Working Dog Wednesday

Hi, everyone ... it's Tucker & Phoebe. We're working hard today ... but frankly, we're not sure why Mom always seems so stressed out.  Working is really not that bad.  See?

Hard at work.  

Anyway - we're pretty busy right now, so we'll sign off.  But don't forget to leave your comment HERE to enter Finn's drawing ... you can win up to a  $100 donation in your name to the shelter or rescue group of your choice!  Finn is doing this in conjunction with the Back in Black Adoption Event:

Check out these Black Beauties available on Petfinder.com

MEET CHAD

Want to take me home?  Call 478-454-1273

MEET SABRINA


Want to take me home?  Email puppaws@att.net

Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop #3

Hi, everybody ... it's me, Tucker!  Remember last week when I was calling Mom out for embarrassing me in front of all my blog friends for bringing store-bought treats to our bloggie pot luck?  (Really it's Kol  and Sugar's Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop!  But either way!)  

Anyway, here it is - another Tuesday, and despite her heartfelt promise to figure out something yummy and homemade that we could make (and take pictures of) for this week's TTBH, she did not come through. I gave her a stern talking to.  It went something like this:

Me:  "Hey, Mom?"

MP:  "Yes?"

Me:  "Remember how last week you PROMISED we would bake something together over the weekend?"

MP (looking nervous):  "Um ... uh-huh ..." 

Me:  "Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but it's Tuesday AGAIN ... and I want to participate in the Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop!  How can I do that if you won't help me in the kitchen?  You KNOW I don't have thumbs!"  

MP:  "Yes, I know I promised.  But there just wasn't time.  I'm really sorry.  Maybe next week."  

Me:  "That's not going to work this time.  I want to go Hopping and I can't do that without posting a recipe for something yummy AND homemade this time!  How will I hold my  head up in Blogville?"

MP:  "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't help you now, Tuck.  I'm ..."

Me:  "Don't say the W word.  Just don't!  I mean it!"

MP (nervously):  "Ok, ok.  Hey, I know ... how about if you post the recipe for your birthday cake?"

Me:  "Hmm ... I guess that would do.  And then I could post a few pictures of me enjoying my cake for the pups who didn't know us back then."

MP:  "GREAT idea!  I think everyone would like that." 

TUCKER'S 8TH BIRTHDAY CAKE:

Start with the muffin or quick bread mix or recipe of your choice.  We used this one from Whole Foods.  

(Mom's a little bit of a Nazi when it comes to our food.  Doesn't stop her from zipping through the magic food window on a pretty regular basis herself, though.  And not the ones that serve salad, either.  Just sayin'!)  Anyway.  

Prepare your mix or quick bread according to package directions.  This mix calls for 2 large eggs and 1/4 cup of vegetable oil (Mom prefers olive oil), and 1 cup of milk.  She also added about a cup of frozen thawed mixed berries because they're yummy and they make it look more festive when you cut into it.  Once it was cooled, Mom frosted my cake with strawberry cream cheese and topped it with Oreo cookies!  Just kiddin'! Oreo cookies are BAD for dogs.  (I personally am not convinced of this, and think it's a diabolical plan the Humans hatched to keep all the Oreos for themselves.  They can be selfish that way.  )  But fortunately our friends at Three Dog Bakery make these yummy fake Oreos:

When it was finished, it looked like this: 

I gave it a sniff ... and trust me ... it was yummy! 

My party guests thought so, too!

So ... that was my birthday cake ... Mom made Phoebe a similar one for her birthday.  It was a hit both times.  Next year, I told her she's going to have to try another recipe.


Now - before we forget, yesterday Finn told you about the Back in Black Adoption Event and what we here at Tucker Tells All are trying to do to help our readers help their local shelters and rescue groups.  

If you missed it, what we're doing is having a Comment-A-Thon and one person is going to get up to $100 to donate to their chosen rescue group or shelter in their name.  So don't forget to leave your comment HERE

And now check out these Black Beauties from Petfinder.com


MEET FRENCHIE

Want to take me home?  Email Ben@humanesocietytampa.org or call 813-774-4339


MEET BG

Want to take me home? Call 813-744-5660

(this girl is at Hillsborough County Animal Services - a high volume county run shelter, so we hope a rescue group pulls her out of there) 

Back in Black Adoption Event PLUS How You Can Earn Money for YOUR shelter or rescue group!

Hi, everyone ... it's me, Finn!  Mom and I were talking last night, (as we like to do ... ), and she happened to mention that she had heard of this great event sponsored by Best Friends that promotes the adoption of black cats (and dogs).  From now (actually the event started on August 15th, but Mom, as usual, is a few steps behind the times) through September 17th, if you adopt a black dog or cat at one of the list of participating shelters you can find here, you will save 50% off the usual adoption fee.  Mom personally feels that it's almost blasphemous to put a price tag on a living being, but she also thinks it's a great idea to promote more awareness about how much harder it is for black dogs (and especially black cats) to get adopted compared to cats and dogs of other colors.  I agree.  So today's post will be devoted to this event, and also from now until the 17th, we'll be spotlighting one black dog and one black cat each day along with whatever else we post about.  

Now ... what if you want to help not just black cats and dogs, but any cats and dogs in your local shelter or rescue group who so desperately need it, BUT ... you can't adopt one right now?  This is a situation that a lot of animal lovers find themselves in, because the truth is, the plight of homeless animals is bigger than any one person ... and as much as people like my mom might want to ... you can't take them all in.  So here's what we're going to do.  Now through September 17th, tell your friends  (in the Blogosphere and IRL) to stop by and leave us a comment with their name and the name of the shelter or rescue group they most wish they could help ... and on the 18th, we'll enter all the names into one of those Randomizer thingies, and then we'll donate a dollar a comment (up to max of $100) to the winner's shelter or rescue group of choice in the winner's name.  So spread the word ... and don't forget to leave YOUR comment!

Now, take a look at these Black Beauties Mom and I found at Petfinder.com!

MEET FRANCIS

Want to take me home?  Call 813-831-2431 or email cewtampa@aol.com

  MEET ALBERT

Want to take me home?  Call 813-272-2332 or email BAGA@Tampabay.rr.com

Watching (and hopping) on Saturday

Good morning, blogosphere!  It's me, Olivia.  This morning, Tucker, Phoebe, and I are going on a Blog Hop, hosted by Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume .  We're leaving Tanner and Finn at home, because ... well, just because.  I don't think they have to go EVERYWHERE I go!  After all, I let them live here, don't I?

Tucker wanted me to tell you that Mom finally helped us edit the sub-pages underneath our blog header that our friends Ann, Maggy, and Zoey at Zoolatry helped us with when they did our new header for us last week.  I'd especially like to thank our Zoolatry friends for doing this for us, because now there is finally a picture of ME up in the header where everyone can see me.  Now, I do think MY picture could have been bigger ... but still ... it was a great job, and we are thankful. 

What else?  Oh, yes ... Mom has helped us update our blog roll - so that now we can keep better watch on what our blog friends are doing, and so can you!  Most recent posts from our friends are at the top,and now you can see a little thumbnail pic illustrating whatever their posts are about.  Hopefully you'll stop by and see some of them that you aren't acquainted with while you're hopping today.

Lastly, we are thinking about all of our friends, both in Blogland, and IRL, that are in the path of Hurricane Irene, most especially Ettel, Charlie, Emma, and Tigress at A Poodle and a Pitbull, and Sam, Marge, and  Layla at Marge Blog . 

Tucker recently let Mom post on our blog about Hurricane Preparedness , and Ettel made a great point about making sure that we kitties are used to our crates or carriers so that if we do have to evacuate, we'll be used to the crates or carriers and won't stress.  All of the cat kids here love our carriers - Mom will occasionally take them out and hide treats in them and sprinkle them with catnip, which we certainly enjoy. 

Now, the other day, our friends Tena, Shayne, and Rio at Success Just Clicks were in something called an earthquake.  We have never been in one of those, and it sounds pretty scary.  Fortunately, our SJC friends are safe and sound, but if the worst had happened, Tena was definitely prepared.  Mom is already making plans to go shopping this weekend to get more first aid type emergency supplies.  We do have a first aid kit,but it only has the very basics. 

So ... it's time for us to hop now, but Hurricane Irene if you're reading this, just remember ....

I've got my eye on you ... and if you hurt any of my friends you're gonna have to deal with ME!

Where's the Paw-rty?

Hi, everyone ... it's me, Phoebe!  So last night I got a bath ... and then this morning Mom put on one of my party collars.  I was pretty excited ... clearly something BIG was in the offing!  

And do you know where she took me?

Just guess ... you won't believe it!!!!!

Yep, to the office ... the same as every other day.  Can you imagine?  

Seriously, Mom?  

Sign me, 

All Dressed Up and No Place (fun) To Go!

Tasty Tuesday

Hi, everybody!  It's me, Tucker! Today we're once again participating in the Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop, hosted by our friends Kolchak and Sugar!

Unfortunately, once again, Mom has been too lazy busy to actually MAKE us anything.  The last thing she baked for us was Phoebe's birthday cake and that was FOREVER ago!  She has promised that for next week's hop, we'll actually go into the kitchen and take pictures of us helping her make something yummy.  We'll see.  I, for one, am not holding my breath because, well, blue is not a good look for me!

Meanwhile, I'd like to share with you another of our favorite store-bought treats that those of you with dogs and cats in your family can all share!  They're from one of our favorite companies, Honest Kitchen, and trust me when I tell you, they are super yummy!  Here's what the package looks like so you can sniff some out at your local store or tell your Human about them.

They're dehydrated snackies that are 100% human grade wild caught Icelandic haddock. Don't ask me what that is ... I think it's some kind of fish.  All I know is that they're delish, and have the added advantage of passing the Mom test.

This is what Finn looks like when Mom gets them out to give us all one:

Here's where you can get some:  Only Natural Pet Store

Honest Kitchen Wishes ... all five of us give them four paws up!  That's ... um ... a lot of paws!  Speaking of wishes ... I wish I had some of those right now!  I'm gonna go ask Mom if it's time for lunch yet!  I'm starving!

Have a great Tuesday everybody!

Sunning on Saturday

It's a beautiful Saturday ... and I've got big plans ... 

What?  You thought there was more?    

Have a great Saturday everybody!  

50 Shelters / 50 States - Illinois

Well, it's about time we got back to the 50/50 posts - and as always, choosing the one dog and cat to spotlight was incredibly difficult, in more ways than one.  For starters, in case anyone was wondering, there are 1,660 dogs available for adoption on Petfinder within a 100 mile radius of Chicago, and 2,081 cats.  Which is daunting in and of itself, though I eliminated some by selecting for only adult and senior animals, as they are the ones who have the hardest time getting adopted.  Even then, this is still a staggering number of lovely dogs and cats who for various reasons are without loving homes - and that's just within a hundred mile radius!!!!!  

Many are in city or county run shelters, facing a highly uncertain future, while others are luckier and have found their way into private rescue, where odds are that they will be kept and lovingly cared for until the right adoptive family can be found for them.  Of course, the down side to that is that until that right home is found, they are taking up space in a foster home ... and if that right home is a long time coming, (or perhaps is never found?) who knows how many other dogs or cats might have been saved in his or her place?  So if you're a rescue, you have to be cognizant of this when deciding which animals to take into your program.  Something which Dog Foster Mom, a fellow blogger whom I much admire, recently addressed in her post Why I Won't Rescue Your Dog.  

Now, the up side of this - if there IS, in fact, an up side, is that if you are a person who is looking to bring a dog or cat (or ferret or rabbit or parrot or whatever it is that your animal-loving heart may desire) into your home, chances are you can find one (or many) that fit your criteria by checking out your local shelter, and if you can't find what you're looking for there, broaden your search with the help of Petfinder and you're probably almost guaranteed to find that perfect dog or cat. 

Here are my picks from the state of Illinois:

Meet Lady!

Lady is a young adult Jack Russell Terrier mix currently in the care of Homeward Bound Pet Shelter in Decatur, Illinois.  There is not much information in her profile, but it does say that she is an energetic young girl looking for a family who will spend a lot of time with her.  Certainly her mix alone just about guarantees a great deal of energy and a fair amount of brains to go along with it!  And just look at that sweet, scruffilicious face and those adorable ears!  Honestly, this is what kills me about these posts - because without even trying I can find several dogs that I'd just LOVE to give a home to if I was in the market for another dog.  (Which I'm really not, although it's a constant temptation.) Anyway,  I'd be willing to bet Lady would be a great Agility or Rally-O partner, or even just an eager companion ready to accompany her new family on walks or hikes.  

If you or someone you know would be interested in offering Lady the loving home she certainly deserves, please contact Homeward Bound at 217-876-1266 or email them at HomewardBoundPetShelter02@yahoo.com

And now, meet Cameron!

Cameron is a two year old male domestic shorthair currently in the care of the Dewitt County Animal Shelter in Clinton, Illinois, where is is obviously a favorite of the staff there, one of whom wrote:  "He's a love bug and one of my special buddies. He's also quite the entertainer. These pictures are in response to me telling him what a handsome boy he is. :) Cameron is very dog-like in obeying commands and comes when called. He likes to hop onto my lap and help me take photos, also. Cameron plays well with others ..."

Know someone who can offer Cameron a wonderful home that will surely be enriched by his sweet face, loving personality, and clownish antics?  Have them call 217-935-3488 or email secondchanceforpets@yahoo.com

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

And this is what we like to call a bad picture two cats on a bed.  (As well as proof that Olivia and Tanner ARE capable of being in close proximity without a certain spoiled brat/drama queen Olivia getting all bent out of shape.)

Tasty Tuesday

So we're participating in the Tasty Tuesday Blog Hop hosted by our friends Kolchak the Puggle from Kol's Notes  and Sugar the Golden Retriever! 

I have to say - this is one of Kol's better ideas - and he's got lots of great ones!  Because what is better than yummy treats????!  In our opinion, not much!  And Phoebe and I (as well as Oliva, Tanner, and Finn) are going to share with you some of our favorite treats AND tell you why we like 'em, AND more importantly where YOU can get some yourself (or get your humans to get some for you!)  

Phoebe and I LOVE Plato's treats!  In fact, Olivia sent our friend Remington some of the duck ones when he won her giveaway, on OUR recommendation, of course!  But the ones we're talking about today are the organic chicken ones:

Why Phoebe and I like Plato's:  THEY'RE DELICIOUS! 

Why Mom likes Plato's:  They're healthy, don't have nine hundred and sixteen ingredients that are bad for us or that she can't pronounce, and they're made in the USA.  Here are the ingredients:

Organic Chicken (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols, citric acid and  rosemary extract) organic brown rice natural sea salt zinc proteinate vitamin E supplement coated ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C) glucosamine sulfate * Mom says we should put in that if any of you pups are prone to seizures, it has been suggested that you shouldn't have foods containing rosemary, so maybe you shouldn't have these.  Which is a bummer because they're yummy.

Where you can get some:  Probably a bunch of places - but we get ours here!

Olivia, Tanner, and Finn are very partial to the Chicken Bites from Wholistic Pet:

Why the Cat Kids love these:  They're whisker-lickin' good!

Why Mom likes them:  They're made in the USA with only ONE ingredient (pure human grade chicken)!

Where you can get some:  right here!

What is YOUR favorite treat? Please leave us a comment and let us know! 

Zoolatry Rocks!

Happy Monday, everyone ... Tucker here!   If you are a new visitor to the blog, you have no way of knowing, but our old friends certainly must have noticed that on Friday Tucker Tells All got a face-lift, thanks to our friends Ann, Maggy, and Zoey at Zoolatry!  We can't thank Ann enough for doing such a beautiful job with our new header!  We love it, and as much as we all know that this is STILL MY BLOG!!!!, I do think it's nice that thanks to Ann's help, my brothers and sisters can also have their pictures in the header so people know who they are!  

So thanks, Ann!  It's great to have blog-land friends like you!  

The Cookie Chronicles ... Part III

Happy Thursday, everyone!  It's me, Tucker!  Twice before on this blog, I've shared the trials and tribulations I've experienced  in the never-ending story I like to call The Quest for the Cookie! 

So yesterday, I was here at Mom's office taking a nap on my fuzzy blue bed (it is so soft and cushy, and never fails to send me off to Dreamland!) ....

Me, dreaming of cookies ... 

when all of a sudden I heard Mom say ... "Come on, Tuck, let's go to the cookie bank!"  

Well, as you can imagine, I was ALL IN when it came to that plan!  A cookie bank!  How had I not heard of such a place before?!!!  

Me, ready to go to the cookie bank!  

I could just imagine the vault ... rows upon rows of delicious cookies brought there for safe-keeping ... big ones, little ones, fancy ones with icing and sprinkles on top!  Friends, my mouth was watering!  But as far as I knew ... I had not made any deposits in the cookie bank ... so how was I supposed to make a withdrawal?  Were we going to HOLD UP the cookie bank?!!!!!  Mom is not a violent sort, and is normally a law-abiding citizen, so I couldn't imagine that was her plan, but I decided if it was, I would stand by her side and support her, just like I always do.  We could be a regular Bonnie and Clyde team, robbing cookie banks all over the place and then going on the run.  But then I remembered that Bonnie and Clyde eventually died in a bloody shoot-out ... and that didn't sound like such a good time.  I decided that I would have to talk to Mom about this if it appeared she was in fact going to hold up the cookie bank to get me some cookies.  After all, we already had at least seventy two bags of them at home in all different flavors, so I figured we were good for awhile.  

I gotta be honest ... I was pretty nervous there for a second.  Well, imagine my surprise when we pulled up to the regular old green paper bank and pulled around the side to the same drive through we always go to.  Phew!  Mom wasn't about to take me on a crime spree that could only end badly. That's when I realized ... I'd been mistaken.  I must have been dreaming, like the Traveler's commercial dog!  Mom must have said "Come on, Tuck, let's go to the bank and get a cookie!"  That made a lot more sense! 

But as you might remember, there have been times when I have been bitterly disappointed at this same drive through window ... 

So I put on my most earnestly adorable face.  Like this: 

Hello there, Nice Lady In the Window!  Would you be so kind as to send me a cookie through the cookie tube?  

And voila!  

Praise the Cookie Gods!  My adorable face worked!


But that wasn't all!  When Mom got her deposit slip back, there was a whole 'nother envelope with THREE MORE COOKIES INSIDE!  

YES!  It was a good day! 
 

You may also like: 

Part One: Excuse Me Miss ... You Forgot My Cookie!

Part Two:  The Cookie Gods Are Smiling!