See Beautiful

We are pleased to be joining the See Beautiful blog hop today, along with Sugar the Golden Retriever who is generously donating $1.00 to See Beautiful's non-profit of the month, St. Anne's Center - Lantern House PET AREA for everyone who joins the blog hop today.  Isn't she awesome?

I've learned a lot of lessons from my animal companions over the years ... 

Lessons in loving passionately and wholeheartedly even when you know the heartbreak of loss is waiting, unseen but keenly felt, down the road ...

Lessons in patience, when trying to communicate in a loving way with creatures who don't speak your language ...

Lessons in the joy that is yours when, through that patience, you forge a close and loving relationship, and a shared language, with another creature ...

Lessons in tolerance, when blending together animals of different species, personalities, and life histories into a harmonious family unit ...

And perhaps most of all, lessons in being aware that the many precious moments we share with them are, when strung together, the individual pearls in a luminous necklace of memories that help to in some small part sustain us when they have gone on ahead ... 

As one of my personal heroes, Ferris Bueller, was wont to say, "Life moves pretty fast ... if you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." 

Our animal friends are masters in the art of never forgetting to stop and look around.  They can spend 30 minutes intensely sniffing a single blade of grass.  When they feel the sun warm on their heads, they never fail to raise their heads skyward, schedules and deadlines be damned ... the better to soak in the blessed, healing warmth.  They love passionately and unreservedly, with no thought for any day of reckoning or loss that may be waiting somewhere beyond the horizon.  That may well be because they aren't capable of the foreknowledge of death, but I choose to believe that it's also because they would rather focus on sucking every possible drop of joy and beauty out of the present than on pointlessly worrying about the future.  

For these reasons and so many others, the two dogs and three cats I am so privileged to share my life with are beautiful beyond all words to me, and it never fails to amaze me that one of the reasons I'm so lucky to have them is because the beauty I see in them, that is all too obvious to me each and every day, was somehow not recognized by others.  Which is those people's loss, whoever and wherever they might be, and my inestimable gain.  

So this post is for Tucker, for Olivia, for Tanner, and Phoebe, and Finn ... 

My sweet and beautiful friends, thank you from the bottom of my heart for enriching my life each and every day with the beauty of your love, companionship, and abiding affection.  I can't imagine what I could have done to deserve it, but I am forever grateful, and although I know you will never read these words, I hope you somehow feel my love for you all, as I feel yours for me.  I believe that you do.  

Good News / Bad News (Phoebe Vet Visit Update)

Phoebe can't really decide which expression to wear this morning.  Should she smile like this ... 

Or should she instead wear her pouty face ... like this?

The reason she is undecided is because we heard back from the vet yesterday afternoon and the good news is that Phoebe's urinalysis and bloodwork came back picture perfect.  She does not have a UTI, bladder infection, or any other medical issue that would explain the recent episodes of peeing on the floor.  That's the good news, and is certainly reason to smile.  The bad news is that since there is nothing medical to explain these episodes, it has to be behavioral.  IE - Phoebe has an aversion to going outside to pee in the rain, and has decided to pee on the floor in the house instead.  And while I must admit that I would not enjoy peeing in the rain either, neither do I find Phoebe's proposed alternative to doing so acceptable.  

So until the rain stops, well, raining, Phoebe will be spending the nights in her crate as opposed to in our bed.  She did so last night, and as, thank goodness, I have always made a point of building and maintaining positive association with the crate, she went in willingly, bedded down happily, and spent the night there without a whimper of protest or complaint.  She did wake up about thirty minutes earlier than my alarm was set to go off at 6:30 am, because she urgently needed to pee, which she did in spite of a light drizzle.  

I got a comment and an email or two about using puppy pads when it rains.  I know a lot of people use these, and that's fine.  For city dwellers with smaller dogs, I can see how these would make life a lot easier for all involved.  And if that were my situation, or if Phoebe were a puppy, a senior dog, or were ill, I would happily make use of these pads.  As it stands, though, she is none of these things.  We have a suburban house with a spacious fenced yard, and she also goes on frequent walks, so as unfortunate as it is, until she can learn to use the toilet, she's going to occasionally have to go outside and pee in the rain.  I already scoop three litter boxes on a daily basis.  I'm not going to add picking up soiled pee pads to my list of daily chores unless there is a valid reason to do so.  Unfortunately for Phoebe, I don't consider her stubbornness a valid reason.  Also, even though those pads are treated with a pheremone that is supposed to encourage the puppy/dog to eliminate on them, there is still training involved in getting the dog to actually use them.  I just can't justify expending effort and time training Phoebe to do something I don't want her to do.  

On the up side, the weather is changing and as of November 1st, our rainy season will be essentially over.  So in a few more weeks this should be a moot point anyway.  Meanwhile, if it rains during the day, Phoebe will be spending the nights in her crate.  Fortunately, she doesn't really mind this all that much.  

Vet Visit

Phoebe went in for an unscheduled vet visit this morning.  As far as I know she is fine, but in the past ten days she has peed on the floor three times in the night.   This is really not like her, and if it hadn't coincided with some very rainy days (as I've already written, Phoebe really does NOT like to go out and dispatch her "business" in the rain) I would have been more concerned, but I was pretty sure that she was just being a snotface.  I consider basic housebreaking to be the first order of business with any new dog or puppy, and barring illness or advancing age, once mastered, I expect it to be solid.  At five years old, Phoebe is neither a puppy nor a senior dog, so I was, I'll admit, rather miffed, but neither was I particularly concerned that anything might be wrong.  The third incident, though, which happened last night and was discovered at six thirty this morning when I awoke, concerned me.  

Phoebe had a persistent UTI and demodectic mange when I adopted her as a six month old puppy, and while she hasn't had any trouble with it recurring, it crossed my mind that a UTI might be the issue so we hustled through our morning routine and made it to our wonderful vet's office right as they were opening (and they kindly squeezed us in right away so that I was only five minutes later for work, bless their hearts!), to see what was what.  They took a urine sample (no blood in her urine thank goodness) and the urinalysis is pending (we should hear tomorrow morning).  While we were in there, I had them do baseline blood work as well as she hasn't had blood drawn since before she was spayed a week or two before I adopted her.

I've got fingers crossed that all is well with the blood work, and there's really no reason to think that it won't be, but I will admit that I am halfway hoping she does have a UTI or bladder infection, or something else minor, not life-threatening, and easily fixable) that could explain this recent behavior.  Nothing else would seem to, and I can't think of any other reason a solidly housebroken dog would suddenly "lose" her house training in this way.  (If anyone else can, please let me know!)  

I will of course post the results of the tests when I have them.  Meanwhile, Phoebe, as expected, is milking the oh-so-traumatic experience of an early morning vet visit for all it's worth.  

See what I mean?

Every dog knows ...

... that you should always take time to stop and smell the flowers ... 

You might also like:  The World Outside

Our Bark Box Is HERE!

So ... last month, one of the blogs I visit regularly, That Touch of Pit, wrote a blog post about something called a Bark Box.  You can read that post HERE!  

To say the least, I was intrigued.  A monthly delivery of goodies addressed to my favorite pups for as low as $17 a month with 10% going to an animal charity?  Where do I sign up?  

Well, I signed up HERE and so can you!

I was on vacation when my box came, and last week was so crazy that even though I took a sneak peek, it wasn't until today that Tucker & Phoebe got to see what was inside.  What WAS in the box?  Well, let's see.  There was:  

1) A Soggy Paws towel by Farfetched!

From the accompanying informational card in the Bark Box:  "The Soggy Paws dog towel by Farfetched is a real winner for all seasons.  Whether you're coming in from the rain, drying off from a swim, or after a walk in the snow, just pop your hands into the convenient pockets and get dryin'."  

I will DEFINITELY be making sure this handy towel gets into the bag we take to the dog park/beach!

2) Double Nut Super Boost treats from Tumbleweed & Eddies

Here's Tucker anticipating my (too slow) hand delivering one of these treats to his eager mouth: 

And here are the treats themselves:

Bark Box says:  "These Double Nut Super Boost treats are grain free and packed with vitamin rich and antioxidant superfoods.  When your dog falls in love with these tasty treats, visit their website to buy more.  It's FREE SHIPPING on every order!" 

Mom note:  Tucker & Phoebe LOVED these treats, but I do want to point out that while some of Tumbleweed & Eddie's treats may be grain free, these particular ones aren't.  The ingredients are oat flour, ground peanuts, quinoa, flax, and coconut oil.  

3) Gimme Gummy by Safemade

This is by FAR the biggest hit of our inaugural Bark Box!  And to prove it, here's a short video of Phoebe enjoying (read obsessing) over the Gimme Gummy.  

From the Bark Box info card:  "The Gimme Gummy from Safemade is safe, durable, and a boatload of fun for your furry friend.  Made of food-grade silicon, the toy is freezer, oven, and dishwasher safe.  Check out the recipe section on their website for fun treats to bake or freeze right inside!" 

I happened to have a sample bag of Fromm Duck & Sweet Potato kibble in my desk drawer (I use it for treats) and so to test out the toy, I put maybe ten pieces of kibble in the Gimme Gummy and then plugged the hole with one of the Tumbleweed and Eddie's treats mentioned above. I filled another food toy with the same amount of kibble and gave that one to Tucker and the Gimme Gummy to Phoebe, and it kept her occupied for well over an hour.  The kibble was shaken out and gone in pretty short order, but in the process the treat became moistened with saliva and began to slide backwards into the cavity of the toy, remaining oh so tantalizingly out of reach of even the most determined swipes of her little tongue.  It kept her occupied for the duration of one thirty minute conference call and a quick lunch with colleagues in the break room down the hall.  By the time she had conquered the toy and extricated the treat, Tucker had finished with his treat ball and gone to lie down in the dogs' shared office bed to gnaw a bullystick.  The Gimme Gummy is my new best friend!  

4) Mr. Barksmith's All Natural Smoothies for Dogs

This was a single serving cup of the Minty Fruit flavor which contains pureed bananas, apples, and pears, along with water and peppermint extract.  Tucker & Phoebe don't generally like frozen stuff, so I'll be gifting this to one of my friends' or relatives' dogs for their enjoyment.  My friend J's German Shepherd loves ice cubes, so I think he might enjoy this.  

Think your pup might enjoy one of these Cool Treats?  Here's what Bark Box had to say:  "What could possibly be more refreshing on a hot summer day than a frozen smoothie?  Pop this Cool Treat by Mr. Barksmith into the freezer, then serve it up to your pooch as a cool snack.  All natural and made in the USA!" 

5) Stella & Chewy's Super Beef Freeze-Dried Dinner

We were SUPER excited to find a sample size of this great product in our Bark Box, since we are BIG fans of Stella & Chewy's around this house!  The pups & kitties here at Chez Tucker are raw fed, but sometimes when we travel, bringing raw food along isn't convenient.  Stella & Chewy's Freeze Dried meals (which also come in Chewy's Chicken, Dandy Lamb, Duck Duck Goose, and Surf N' Turf) are often what we turn to in these instances.  These meals are made with raw, naturally raised (no added hormones or antibiotics) meat, poultry, or fish, plus organic fruits & veggies.  No grains, no artificial preservatives, salt, sugar, or coloring.  And they're made in the USA in the great state of Wisconsin!

So that's what's in our Bark Box this month!  We can't WAIT for next month!

P.S.  We were not contacted by Bark Box or any of the companies whose products were included in it to do a review of the Bark Box or the products contained therein.  We were just really happy to read about it on one of the blogs we frequent, and we thought some of you might be, too!

On this Thursday we are Thankful for ...

P.S.  Don't forget to participate in Finn's Back in Black 2  Comment-A-Thon, in conjunction with Best Friends' annual adoption event spotlighting black dogs and cats! Leave your comment HERE and if you are the randomly chosen winner on May 31st, your rescue group or shelter will win a donation of $100.  Is there more than one group or shelter close to your heart?  That's ok!  You can enter more than once!  And don't forget to tell you friends!  Last year, we only got to 55 comments, and Finn was really bummed.  We pooled our toy and treat money and donated the $100 anyway, but this year he really wants to get to his 100 comments.  

P.P.S.  Mom just got a really cool email from the owner of K9Cuisine.com that she will be sharing later today or tomorrow for the opportunity to save some serious cash on brands of dog and cat food NOT affected by recent recalls! 

Tattle-tale Tuesday

Hi, everyone ... it's me, Phoebe.  And this is my pouty face ... 

Why am I pouting?  Well, it's like this.  I am mad at Mom.  Mom and her co-workers are having chicken wings for lunch today.  They smell delicious.  Mouthwatering, in fact. But Mom won't let me have any.  She says that even though I can safely (and do) eat raw bones, cooked bones are bad for dogs.  And hot sauce is bad for dogs.  And blue cheese is bad for dogs.  

I have just one question:  if all of those things are so bad for dogs, then why do they smell so GOOD?  And also ... if they are so bad for dogs, why would Mom, who is always telling me how much she loves me, eat them right in front of me?  You'd think she'd at least order something she could SHARE! 

And if I can't have any chicken wings, I'd better at least get some venison for dinner tonight.  Venison is delicious.  How many hours is it till dinner?

XOXO,

(a very hungry) Phoebe

If I had a nickel ...

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me "I wish I was one of your dogs!" I would be ... well, I would not be rich, because, let's face it, a nickel doesn't buy much these days.  But ... let's just say my purse would be a lot heavier than it is.

And today I'd gladly add my own nickel, because while the dogs are tired out from the weekend, THEY are permitted, even, sometimes, encouraged, to nap at work.

I, sadly, am not.  

Hope everyone had a great weekend! 

Why I love taking my dogs to work

There are multiple reasons, actually, not the least of which is that they REALLY enjoy coming.  They love riding in the car to and from the office (and sometimes stopping off at a little neighborhood park on the way home for a quick pre-dinner romp), and having the opportunity to socialize with a great many different people.  For Tucker, this is something he has always enjoyed.  He is Mr. Social Butterfly.  The King of the Welcome Wagon.  Phoebe, on the other hand, used to be far more reserved.  For those in her trusted circle, she was (is) a total love bug, but she did not often extend those same charms to random strangers.  Coming to the office three to five days a week has really brought her out of her shell. 

I also love the calming influence they have over not just me, but my colleagues as well.  They seem to know when someone needs cheering up and can use a dog to pet or play with.  Phoebe, as has been well-documented, can always be counted on for comic relief.  

Also, having them here gets me up out of my chair and outside at least three or four times in a day.  Since, daylight savings time notwithstanding, I often leave the office after it's dark outside, if it weren't for them, I might never see the sun during the week!

My "work/therapy" dogs relaxing in the shade during one of our pilgrimages to see the sun.(This table is such a relaxing place to sit and look at the water, and since no one ever uses it (preferring the similar tables to the rear of the building that have a view of the many sailboats docked at the marina), it has become "my" spot, and I therefore don't feel guilty when Tucker & Phoebe want to jump up on it to get a better view of their surroundings.)

Faces of Phoebe

Mirror mirror on the wall  who's the cutest Flying Monkey of them all?

PHOEBE! 

Happy Thursday, everyone!  MP here, to, hopefully, bring a smile to your day with a few photos of one of the funniest dogs I've ever known or lived with - my own Phoebe!  I often refer to Phoebe, both on this blog and elsewhere, as my little monkey-faced court jester.  She came into my life shortly after I said goodbye to my beautiful Dakotah after sixteen wonderful years together.  Needless to say, I have rarely been sadder, or more in need of a source of levity than I was then. Phoebe was just the medicine I needed, and scarcely a day has passed since then (she's now been with me a little over four years) that she hasn't made me laugh at least once.  Part of this is to do with her incredibly expressive face. I swear some of her expressions are almost human at times, and often all it takes to crack me up is just to look over at her and see her funny little face staring back at me.

And so, I give you ... the faces of Phoebe. 

This face means: I REALLY want that piece of string cheese you're holding! 

While this would be her "I am officially ignoring you."expression.

And this would be her "I know I am not supposed to be up here on Aunt M.'s chair like this, but I am SO comfy, and don't you think the fabric makes a nice backdrop for my furs?"face.

This face, though - is one she pulls often - and the sentiment behind it is generally one of disapproval, outright disdain, or extreme skepticism.  In this case, however, it means "My nap is a lot more important than you taking my picture for the fifty-thousandth time, so why don't you make like an egg and  beat it!"

Happy "Faces of Phoebe" day to all of you!  And remember - if you haven't already entered our Orijen giveaway, compliments of MrChewy.com - you can do so HERE!  And may the odds be ever in your favor! 

Two Scruffy Dogs and a Bridge ...

Once upon a time there were two Scruffy Dogs, who went to the park to play on a warm spring day.  

After running hither and yon, and chasing one another from one end of the park to the other, they were tired and thirsty and wanted to go home!

But first they had to cross the Bridge ...

The smaller of the two scruffy dogs was somewhat reluctant to pass over the Bridge, despite having crossed it without a care in the world just a scant half hour before.  

"I don't know, Tucker," said the littler of the Two Scruffy Dogs,  whose name was Phoebe.  "Who's to say that this Bridge doesn't have a monster living underneath it. Or even a troll!  A big, fierce, hungry one who will jump out and gobble us up if we attempt to cross."

Tucker was the larger, as well as the older and wiser, of the Two Scruffy Dogs.  He said, reassuringly, "Fear not, young Phoebe.  I have traversed this Bridge many times. In all that time, I have never come to harm, and neither will you.  And listen ... I believe I hear the voice of our slave girl summoning us to dinner."

And with this - the Two Scruffy Dogs scampered across the Bridge and went home.

Snip snap snout - this tale's told out.

P.S.  If you haven't already entered our Orijen giveaway, courtesy of MrChewy.com  - please do so HERE!

Wordless Wednesday with Phoebe

Flying Monkey?  Or Flying Nun?

Either way - Phoebe wishes you a Happy (almost) Wordless Wednesday!

And would also like to remind you that if you haven't commented to enter our Orijen giveaway, you can do so  HERE!

Where did the weekend go?

Hi, everyone ... it's me, Tucker!  (Phoebe is here, too!) 

And I don't know about you ... but I can't figure out where the weekend went?  This one seemed to go even faster than usual ... and Mom said it is because we had to "spring forward" this weekend.  I'm not sure why we had to do that, but Mom said it's good because then we have an extra hour of daylight and that means more time at the end of the day to go to the dog park and do other fun stuff.  So I guess that's ok.

But I'm still REALLY tired today, and so is Phoebe.  So we're going to let Mom work ... while we take a nice, restorative snooze!

Happy Monday, everyone! 

Watch Me!

I consider "watch me" (I personally use just "watch" - because I'm lazy and it's quicker!) an invaluable verbal cue for my dogs to master, and it comes in handy in any number of day to day scenarios, a case in point being when you are trying to take their pictures.  

Witness ... 

Working Dog Monday

Happy Monday, everyone!  It's me, Phoebe!  I'm  at the office with Mom today, and she said it's going to be a busy day and she will need my help.  I am always here for Mom, but since I've been working hard for almost a whole hour now, I think I deserve a break, so I'm just going to curl up in my bed and maybe catch a quick nap with my buddy The Sock Monkey.

XOXO, 

Phoebe 

On this Wednesday Phoebe is WONDERING ...

Sunday Picnik