In this case, the P stands for Puppy.
You may remember when Bella had her first canine guest in our new house… his name was Roscoe, and Bella didn’t exactly make him feel welcome.
While visiting family this weekend (sans Bella… her carsickness is the stuff of legend), I had the opportunity to spend some more time with Roscoe, who is another rescue dog. He’s an absolute sweetheart. I hope you enjoy these photos of him… I couldn’t stop snapping pictures of this cutie!
I think you should cure that impending case of the Mondays by watching the video below. It will make you smile. (Full disclosure: I did get a little weepy towards the end. It’s okay though – they were tears of happiness. Also, I am a chronic crybaby.)
From the lovely folks at the Nevada Humane Society…
(via Life with Dogs)
Doesn’t this just make you want to run out and rescue a pup or ten?
(If you want some more warm & fuzzy feelings, Life with 5 Dogs recently posted a great poem about a rescue dog.)
Dogs eating ice cream. They’re everywhere this week. Including here. (I like to give the people what they want.) Without further ado, it’s your No Frown (But Lots of Ice Cream) Friday:
These links make me think about Bella’s first ice cream experience. Like Mr. Owl, Bella didn’t have the patience to find out how many licks it would take to finish her Frosty Paws treat. She must have had some serious puppy brain freeze after that experience. Although, she is a pup of very little brain, so maybe it wasn’t too bad. (She’s not exactly a genius, after all. Remember the treat test?)
Maybe you should share some ice cream with your own pup this weekend… I’m sure he or she would appreciate it. Have a puptastic weekend!
We’ve touched on the issue of pet safety in the summer before. I don’t understand how people still don’t get it. I mean, it’s a really simple concept: DON’T LEAVE YOUR DOG IN A HOT CAR. Although you’d think this would be easy to grasp, apparently it’s too advanced for some people. Some thoughtless, terrible people.
You may be wondering why I’m so worked up about this today. I just read a story that made me so angry that I wanted to punch something… in particular, the woman in the story.
The headline says it all: “Woman finds dog dead in her sweltering car outside Costco, returns pet supplies.” (There’s a link to a segment aired by a local news outlet in that article, but I couldn’t bring myself to watch it. The woman has been charged with cruelty.)
Seriously? It’s been hot for weeks in the DC area… temperatures have been consistently in the nineties, and sometimes even higher. Yet this woman thought it would be okay to leave her poor dog, Delta, locked in a car? It was 104 degrees outside. While shopping at Costco, she left Delta in an oven for an hour and fifteen minutes. Then, when she returned and realized that she had killed Delta, she RETURNED THE PET SUPPLIES she had just purchased. I can think of many words to describe this woman right now, none of which are PG-13. (Don’t even get me started on the comments by her estranged husband in this article. Waterworks initiated. That poor man.)
I’m so angry I can’t even type anymore. (League of Angry Gentlemen – I expect an equally angry post from you about this pathetic excuse for a person. Update: The Angry Gentlemen answered the call. When you want anger done right, go to a professional.)
I know I’m probably preaching to the choir here. (In fact, several bloggers called attention to this issue last week during Blog the Change.) In honor of poor Delta and other dogs who have suffered this fate, I encourage anyone who reads this post to promote pet safety today by linking to MyDogIsCool.com on their site. It’s unacceptable that any dog should have to die because a careless person traps them in a hot car.
Or, in my case, a Labrador Retriever.
Given my love of terriers, I always thought that I’d be one of those scrappy pups. But who am I to argue with the results of this Dogster quiz? People love Labs, after all, so I’ll take it as a compliment.
Wondering what breed you are? Click on the graphic at right to go take the quiz. If nothing else, it’s a good way to ease into Monday.
Feel free to share your results in the comments. Did your breed surprise you?
Anyone else remember Snoopy’s foray into the world of dance? I loved It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown. My mom taped it for me when it was on TV, and I definitely made good use of that VHS. While we’re on the subject, I’d like to share a bit of random trivia I just discovered – the voice of Lucy in this special was none other than our very own Stacey “Fergie” Ferguson, she of Kids Incorporated fame (and the Black Eyed Peas, of course… but she’ll always be the girl from Kids Incorporated to me).
So… that’s my roundabout way of introducing the topic for this week’s No Frown Friday. No… not Fergie. Today, we’re focusing on Beagles! It’s half of Bella, after all. Let’s get to it:
Finally, I’d like to leave you with the following dose of awesome:
Want your own Flashbeagle? Find your local Beagle rescue – however, be aware that not all Beagles come outfitted with their own pair of leg warmers.
Have a puptastic weekend!
I recently learned about Blog the Change, and decided to participate today. On July 15 (and three other times throughout the year), pet bloggers write about animal issues that are near and dear to their hearts in an effort to inspire others to get involved. (For more info, go check out Be the Change for Animals.)
When I was deciding what to write about (and there are some really touching and interesting posts out there today), I found myself coming back to the issue of pet adoption. As you may have noticed, animal rescue is a topic that pops up on this blog fairly regularly. I can’t help it – it’s genetic. My family is full of animal lovers. As I was growing up, adopting pets in need was a regular occurrence. Our rescued pups came to us from many places – neighbors moving away who couldn’t take their pet with them, owners who no longer wanted their pets and were considering getting rid of them, or the odd stray who loped into our lives and became one of the family. Each of these pooches was a blessing, and I am happy that so many of them turned around three times and curled up in my heart.
While thinking about this topic today, I immediately thought of one rescue in particular (aside from my Bella, of course, whose rescue past I’ve shared before). When I was a teenager, a stray named Romeo appeared in my aunts’ neighborhood. Poor Romeo was malnourished, and at one point had suffered some injuries. He was scared to let anyone near him. It was a slow process, but day by day he made his way closer to the front porch and the people waiting to love him. I found it so inspiring to hear about his progress, as well as the time and effort my aunts and uncle devoted to convincing Romeo that he would be safe with them. I remember sitting on the front porch and trying to feed him so that he would see he could trust me as well. Each time he took a step closer, it was a little victory. When you looked in his eyes, you could see that he wanted nothing more than to have a loving home. He just needed to overcome his fear of people in order to let himself be loved. Lucky for Romeo, my aunts and uncle were patient and kind – accordingly, Romeo became a member of the family long before he ever set foot on that porch. He was in need, and they were there to help.
For a variety of reasons, many pups (and other animals) end up homeless. If you have love to give, I urge you to consider rescuing a pup in need. Your love is a wonderful gift to give to a homeless animal, and the love you receive in return is priceless. To find more information about pets in your area that need homes, please visit Petfinder. (It’s how I found Ms. Bella!)
Can’t bring a pup home right now? Consider donating your time instead. There are many wonderful rescue organizations out there (including HART, the group that saved my Bella), and many dogs who want nothing more than people to love them. The individuals who devote their time to these rescue groups are my heroes. I hope you consider volunteering – maybe you will be able to help a lucky pup meet his match and find his forever home. Finally, even if you can’t give your time but would still like to help, there are many other ways you can make a difference.
For more inspiring rescue stories, I encourage you to check out Last Chance Highway on Animal Planet. These inspiring stories of rescued pets will tug at your heartstrings and help you clear those tear ducts out on a weekly basis. You can also find many other inspiring tales at the Petfinder.com Foundation site, and at countless other locations on the interwebs.
In closing, I have one final argument in favor of rescuing a pup: Bella. You know she’s awesome.
First, if you are a dog owner (heck, even if you’re not), you must go read this blog post over at Hyperbole and a Half. After realizing that her dog doesn’t know how to go up and down stairs, the author decides it’s time to see if her dog is… challenged. (Let’s call it that.)
Although I love Bella dearly, I’ve always been aware that she’s not exactly the brightest of pups. While she can successfully navigate the stairs, some of the other behaviors in the post seemed similar to Bella’s daily activities… particularly the random acts of licking throughout the house. The floor, the wall, the cabinets, the dresser… you name it, Bella’s licked it. Once while on a walk, she even licked a goose.
Other parts of the post hit close to home as well. My favorite sentence: “But when turning her head at an extreme angle fails to produce a life-altering epiphany, she usually just short-circuits and rolls on her back.” It’s like the author is talking about Bella. Bella tilting her head at an angle (we call it the puppy face… or the extreme puppy face, depending on how severe the angle) and rolling on her back (affectionately, and perhaps inappropriately, known as “having a seizure” in our household) occur with frequency throughout the day.
So, after reading this post, I decided that maybe I should try some of the tests on Bella. The blanket test was out (throwing a blanket over the dog and seeing how long it takes her to get out) – I’ve seen this happen to Bella on many occasions. I’m not sure she could find her way out even if I gave her a map. She usually just gives up and takes a nap under there.
Instead, I decided to try the treat under a cup test. The test involves getting your dog into a sitting position, letting her sniff a treat (we went with Snausages because Bella loves them in a way that defies description), and then placing the treat under a plastic cup while the pup watches. Then you see how long it takes the pup to get the treat out from under the cup.
Watch the video below to find out what happened (and try not to judge – it’s the first time I have ever attempted to edit a video):
I love when she looks up at the window, as if considering the possibility that the treat grew arms and legs, found a treat-size grappling hook, and climbed up there somehow. Although the results were not encouraging, Bella didn’t seem to mind. After all, she got two Snausages out of the deal.
Thank goodness she can get by on her looks.
It’s so… hot. So very, very hot. For that reason, today’s No Frown Friday is all about being cool. You know what’s cool? Penguins. Without further ado, I turn this No Frown Friday over to our feathered brethren:
Finally, I leave you with a video of baby penguins learning to swim.
(Via Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo)
I hope you enjoyed that penguin moment of Zen – should I call it peng-Zen? No? Let’s just pretend that attempted pun never happened… smile and wave, boys. Just smile and wave…
Check it and see… Mother Nature has a temperature of a hundred and three.
If only the title of this post was not inspired by the fact that my car told me it was 103 degrees yesterday.
And today.
With that in mind… make sure to take care of your furry friend during these sweltering summer days. If you must go outside (or if your pal gets cabin fever), there are many options you can explore. Get your pup a cooling vest or cooling bandana. Let him splash around in the kiddie pool. Cool your feline friend down with a spray bottle.
In any event, I advise you to check out these helpful tips to keep your pet cool and safe in the summer. Sunburns and overheating aren’t just for humans, after all. Unfortunately, the heat’s not the only thing to watch out for – check out a few other dangers lurking during the summer season.
One final tip, and then I will get off my (rapidly melting) soapbox… please don’t ever leave your poor pooch in a hot car. It’s a terrible idea and is extremely dangerous. Think you know just how dangerous? Take this quiz and find out.
Keep cool out there!
