headed off to grab any toy she could find so I'd toss it for her. In fact- right now she just got caught licking River's butt. Is that an act of an intelligent dog? No.
And yet... she got the penguin.
Could she do it again? I don't know. Probably not, but then again, I didn't think she could have done it the first time. Regardless, she managed to pick the exact toy I told River to get by, listening to a word I've never taught her.
Meanwhile, I couldn't remember... Oh! Flamingo.
-Kristen
"Go get your penguin...er...uh...your...uhm..."
While I was desperately trying to figure out the word for that new pink, birdlike toy that she is currently in love with, I noticed Dixie tearing through the house.
Before I could finally figure out what in the hell that bird's name is, Dixie appears, holding this:
 |
| No worries! I got it! |
Yeah. It's the penguin toy. She picked it out of the 15 stuffed toys scattered through out the house. It's not even her favorite toy. It's River's.
 |
| Totally disgusting. |
And yet... she got the penguin.
 |
| This is the pink whatchamacallit that showcased Dixie's hidden genius. |
Meanwhile, I couldn't remember... Oh! Flamingo.
-Kristen
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
River's big day
On Black Friday morning we loaded the car up in preparation for heading to the mountains for a Thanksgiving gathering with Tim's family.
River has grown so big that we don't have a kennel we can use for her that will also fit in our car and leave any room, so we decided to use one of the flattened kennels to keep her from crawling in to the front with us and just leave her loose in the back with all of our things.
Sounds like a fool-proof plan, yes?
We got both Dixie and Bear loaded up in to their travel kennels and settled securely in the back of the caliber beside our luggage and their toys. River was watching with anxious eyes, trying to figure out just what was going on and why she wasn't kenneled.
Tim lays a blanket out in the back for her, then we turn to load up the last few items, when suddenly a golden blur launches itself into the air...and in to the back of the car!
She curled up in front of the other two dogs and hunkered down like she was terrified we were going to kick her out of the car and leave her at the house alone. Doofus.
We made a pit stop at PetSmart to take advantage of their $8.99 38lb jugs of cat litter (I had a $5 coupon, it made it $3.99!)
It was River's first time ever being in a store and she was not a big fan. I had to stop dead when she refused to walk through the sliding doors. A tween boy came up, petted her, then stuck his mouth right at hers so she could give him mouth kisses (totally gross) and after that I was able to coax her inside. From there, we stopped dead a few times, ran in circles and tried to press up against small children because they were around her size and were comforting, I guess. I picked up a few toys for their Christmas stocking and the squeakers really helped distract her. I think she suspected every adult was going to try to beat her, but after the fourth person just had to come pet her, she started to realize that the strangers weren't scary.
We hit the road and stopped again at a PetSmart in Hickory. I was hoping to catch a friend that worked there so she could see how big River has grown. Joni was the first person to see the puppy when we got her, but wouldn't you know we had missed her by about 20 minutes? This trip in to the store went way better, as River had come to expect lovins from people she didn't know. The heart-attack of the trip came when she bee-lined straight for a huge dog outside (he looked like an Anatolian Shepherd mix- huge) and started licking his mouth and wiggling her tail. We thought she was going to be scared of the big dog and instead she treats him like her long lost brother! Thankfully Buckley was a very friendly male who was so nice to a very irritating little puppy.
We made the rest of the trip without incident. River was beautifully behaved in the car and she actually behaved herself at my in-laws house! Could it be- could my little wild child finally be growing up?
-Kristen
River has grown so big that we don't have a kennel we can use for her that will also fit in our car and leave any room, so we decided to use one of the flattened kennels to keep her from crawling in to the front with us and just leave her loose in the back with all of our things.
Sounds like a fool-proof plan, yes?
We got both Dixie and Bear loaded up in to their travel kennels and settled securely in the back of the caliber beside our luggage and their toys. River was watching with anxious eyes, trying to figure out just what was going on and why she wasn't kenneled.
Tim lays a blanket out in the back for her, then we turn to load up the last few items, when suddenly a golden blur launches itself into the air...and in to the back of the car!
She curled up in front of the other two dogs and hunkered down like she was terrified we were going to kick her out of the car and leave her at the house alone. Doofus.
We made a pit stop at PetSmart to take advantage of their $8.99 38lb jugs of cat litter (I had a $5 coupon, it made it $3.99!)
It was River's first time ever being in a store and she was not a big fan. I had to stop dead when she refused to walk through the sliding doors. A tween boy came up, petted her, then stuck his mouth right at hers so she could give him mouth kisses (totally gross) and after that I was able to coax her inside. From there, we stopped dead a few times, ran in circles and tried to press up against small children because they were around her size and were comforting, I guess. I picked up a few toys for their Christmas stocking and the squeakers really helped distract her. I think she suspected every adult was going to try to beat her, but after the fourth person just had to come pet her, she started to realize that the strangers weren't scary.
We hit the road and stopped again at a PetSmart in Hickory. I was hoping to catch a friend that worked there so she could see how big River has grown. Joni was the first person to see the puppy when we got her, but wouldn't you know we had missed her by about 20 minutes? This trip in to the store went way better, as River had come to expect lovins from people she didn't know. The heart-attack of the trip came when she bee-lined straight for a huge dog outside (he looked like an Anatolian Shepherd mix- huge) and started licking his mouth and wiggling her tail. We thought she was going to be scared of the big dog and instead she treats him like her long lost brother! Thankfully Buckley was a very friendly male who was so nice to a very irritating little puppy.
We made the rest of the trip without incident. River was beautifully behaved in the car and she actually behaved herself at my in-laws house! Could it be- could my little wild child finally be growing up?
-Kristen
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
River Walk
When we first introduced the leash to River, she dug her heels in and refused to move. No matter how much coaxing you did or how long you waited, she was prepared to out wait you.
I turned to Mr. Outside Lead for help. When we were outside taking care of the other animals or playing with the other dogs, River was put on the outside lead. It's no fun when you're sitting on the deck refusing to move and no one else is paying attention to you, so it didn't take long for her to realize she could move, even with a very negligible weight hanging from her neck. This led to the second thing she learned that day: Running full tilt is not always a good idea, since that tiny weight can also cause you to do a complete backwards flip when you hit the end of it. Once we realized she hadn't broken her neck, Tim and I laughed and laughed over that one.
We've worked her a little on her leash, but this was the first time she's been out in public and I have to say she did really well. I sent Tim and Dixie on ahead and every time River tried to pull me, we stopped dead. It didn't take her very long at all to realize she had to stay within a certain range to keep moving forward. After she managed more than three feet without pulling me, I gave in and did a light jog with her, so we could catch up to the others. She loved it and performed really well, staying right by my side while we ran. Of course, she continued to misbehave off and on for the rest of the walk, but I'm confident that she'll grasp the loose-leash walking in no time.
Unfortunately, Dixie can only handle two laps of the track with her stubby little legs before she's done. She made it perfectly clear we were headed back to the car. It actually worked out fairly well though, since I didn't want to overdo the training with River.
It was nice to be walking the dogs around in November. I guess we had better enjoy it now, before the freezing cold gets here.
-Kristen
Monday, October 31, 2011
Howl-O-Ween
Yes the most overused pet-play-on-words for "Halloween" ever. I don't feel creative.
Happy Halloween!
-Kristen
 |
| Bear the weenie, dressed up as a weenie! |
 |
| Here he is in his fabulous purple t-shirt. |
 |
| "Too Cute to Spook"... that's debatable. |
 |
| If looks could kill...oh wait, my hair just burst in to flames. |
 |
| Cap'n River |
 |
| Say it with me now... Awwwwwwwwwwwww |
-Kristen
Saturday, October 15, 2011
River Sickness
I think she ate a bug or something else that both tasted bad and has disagreed with her. I think she's just going to feel sick tonight and will hopefully be better tomorrow.
In the meantime, we're making sure she has plenty of opportunities to go outside, so anything she needs to do she can do out there, whether it be graze on the grass to make herself sick, drool, or whatever.
Actually, it's kind of nice to have her not feeling 100% up to crazy. She's snuggled on the couch with me now, cuddling my feet and is so calm...it gives me hope for the future, when she calms down a bit.
-Kristen
Monday, September 5, 2011
Rain!
Hooray, it's raining! Not that it's going to do us a whole lot of good- the grass is dead, the garden is fried and we're barely getting any rain right now (which is actually a good thing, flooding is a possibility after the extremely dry summer we've had).
Our dogs are all prissy little things. Oh, it's raining? No thank you, we don't want to go outside to potty. Oh, it was raining at one time and now it's just a little wet? But our precious feet will get damp! They drive me crazy. They spend more time outside trying to find a dry place to hide until they are allowed to come back in than they would if they'd just go out and do their business. Trust me, I don't want a wet, muddy dog running around the house anymore than they want to be wet and muddy.
Oh right, I forget how miserable and neglected our chunky, spoiled rotten, indoor-98% of the time dogs are. Yes, so completely unloved.
Meh, their little attitudes aren't going to keep me from enjoying the rain, even though I know I'll be ready for sunshine after this rainy week.
-Kristen
Our dogs are all prissy little things. Oh, it's raining? No thank you, we don't want to go outside to potty. Oh, it was raining at one time and now it's just a little wet? But our precious feet will get damp! They drive me crazy. They spend more time outside trying to find a dry place to hide until they are allowed to come back in than they would if they'd just go out and do their business. Trust me, I don't want a wet, muddy dog running around the house anymore than they want to be wet and muddy.
Oh right, I forget how miserable and neglected our chunky, spoiled rotten, indoor-98% of the time dogs are. Yes, so completely unloved.
Meh, their little attitudes aren't going to keep me from enjoying the rain, even though I know I'll be ready for sunshine after this rainy week.
-Kristen
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
River
I think it's about time for a puppy update.
She is insane. End of post.
No seriously, River is a very sweet little puppy. She's at that age where she is either wide open or omg-I-think-she's-dead asleep.
I'm kind of liking the asleep time. I forget how much energy puppies have. They are crazy!
The poor little girl is covered in fleas. The older dogs brought them in the house apparently, where they took up residence on the cats. The Advantage flea medication is being less than effective in killing everything and the fleas have defected their hosts, jumping gleefully on to this little puppy who is completely medicine free, since she's entirely too young to have anything put on her.
A quick Google search revealed an interesting idea- bathe her in Dawn dish soap. Well- it's safe to take oil off penguins, so why not?
So River had her first bath the other day. She was really good- there was minimal thrashing around and the Dawn actually worked! It was incredible to see them fall off of her. I'd definitely say Dawn works better than the expensive flea shampoos I've purchased in the past.
Gypsy helped dry the poor, abused puppy. I don't think it hurt that River smelled deliciously of green apple.
-Kristen
She is insane. End of post.
No seriously, River is a very sweet little puppy. She's at that age where she is either wide open or omg-I-think-she's-dead asleep.
I'm kind of liking the asleep time. I forget how much energy puppies have. They are crazy!
The poor little girl is covered in fleas. The older dogs brought them in the house apparently, where they took up residence on the cats. The Advantage flea medication is being less than effective in killing everything and the fleas have defected their hosts, jumping gleefully on to this little puppy who is completely medicine free, since she's entirely too young to have anything put on her.
A quick Google search revealed an interesting idea- bathe her in Dawn dish soap. Well- it's safe to take oil off penguins, so why not?
So River had her first bath the other day. She was really good- there was minimal thrashing around and the Dawn actually worked! It was incredible to see them fall off of her. I'd definitely say Dawn works better than the expensive flea shampoos I've purchased in the past.
Gypsy helped dry the poor, abused puppy. I don't think it hurt that River smelled deliciously of green apple.
-Kristen
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Best Deal on Pet Meds EVER
I got the BEST DEAL on Frontline ever (and just a few days ago too)!
Stick with me on this one.
PetCareRX has a Daily Deal that is often really good- a penny item or something like that. It was a Nylabone puppy chew toy (regularly priced $5) for 1 penny. Woot! They had a pretty decent deal on Frontline too at $39.99 for 3 months of Frontline Plus for Dogs.
So- I got to Ebates and type in PetCareRX in the search bar. Jackpot! It comes up with a 20% cash back rebate when you purchase from there!
So I follow the link to PetCareRX and put in my penny chew toy. Then I search for Frontline and pick out the biggest tubes they have. They are the same price as the smaller ones and I have a kit that allows me to measure out the correct dosage for my animals.
I pick out the 3 month supply for the gigantic dogs at $39.99. Orders of $35 or more get free shipping. Then I used code REDPLUM to get an additional $10 off.
So to recap, I paid $30 (which is the ebay price I was looking at for 3 smaller tubes) for a 3 month supply of the largest tubes of Frontline Plus for dogs they make and a puppy chew toy. I get 20% ($6) of that $30 back through Ebates. I also earned "RX" points. 100 of these points = a $5 coupon code.
I'm tickled pink right now.
-Kristen
Stick with me on this one.
PetCareRX has a Daily Deal that is often really good- a penny item or something like that. It was a Nylabone puppy chew toy (regularly priced $5) for 1 penny. Woot! They had a pretty decent deal on Frontline too at $39.99 for 3 months of Frontline Plus for Dogs.
So- I got to Ebates and type in PetCareRX in the search bar. Jackpot! It comes up with a 20% cash back rebate when you purchase from there!
So I follow the link to PetCareRX and put in my penny chew toy. Then I search for Frontline and pick out the biggest tubes they have. They are the same price as the smaller ones and I have a kit that allows me to measure out the correct dosage for my animals.
I pick out the 3 month supply for the gigantic dogs at $39.99. Orders of $35 or more get free shipping. Then I used code REDPLUM to get an additional $10 off.
So to recap, I paid $30 (which is the ebay price I was looking at for 3 smaller tubes) for a 3 month supply of the largest tubes of Frontline Plus for dogs they make and a puppy chew toy. I get 20% ($6) of that $30 back through Ebates. I also earned "RX" points. 100 of these points = a $5 coupon code.
I'm tickled pink right now.
-Kristen
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Doggy Torture
We call our dogs puppies, even though Bear is 5 years old and Dixie is right behind him at 4. Cookies are any kind of treat or nommy goodness. Ball is ANY toy, whether it is hers, or belongs to a cat (or Tim...) and of course, outside means we're going to go OUT IN TO THE GREAT WIDE YONDER!
My favorite form of Doggy Torture is to insert any of these words into a sentence, randomly.
For example:
"Whatcha doing ball Dixie?" She looks at me, head cocked, eyes intent. She looks around for a second, then figures she misheard.
"You're such a silly outside cookie girl Dixie!" She hrrumphs, cocks her head again and begins to get excited- she KNOWS what she heard this time. She prances in place then casts around, trying to decide if running around the couch will do any good- but what does she want more? The cookie or the chance to go outside?
I tease her a few more times in this way before I deliver the final torture- "OMG DIXIE, PUPPY BALL OUTSIDE COOKIE! OUTSIDE? BALL COOKIE?" By this time, Dixie is galloping around the house like a goofball barking at the air and not sure whether to poop, die, or go blind (that's a nice little Southern saying ya'll... I'll explain the full thing in person some time.)
Usually by this time, I've laughed at her enough. I hand her a cookie and if it's been a little while since she's gone out, I will let her in to the magical outside, where she stands on the deck for a minute and looks around, then waits to be let back in.
Gotta love doggy torture!
-Kristen
Saturday, August 20, 2011
The Pets have fleas- joy.
The pets have fleas. I know this, because as I innocently sat in the floor playing on the computer and watching tv (I'm a multi-tasker), one jumped on me. Guh-ross.
I grabbed it and promptly threw it in the toilet to drown. I HATE fleas. Has anyone else noticed how hard these stupid things are to kill? You can't smash them, they get right back up and flip you off before they hop on about their business.
I grabbed our vials of flea medication (one for the cats, one for the dogs) and dosed everyone but Boo. I ran out :(.
I guess it's time to jump on eBay and buy some more medication.
-Kristen
I grabbed it and promptly threw it in the toilet to drown. I HATE fleas. Has anyone else noticed how hard these stupid things are to kill? You can't smash them, they get right back up and flip you off before they hop on about their business.
I grabbed our vials of flea medication (one for the cats, one for the dogs) and dosed everyone but Boo. I ran out :(.
I guess it's time to jump on eBay and buy some more medication.
-Kristen
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