David and His New Doggie Hair-do

David got his hair cut by yours truly this last week. Yup, Mr. I hate being groomed is getting pretty good at it now! I have been grooming him at least once a month to try and get him used to the formal routine. Out of standing still, laying down, head up, head down, the two he still has not learned no matter how hard and how often I have tried: Getting up on the grooming table and shying from the dryer. 

Here is David's "Mom, why did you have to go and do this groomie thing again?!" look:

 And, his "I feel so good and comfy and happy and I want to lick the camera and get as close as I can" look:

And his "No, you don't ever groom me again" look:

I will go easy on the youngster. David is two years old. We have had him for one of those two years. I do think for the abandoned boy who I willingly took in well over a year ago he is doing great! I think once he associates peace and pamperedness enough he will finally jump on that table. Lord God Almighty knows he can leap for a frisbie.... though he rarely can catch it. LOL!

With all these grooming comes some short hair, being a poodle I hope he gets used to the clipping, scissors, and hair dryer :) One thing I do know is that after David gets his groom job done he feels mighty  zesty. 

The Poodle Day of Fun!

On Saturday, day of the Dog in our home, we had a BLAST!

Can you guess where this takes place?

I will give you three tries... 3, 2, and 1...

You got it! DOG PARK!

Eduardo went all pretty and groomed to play with the big boys and girls and Isabella my greyhound went with my daughter and boyfriend to the small dog pen.

Both dogs had a GREAT time. Edward (or his official name "Barefoot Contessa's Eduardo") enjoyed wrestling with a really cute blond short hair Labrador Retriever at times pouncing around her like the cute little doof boy he is! All the while Isabella, as I peaked over to see her, was racing around her pen being her typical greyhound self, zoom-zoom!!

I so wish I took pictures the other day~~~but things happen: ie my phone died!

I did take this picture from our Chili Cook Off at my mothers house. It is of Isabella lounging. What is going through that cuties head? DUNNO, possibly~~~~> "wheres my CHILI?!"

Till next time~~ Fun Furry Happiness to YOU!

Sleepy time for the family, dogs included

Every night around nine in the evening our house winds down. The evening resolves, rituals commence. But before we can relax in bed, I look over and as usual the bed is taken. My pillow is commandeered. My Isabella puppy is comfy and I can't dare move her.

I slowly reach over to the end table, grabbing my phone to snap a shot, and just then Isabella peers up at me. Her expression is one to be remembered, as if to say "don't you even think about it".




Our bed seems to be the dog's favorite resting grounds. I think there are many more adorable pictures to come through the years of "bed time doggy bliss"!



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Today was a great day for the pooches!

We had a great day today despite the warmth in San Diego, CA. There are three dogs in our house; two Standard Poodles and an Italian Greyhound.

For the Greyhound the warm weather is easy on her because she has very short hair and minimal body fat. For the two BIG Poodles, the story is much different. One poodle, David, has trimmed fur 1" in length. The other, Edward, has a show cut which is in some areas upward 12" long! Both poodles have extremely dense hair which adds to the body heat. Another factor is that a dog's normal body temperature is approximately 102 degrees. We humans think it is hot in the summer and our body temperature is only a meek 98.6 degrees on average! Poor pooches.

A few things that help with keeping the big dogs cool are ice cubes in their filtered water, instead of their raw diet thawed I prefer to feed it to them frozen, and also I make sure to give them an area in the house which has a fan with air conditioning. In the winter and fall I take the dogs to the park or on walks in the morning and afternoon. This is not practical during the summer and spring months for the poodles. If I am unable to go to the park early enough in the morning I will make a point to go on a walk around the block or to the local lighted dog park at dusk or later. This allows for the weather to be bearable for the boys to play and not get exhausted. Despite going later in the day I still make sure to bring my own water with ice cubes. This keeps the boys cool and hydrated... and not to mention happy pooches!

If you have any tips or information on ways to keep summer fun for the dogs please let me know!

Pooches got in the trash can again!

Anyone who has had a puppy or dog knows just how curious they can be. Trash cans are the best fun, next to unrolling and shredding toilet paper that is! Don't get me wrong, we have dog proofed the home. Also, we do supervise the dogs. They are however extremely creative and have impeccable timing. We have tried everything you could imagine:

• Standard Can- every type imaginable...now we get pricey...
  
• Step Trash Can- this one was easy to figure out, just knock it over!
• Flip Lid Trash Can- easier now that our dog figured out how to knock over the step can
• Button Lever Flip Trash can with locking lid- this took 3 months, then the dogs learned how to push the button!

Now what? So after spending a small fortune on trash cans, for now, I turned the can around so the dogs cant reach the lever. It has been 4 weeks and all the trash has stayed in the can. What happens when those mischievous dogs learn how to take the trash can and turn it and push the lever? Perhaps DUCK TAPE? Quite possibly.

Really, there has to be someone out there that knows the secret trick to keeping the trash in the can! A miracle can? Voice activated? Pin Code? Finger or retina scanner? I think it is amazing how our dogs can be so creative. I am almost certain the dogs are thinking always about the newest way to get into the beloved trash can. I say this because not once have I ever, not ever, seen my dogs trying to get in the can! Nor have I heard them pawing at it. My pooches are calculating by the moment, pondering when they will sneak in the next attempt.

After two years of battling the trash can blues with the dogs I think I have finally concurred the frustration and ranting. Perhaps I am going nuts, or is laughing the only thing I can do to try and pacify the dreaded search for the perfect trash can. You decide, because I give up. If you have any information that can help or advise our family, including the puzzle solving pooches, would like to know!!!!

Oh our four legged friend, the puppy dog

So, aren't those pretty puppies so cute? Little bitty eyes, puppy dog eyes as they say. Paws cute as pie. Those little ears that are soft as all heck.

I love dog clothes, do you? We have an IG (Italian Greyhound) in our home and being that she has limited body fat and short hair doggie sweaters even in the spring come in handy. If you have any crochet patterns for dog sweaters to share, or pajama patterns of your own making to post that would be wonderful. If you know of a boutique for jackets to order on the internet those of us loving all things dog will enjoy them thoroughly.

Our dogs will love you for it.

Dogs, dogs, dogs

Ever just wanted to go to one place to connect with everything DOG? You are here!

I have always struggled to find information and services for those four legged family members in our home. With your help and input we can do it, our dogs are counting on us!

When you run across a good dog boutique, web resource, or retail supplier let us dog fanciers know!

Our dogs will love you for it.