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.  

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!

Everything but the halo ...

I have written more than once about how Tucker is the perfect dog, (and how he, now, even has a tag to prove it!) but the truth is, I know that, objectively, he really isn't.  For one thing, the "perfect dog" is different for different people, and the very things that endear Tucker to me might be things that would bug other people.  And in fact, despite his being very near to absolute perfection in my eyes, there are still things about him that I wouldn't mind changing ... his barkiness, for example.  He'll quiet when I ask him to, but that doesn't stop him from being sure to let me know about every little thing that goes on in the vicinity, whether I want to know or not.  If an intruder is attempting to gain access to the house, intent on theft, murder, or mayhem, then by all means please let me know.  A leaf falling off a tree two blocks away is not quite so important to me.  Especially when it happens at 3 am.  

But barkiness notwithstanding, and despite the almost certain fact that he'll probably never rescue me from a burning building or alert anyone to the fact that I have fallen down a well, he is a darn good dog, and I honestly can't take much, if any, of the credit.  True, I happen to have been around a dog or two in my time, and the lessons I'd learned, and mistakes I'd made, with previous dogs probably helped me do more things right with Tucker than I otherwise would have, but even without that I think he still would have been a great dog.  So great, in fact, that I am often given cause to wonder just what kind of a moron it was who didn't recognize all the wonderful things in Tucker that I did, and do, and was stupid enough to give him up.  Whoever he or she was, though, did me a HUGE favor! (Well, me, and every other person lucky enough to know him - from my family, friends, and co-workers, to the UPS and Fed Ex guys ... because whether it's due to his Muppet-like appearance, his goofy grin, his irrepressible zest for life or his heart-on-his-sleeve freewheeling affection for every man, woman, child, or animal he meets, almost without fail everyone who comes in contact with Tucker falls in love with him.  He's just THAT freaking awesome!)

 My own personal angel ... can't you just imagine him with a halo?

Which is why it makes me sad that it's taken having my grandmother in the hospital (and now in a nursing home, and probably Hospice sooner than I can really think about dealing with) to really appreciate how much good Tucker was doing as a therapy dog before we stopped going.  When you see how much someone you know well and dearly love lights up at having the opportunity to hold a dog on their lap for twenty or thirty minutes, or even just see one or stroke its head, it makes you feel really crummy that you have this amazing dog who has the potential to bring a lot of joy to people who most need a helping of it and you have been too selfish to MAKE THE TIME for such important work.  

After all, even though it's Tucker who's really making the magic on these visits, (my grandmother is always happy to see me, of course, but it's Tucker who has the ability to break through the pain, the fatigue, and the general malaise of being terminally ill), he can't get there on his own.  It's a lot easier to make the time for these visits when it's your own much-loved family member in the bed, but everyone (hopefully) matters to someone, and if they don't, then they need those visits even more! 

So at some point, Tucker & I will be back in a hospital or nursing home (or other facility in need of therapy animals) and the human will be back with a renewed commitment to doing whatever has to be done to MAKE TIME for the therapy visits to happen.  Tucker's commitment, as it happens, never wavered, but unfortunately he has to depend on me to get him to "work."  We'll still be concentrating on our VIP patient for the foreseeable future, but the facility where she currently is does have other patients who are happy to see Tucker also, and we are committed to making time for them as well.  

It's a humbling thing when your dog is a better human being than you are.  

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! 

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.)

Just call me Paw-Casso

Hi, everyone - it's me, Tucker! And yesterday was the 23rd Annual Hyde Park Village Art Festival!  Hyde Park is just a short walk from our house, so we usually put in an appearance, and do a little hobnobbing with the artsy set. There are always interesting things to look at, new dogs to meet, good things to smell (and sometimes people will actually drop food on the ground for you to taste - but you have to be quick about it, lest your human tell you to "leave it!" and you miss out on the opportunity!)

This year was particularly nice, as we had had a bit of rain overnight to cool things down, but the day dawned bright and sunny, with almost no humidity.  (Humidity tends to frizz my hairs, which is never a good thing when you are in hobnob mode.)  We made the rounds, looked at all the art on display (I must say - some of the vendors were using the term "art" very loosely), had lunch out on the patio at one of our favorite restaurants (Wine Exchange - as their food is delicious AND they are very accomodating to the canine set.), and stopped by Downtown Dogs before venturing home for a nap.  

As is usually the case on days where there is an event taking place in Hyde Park, Wine Exchange was doing a brisk business, so although we are regular patrons, we still had to wait a few minutes for a table. Phoebe passed the time people (and canine) watching.  

It was a bit warm yesterday - but all the shopkeepers put out chilled water for the canine attendees, and at Wine Exchange, Phoebe, Cosmo, and I were served our very own bowls of mineral water with ice cubes.  

This guy was keeping his human company and taking a nap at the same time. Multi-tasking is always impressive.  

A glimpse through the window at Downtown Dogs

Some of the "art" was questionable, but on the whole it was quite an enjoyable way to kill a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon.  

Hope everyone else had a great weekend, too! 

Oh, and P.S. ... if you haven't already entered our Orijen giveaway, sponsored by MrChewy.com - you can do so HERE!  And good luck! 

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!

The Perfect Dog

Ah, the (stereotypical) perfect dog. Equal parts Lassie, Benji, and Rin Tin Tin, the perfect dog is unswervingly loyal, flawlessly obedient (unless when practicing learned disobedience, as guide dogs for the blind often must - as the "forward" command for example, must obviously be disobeyed if, by obeying it, the dog would lead its handler into harm's way), and keenly intelligent, with a spot on sense of comic timing. He also never barks except on cue or has accidents of any description inside the house. He doesn't shed and would never need to be taken to the vet at 3 am.  In short, the perfect dog is, in many respects, like one of the other cherished urban myths - the perfect man.  (Or to be fair, the perfect woman.)But that's a whole other blog entry. In fact, that's a whole other blog, one that I, personally, have no interest in authoring.

Anyway .... 

If, when you get the urge to bring a dog into your life, you go about things the right way, do your research, educate yourself about the different breeds and their salient characteristics as it relates to temperament, exercise requirements, known health issues, etc., you will almost certainly get a lot closer to YOUR "perfect dog" than if you simply chose a dog on the basis of cuteness, for example. Many, if not most, of the best dog/handler matches come about because the human in the equation has done a great deal of research before getting the dog, whether that dog is a rescue from a shelter or a pup of outstanding lineage from a reputable breeder.

I strongly believe that anyone who is even thinking about getting a dog should first think long and hard about whether they can commit to giving that dog, both dogs in general and that specific dog breed or individual dog, what it needs to be happy, well-adjusted, and live successfully in one's household.  In fact, Tena at Success Just Clicks wrote a great post about that very subject just the other day!  In the final analysis, though, there is, just as in any successful relationship, a certain amount of chemistry involved.  

I would never EVER advise anyone to make a rash decision when choosing a dog that they are going to live with for the next ten or fifteen years. Nonetheless, I am here to tell you that sometimes the dog you never thought you'd want can turn out to be your perfect dog. I know, because I've experienced it. And who would ever have guessed that a self-professed "big dog person" would fall so hard and so fast for a scruffy little dog that was about as far from my "ideal dog" as he could possibly be? Certainly I never would have predicted it. 

And yet ...

Tucker is, undeniably, unquestionably, and irrefutably MY perfect dog. I'm not saying he'd be the perfect dog for everyone, and he certainly has his moments where his halo slips a bit and he can test my patience, but they are very few and far between, and we have lived in almost seamless harmony for over eight years.  Which is why, recently, I decided that MY perfect dog needed the perfect dog tag.

I ordered it from Fetching Tags, and I have to say, I really love it. Not just because the front of the tag can be customized with any saying you choose (or you can select one of Fetching Tags' own sayings, such as Love Sponge, Lucky Mutt, Squirrel Patrol, or Treat Whore), but because it's a really good quality product that, as far as I can tell, will last a really long time.  (The back of the tag can be customized with the dog's name and up to two phone numbers.) 

Of course, since Tucker was getting one, Phoebe had to get one, too. Hers says ...

She wasn't impressed.  

Want to give YOUR perfect dog the opportunity to try one of the best commercial foods on the market today? Enter our Orijen giveaway sponsored by MrChewy.com 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 ... 

Play Date at the Park

Last Sunday it was a beautiful, crisp day so we headed out to a local neighborhood park to meet up with my aunt & uncle and their young English Bulldog, Bella, about whom I've written before here, to chat, enjoy the beautiful weather, and let the dogs run around. 

Tucker doesn't exactly love Bella ... she's bigger, heavier, and has no concept of personal space or doggy etiquette (Tuck is doing his best to educate her on this front, but to little discernible improvement thus far) ... but as long as he isn't in a confined space with her, he is ok.  And they actually did have a good time together sniffing around this park, which they had basically to themselves except for some neighborhood kids who were kicking a soccer ball around.

Some snaps from the outing: 

Tucker was warmly attired for the outing in his red hoodie ... and sporting his new ID tag (more on that later!) 

Tucker & Bella exploring the bridge ... 

Tucker exploring the bridge (this might be my favorite photo of the day) 

More of Tucker on the bridge ... lots to see from up here! 

Bella decided to see if her face would fit through the bars like Tucker's did.  (It doesn't.) 

Bella descending the bridge steps ...

When Bella's play became rougher than he preferred, Tucker simply climbed a tree ... 

 Ha ha you silly Bulldog ... you can't get me up here! 

Not one to dwell on lost opportunities, Bella decided to abandon trying to chew on Tucker's legs (in the most playful manner - no malice intended) and pose for a few more photos.

She really wanted the treat I had in my hand.

No one could say she isn't photogenic! 

Oh, we're leaving?  I guess I'd better get down from here, then!