Would you buy a vacuum from this dog? I did.

This holiday season, I treated myself to a new vacuum and resolved to remove and conquer pet hair in the year 2008. We have gone through three vacuums in less than a year and half. I kept on buying the under a hundred bucks jobs, and clearly they couldn't handle my life and the subsequent fur that went along with it.

I vowed to get a better model this time.

In a marketing move that clearly targeted me, Bissell now makes a pet hair eraser with Stella the 5 year old Border Collie on the box. Can you say sucker? Yep I bought it, and to be fair it was 20 dollars less than the one with the Golden Retriever mix on the box .

When I asked the sales guy at Best Buy the difference in the two models, he went on about beater bars on the more expensive one being easier on my hard wood floors. As if someone whose dog's toenails dance across the hard wood floor all day is really going to care about a beater bar. There was also a stairs feature that just didn't apply to me, so Stella was rehomed right then and there.
Yes of course we named the vacuum Stella. Did you really have to ask?

So as if my new vacuum is not the most incredible earth shattering news story of the day, this blog has been direct marketed by Dyson vacuums to test their new hand held rechargable Animal Vacuum designed for pet hair that sells for $199. and is due to come out next month.
And it came today! My new baby is upstairs charging right now.

This blog is so happy to receive said rechargeable Dyson hand held vacuum to review, that this blog is throwing a gleeful cyber hat high up in the air ala Mary Tyler Moore.

Longtime readers of this blog have already read about my battle with dog hair and couches.
If these two vacuums work as well as I hope they will, my search for a new couch may be not nearly as covert as the last outings.

The dog hair drama will be continued as will reviews of both products in the near future.

Hey folks at Roomba---drop me a line. Lets talk.

Shopping continues today with a big thanks to Amy who sent me a morning email that read:

"Since you enjoy some fun bathroom humor at times, I thought this might
interest you".
Included was a link to LTD Commodies.com where they sell bowls shaped like toilets for dogs and and fish bowls for cats (such a deal at only 12.95!).

My appreciation of bathroom humor is no secret to long time blog readers and it has a lot to do with living with kids and dogs.
At our house we practice what we jokingly refer to as "defcom lid down" at all times. Charlee is a master at toilet seat manipulation and she has been known to flick the toilet lid up for a taste of the forbidden yuck. Three kids = don't always flush.

Usually when the water bowl is empty Charlee will bang it around with her paw for a while. If I don't come running to fill the water bowl, she will then pick up any bowl that the kids have left around and bring it to me. To include dropping it on me if I am sleeping. If that fails she will go into the bathroom and bang the toilet seat up and down with her nose.
If I still don't arrive with a rapid refill, then she will flip it open and help herself to open toilet bar.
That always gets my attention.

For a limited time you can get an autographed copy of Gina Spadafori's and Dr. Marty Becker's book-
Why Do dogs Drink Out of the Toilet-here.
Personally, I think dogs drink out of the toilet for the same reason they lick themselves.
Cause they can.

By the way, Amy's rescue, All Min Pin Rescue is having a raffle to benefit their Min Pins in need of medical services. All Min Pin Rescue does not turn away dogs in need of expensive medical care. Click here to go to Min Pin's online Christmas raffle.
Good stuff for a good cause.

$29.95 from L.L. Bean and Planet Dog

When Planet Dog sent me a press release for the Naughty and Nice Gift Tote for Dogs
, I have to say, I was impressed. What a perfect gift for the dog lover!
Stuffed Naughty and Nice as well as an Orbee-Tuff® toy all in a tough L. L. Bean tote bag with a paw print on it!

You can also get a puppy tote bag with puppy toys and treats for the same price.

$14.95 Planet Dog

I don't think I could count how many travel feed bags from Planet Dog I have purchased over the last few years. I use three of them myself, and I have given them away as gifts too many times to count. My dogs each have their own that I pack when we travel containing their own food, medicine and toys, and I keep another one in my van filled to the brim with various dog toys that I use for training client's dogs.

$12.95 size medium

My travel training bag is filled with the medium size Orbee balls on a rope. Wonderful for teaching tug, drop it and retrieve, or use it to just have fun. They are tough!

By the way, Planet Dog is getting lots of well deserved good blogosphere press today for taking their production of dog toys back to Maine and out of China. But you local Maine dog folks already knew that right?

Gifts for dogs and dog lovers will continue through early December. At that time they will be featured together on one big blog.

Boston.com photo

I have written about Red Sox products for dogs in the past, but with the Red Sox in the World Series I thought it was time to revisit.

All products featured are available at Chowdaheadz.com except where noted.

Leash and Collar $29.95

Hat also comes in pink $16.99

Bandana, also comes in pink for $9.95

Bat toy- chants "let's go Red Sox" when squeezed $16.99

Uniform approx. $25. depending on size from Get Some Treats

Large dog bowl $ 10.45 from Athletic Pets

Boston.com wants pictures of your pets in their Red Sox fan wear. You can send them here.

Thanks to Monique for forwarding me The Prayer of the Fenway Faithful.

The Prayer of the Fenway Faithful (aka Red Sox Nation)

GO SOX! :0)

Time to get shopping!
For the next several weeks, I will be featuring cool dog gifts for humans and dogs alike, leading up to a holiday gift guide where all my gift ideas will be found all on one blog.

First up-
How about a travel coffee mug for the coffee drinking dog lover in your life?
$18.00 From Our Name is Mud.

I have featured their products on this blog before. Both my brother and sister got "everything tastes better with dog hair on it bowls" from me a few years back.

$10.00
You can view more of their cool products here.

I have been remiss in my blogging duties over on Itchmo.com, but I just made up for it with a review of Pet Safes new Ultrasonic Faux Bird House.

In the last few weeks, I have been bombarded with ultrasonic pet solutions for barking dogs both on my welcome home pages and via direct marketing. The makers of these ultrasonic products claim it will solve both my barking dog problems and even stop my neighbor's dogs from barking. By emitting a noise only a dog can hear when they bark, the company claims the dog will find the product so annoying it will quiet them.

Beware direct marketers of the can of worms you may open when you fill my in box with crap.

To read my somewhat slanted opinion of Pet Safe's Ultra Sonic Birdhouse click here to go to Itchmo.com

As good as it looks?

Google direct marketed me this morning and sent me the info on the Trackstik II, a personal GPS device. I am soooooo very tired of getting lost trying to find the homes of my private clients, but at the same time, I am not quite ready to dish out $350 bucks for a GPS. At $179.00 bucks, I am very tempted!
Is this product as good as it looks?
Thank you,
Nancy

Several years ago, I perused the pages of Dog Heaven in a book store. It is a lovely child's book and at that time I made a mental note to myself that it would be a great gift to give a child to help ease the loss of their dog.

Yesterday was my daughter's 6th birthday party and my sister came up for a visit. We both did fine all day, and didn't mention Belmont once. When I walked her to her car to say goodbye, it was there that I saw of a copy of Dog Heaven sitting on her front seat. The book was a gift from her good friend and my sister had only just received it on her way to the party.
Neither one of us could look at the book, and in turn we could not even look at each other. We said a hasty goodbye and went on our respective teary ways.
My sister was comforted by the lovely gift from her friend and in turn her friend is ok with the fact that it may take my sister a very long time to open the cover, let alone read it.

"In heaven, dogs run free in endless fields, nap on fluffy clouds, are given treats by passing angels".

I stopped by the Planet Dog store on Saturday to buy more Bark in the Park baseball tickets and I was introduced to a very interesting new product, Yoghund, an organic frozen yogurt treat for dogs. I picked up a box of free samples for my furry pals. Frozen yogurt testers, Finney, Charlee and our new neighbor Chili, all heartily enjoyed their organic frozen treats. Yoghund is made in an ice cream factory, side by side with human icecream, using all human grade ingredients, and before you ask, why yes I did try some! Peanut butter banana- not bad!

Mentioning no names, this all organic product's well known competition lists water as their main ingredient along with a host of other ingredients that I can barely pronounce. Sure Yoghund costs more, but I think in this day and age, we are all willing to pay more for a quality product.

Finn says: "Yum, and you can eat the cup to!"

Yoghund is available locally at Planet Dog, Hannafords, and coming soon to Whole Foods. Check their web site for locations near you.

By the way...if you haven't gotten your doggie tickets to the Sea Dogs game, Bark in the Park, a fundraiser for the Animal Refuge League at Hadlock Field, you are too late. The 50 doggie tickets sold out right away. Human tickets are still available, but going fast. Go get yours!

Interesting article in Sunday's Portland Press Herald about pet friendly products for the home. It reminded me that I haven't shared with you all my latest and greatest home improvement.

Meet my new front storm/screen door.

The original storm door which appeared brand new at the closing, appeared solid enough, but we demolished it in less than two years. The old door had an all glass front panel that we replaced with a full size screen for warmer months. The screen didn't last the first summer without being shredded,and it wasn't just the dogs who did it in either. The kids went right through it on several occasions. Plus I never could trust just a screen to contain dogs at the front door, so we have spent most summers with the front door completely shut.
The door's glass blew out one fall day in a gust of wind that smashed the door violently against the house. It was really scary for all the kids outside that day as it sounded like an explosion and the glass flew everywhere.

Ahhh! But my new storm door, is everything a house with kids and dogs could need. It is heavy duty and best of all the screen pulls down from the top. Even if a dog was to jump on it, or a kids fall on it, all is secure with the ventilation just at the top.
I LOVE it!

Another great feature is the heavy duty key entry lock that we utilize on days that the kids are flying in and out of the house to cut down on the risk canine escapees.
And as an extra bonus we are eligible for a tax credit. Good thing, because I am going to need it!

For more info on my awesome door, click here.

Before next winter I will need to replace the sliding glass back door. We are looking into doors that have blinds built right in. Another perfect invention for homes with kids and dogs.

Thank you Howl911.com for today's fashions.

One for puppy

and one for me.

Click here to outfit the whole family.

By now you all know about the rat poison from China found in pet food from Menu foods.

In yesterday's news conference, the President of Menu Foods had the following to say:

"We have the support of our customers, we have the support of our employees," Henderson said. "We're confident in the future and we remain confident we can put this behind us."

Mr Henderson and I obviously do not travel in the same circles. Pet owners I know have no brand loyalty to brands that kill pets in the name of making a few bucks. Pet owners I know have no brand loyalty to companies who wait until not one but two Friday afternoons to try to bury a story in a press release. Pet owners I know have no brand loyalty to companies who very possibly have no idea what actually goes on with or into their own product. Pet owners that I know do not take kindly to a story as big as this one, being dribbled into our news media at a snails pace when in fact many lives could have been saved long ago if we only got the truth in the first place.

.
Nutro has added ALL wet food to the recall list.

I have had numerous requests from folks wanting to know what is safe to feed our pets.
Here is a list from Petsits of foods NOT made at Menu Foods.
This is an FYI.
I am not personally recommending any food on the list.

As always Pet Conneciton is the place to go for up to the minute information.

If like me, you wage a constant war against dog hair, look no further.

You NEED a FURminator.

If you don't own one, get one.

I bought one for my self for the holidays and it was my favorite present of the year. While it didn't realize the claim that you only need to FURminator your dog every 6 weeks, I have never gotten so much fur from a dog in my life and there is certainly much less fur in my house. I kept meaning to get my camera to take photos of the all the fur that came off the dogs, but I find FURminating a bit addicting and never could seem to stop myself to run and get a camera. Then I figured, if you all wanted to see it action, all you have to do is watch the movie.
All the dogs don't mind it, even Charlee who doesn't care for grooming. The dogs that love to be groomed, absolutely love it. It must feel great for them to get rid of that dead itchy fur.

If you are looking for a dog gift for your doggie friends-look no further. I have bought two in the last two months. Said one happy friend "my porch looked like I skinned an animal". And from my sister "I had just brushed Belmont, and really couldn't believe how much fur that thing got!"

As a comparison, I also picked up the 10 dollar
Shed Ender at Walgreens, and while it did work somewhat, I would say, "doesn't even come close to the FURminator".

Prior to being a FURminator convert, my favorite shedding tool was a circular cat shedding blade that I bought at a yard sale for 10 cents.

One of the reasons I liked the cat shedding blade over the larger dog/horse type was that I had more control on how much pressure I put on my dog's sensitive areas.

LOVE IT!

When our Collie Finn turned one early last month, I picked up Premier's new Bouncy Bone for his birthday gift.
Here is what Premier has to say about it:

The Bouncy Bone™ - 3 toys in 1. The durable bone and rubber ball, plus replaceable treats, make this a must-have for any dog! The Bouncy Bone comes packaged with 2 sets of Gnawhide treats, to keep your pup chewing happily. Available in 3 sizes. Additional treats sold separately.

I am happy to report all good things about this product. Toy testers Finney, Brewster, Sophia and Charlee have all enjoyed this toy and it shows little signs of wear. The hard bone has a few tooth minor tooth marks, but the hard rubber ball is not even dented.
Finn gets his Bouncy bone with the Gnawhide screwed in at crate time when I have to leave the house. When I get home, the other two dogs can't wait for their turn. Sometimes there are bits of the Gnawhide still left and Charlee has to work at it a bit to get to it. Charlee has never shown any interest in Nylabones but she happily works on the Bouncy Bone after it has been scented with the Gnawhide.
Interactive toys for dogs keep them busy for much longer than regular toys. Interactive toys that last and keep a dogs interest are well worth the investment.
They are VERY reasonably priced. We have the medium size.
The large was very heavy and could have actually hurt someone if Charlee got to throwing it around like she does the medium size Bouncy Bone.

My toy testers play hard, but they are not what I would call true power chewers.

Grade
A plus plus!

Feel free to add your comments here. Keep it clean! When I stop laughing I will add a comment to.

Oh and don't miss the movie.

Last month I wrote that I wouldn't buy the dogs anything for the holidays. In lieu of presents, I vowed to donate money to The Rabies Challenge Fund, and I did.
And it felt really really good.
I will always suspect that Dina, my last Border Collie died from over exposure to vaccines.

If I knew then what I know now....sigh.

If you haven't sent in a donation to the fund yet, maybe a reminder that tax time is coming will help get you running for your wallet.

Ok, so I caved. The dogs are getting presents after all. Really was there ever a doubt?
I bought 1/2 dozen extra large Natural Balance Rolls, and, 1/2 dozen Bully sticks
for my dogs and for a few of my wonderful, super, extra special clients. Nothing says I love you to a dog like meat and bull's penis right?

I have been relentlessly surfing for 2 new Pet beds. Heads up that the LL Bean Outlet in Portlland has the extra large beds for a great price. About 90 dollars with the covers. Had it in my hand. Put it back. A good friend and I have decided to try to make our own. Click here for DIY info. Basically you buy shredded memory foam in bulk and Kate will sew it. (right Kate? lol) Great idea no? Or you could re stuff an existing cover. I plan to put a Chucks pads on top of the foam as well. Much easier to keep clean and dry that way. By the way, I love chucks pads. Cotton on top, waterproof underneath. Great as a crate pad to.
Easy to clean. Easy to steal.
Oopps! Did I just write that? Like mother like daughter I guess. Right Mom?

Finney is starting agility in a few weeks and he is getting a few jackpot toys. Like most Collies, Finney is a bit cautious and these toys should help to get him motivated!

This just in! An email confirming that my FURminator has been shipped. (insert large cheers!) Check back soon for before and after pictures. Right now Charlee looks like she is wearing poofy brown dead fur pants...

And in case you were wondering, my youngest daughter is NOT getting the new pooper scooping Barbie.

Is it just me, or is Tanner eating his own crap?
What's next? Doggie Doolie Ken?

Update!
Bought 2 extra large beds at Mardens for $21!

All this shopping shopping, shopping! Here is what I just ordered for myself.

The FURminator, A miracle of modern dog grooming!

I have no idea why FURmintors work so well, but they are amazing! Charlee has a thick undercoat and she sheds sheds shed. The last time I used one on her at a groomers, it looked like she dropped about 10 pounds. At the time they cost 60 bucks and I was too cheap (and broke!) to splurge and continued with the usual brushes, curry combs and shedding blades. But at 31 bucks including shipping from Amazon.com, I just ordered two! One for us and a gift for my sister.
Between the FURminator and the Ocean Omega Fish Oil, maybe I won't need a new vacuum (again!) this year!

Several months ago, I started to hear the buzz about the new Triple Crown Everlasting Treat Ball. People were telling me how much their dogs loved them and how long they lasted. I started to recommend them to my clients, and all the feed back has been quite positive.
I told clients it sounded like a Willy Wonka Everlasting Gobb Stopper for dogs.

The other day I was surfing products over at Clean Run and their web site claimed it kept their own power chewers busy for several hours. That was good enough for me and I bought one last night. Neither one of my dogs would be considered power chewers.

I bought the extra large size in hopes that I could leave it in the car with my young collie Finney, and that the treat ball would keep him from possibly munching on my seatbelts and other parts of my brand new Mini Van interior.

They are a bit pricey at close to $25.00 for one ball with two treat inserts, but I thought if it safely keeps dogs busy for several hours per treat ball as claimed, it was well worth it.

On the way home I opened the package and filled it with several kinds of treats and gave it to Charlee. She got the treats out in less than 20 seconds and sniffed the ball around and was not interested. When I got home I gave it to Finn and he went wild for it.
After a few minutes Finn got it a bit wet, then Charlee stole it and went into a sort of obsessed, crazed, drugged like frenzy trying to get the obviously delectable treat ball out. Which she did in under 4 minutes. I looked over and she was chewing the ball which to my disappointment, was not even a ball but size of a quarter of a ball. The marketing on the package is deceiving. She guarded the treat (only 1/4 of a ) ball from me but I was afraid she would swallow it, and I carefully pried it away from her. I then put it back in the middle of the treat ball holder and it took her all of another 6 minutes to get it back out. She worked at in a bit of a comical frenzy, and ultimately bit down and pushed it out through the other end. Once out she chewed the 1/4 ball in under 60 seconds, swallowing a large piece before I could get it from her.
If there wasn't a "back door" she may not have been able to pry it out so easily. I thought this was also misleading in the packaging. It appears to have one side for a treat ball and another for a treat pocket, or second ball, but there is a hole in the middle where they can intersect. Why I wonder? The idea of having a chew toy in a ball appealed to me, but only if the dog could not get the chew toy out!

We gave another to Finn who worked on it and chewed it as it was intended, but I no longer feel comfortable recommending them after Charlee nearly swallowed it whole. Finn liked the ball even without anything in it, but let's face it, young dogs are not very discriminating and Finney equally likes socks, tissue and milk cartons as do most young dogs.
We tried a variety of treats in the back pocket and even Finn got them out in less than a minute.

And ok I will admit that Charlee is a clever herding dog, bred to solve problems, but this is not one that I will chance her solving again, and I won't take the chance that any visiting dogs may either.

To make matters worse, while they were playing with it, bits of scented smelly goo got on the area where they were chewing it, and both dogs went back and had I not intervened they would have destroyed several kid's toy trying to get to it. The toys were in the corner by the bed and they obviously had been scented and spattered with bits of the treat ball. One pop up learning letter toy in particular had sort of eaten a few pieces into it's parts and the dogs were more than ready to tear it apart to get the teeny bits out.

I now know to never use one in the car, the main reason I bought it.

Grade-D for disappointing.

Have you tried the treat ball?

I have been reading Gina Spadafori syndicated pet column for years and freely admit that I am addicted to her blog Dogma, and I never miss an entry.
Check it out!

To me, Gina is but another far away friend that I just haven't met yet and I have even heard another dog person lamenting "When I grow up I want to be Gina". She gets paid to write about pets, and I write about pets and don't get paid. So yes when I grow up I want to be Gina to!

Gina has written several pet books, and recently teamed up with Dr Marty Becker to pen Why Do Dogs Drink From the Toilet and Do Cats Always Land on their Feet. I hear through the very ripe grape vine that both books are quick, fun and interesting reads, and the price is right to.

You can also order their logo stuff on Cafe Press here.

In honor of the books launching, they have created two fast and interesting pet quizzes. Test your knowledge! Go on and see what you really know about
dogs,
and cats .

Take the tests, and leave a comment and let us know how you did.

And as if that wasn't enough you can win all sorts of free stuff with the purchase of the books.

PS-I haven't had a chance to check the books out in person yet. This pro Gina blog comes to you without the usual free book from a PR person. But, because I LOVE free, I lifted the great picture of Woody, her working Flat Coated Retriever getting some big air, off of her very worthy of checking out photo blog over at
Flickr.

Thanks to my new friends at Chimpfeet.com, I am enjoying drinking my morning coffee from my very own mug, featured above.

Love the saying,
Love the color, and I
Love love love the size. I can pour an extra large cup of joe, and still not be spilled on when the kids or dogs bump into my hand, which is just about every time I try to enjoy a cup of coffee.

Year before last, I bought this platter for my brother and sister and a few dog loving friends from the now defunct Bark 'n Roll in the Old Port, and the mug is from the same maker.

Chimpfeet.com carries lots of fun stuff for animal lovers and pets, and I really love the clocks. Either of these would look great in my house.

But for now, I think I need to go find my credit card, cause there are some things in life that a girl just has to have.

Jack eats a Frosty Paws from the Ice Cream truck while his sister Sadie looks on

I awoke to find this great picture of Jack in my in-box. It was sent to me by his owner Kim of Raymond. Jack is beating the heat with a cool fix of Frosty Paws from the local ice cream truck. Several people have told me recently that their neighborhood ice cream trucks now sell Frosty Paws, and I say-you gotta love it!

If you would like to make your dog a cool summer treat try some of these recipes.

Step one-
You will need a Kong or other hard rubber hollow dog toy

Step two-
Fill with Yogurt. My dog loves Stoneyfield Farm Banilla, but most flavors will work great. You can mix in anything that your dog likes. Jack likes Reeces cereal and/or Cheerios mixed with Vanilla yogurt. For puppies I take their kibbles, soak in water and then stuff the Kong and I am always sure to put an extra special goodie in first for a bonus when they get to the bottom. For the special goodie I use whatever I have handy, like a piece of deli meat, or leftovers.

Step three-
Freeze
I keep several stuffed frozen Kongs in my freezer at all times.

Step four-
Feed and watch your dog enjoy!
Some dogs can get a bit messy and you may want to take your frozen Kong outside.

Click here for more sample recipes direct from the Kong company. Be sure to click tips and advice. Not all recipes are frozen, but a stuffed Kong will keep your dog busy, and that as they say, is a good thing!

Thanks again for the picture Kim, and I can't wait to get Jack back in class this fall!

If you have a special Kong recipe please share it here.

After his Frosty Paws, Jack cools off with help from the hose

Love this poster!

I used to have the Lab alphabet poster hanging in my 13 year old son's room when he was a baby, but it didn't survive the move to Maine. I bought it at a now defunct exceptionally cool doggie boutique that used to reside in Boston's Beacon Hill.

That store was at least 15 years ahead of the current dog craze wave.

I am ordering another one and you can to right here
for $12.00 plus shipping.

Tired of dogs pooping on your lawn and ready to tell the whole world about it? How about a Poop Free Zone sign for 19.95 plus shipping.

as seen on Doggie News.com a really fun place to surf on over to.

Wouldn't it be something if I insisted that clients with the stinking farting dog get their farting friend under control by insisting that the dog wear one of these?

My kids took one look at it and dubbed it "the dog fart thong".

Uses our famous activated charcoal cloth (washable and reusable)! A starter hole is placed in the cloth in order to help you locate the suggested tail hole.

Seems like some good fodder for playground torture to me.

"your mother washes clothes in dog fart thongs..."
"farty farty farty, your clothes are a dog fart party"
"Hey-it's dog fart boy"

Ok-so it snowed. I can still see my spring bulbs popping up and our latest precipitation will be gone by lunch time. I refuse to shovel it and instead shall turn today's musings to Fenway Park. Yes, I still have spring fever and to most of us spring means Red Sox.

In training class yesterday I brought a client's puppy who proudly wears a Red Sox leash and collar. Can't take that pup anywhere without people asking me where they can buy their own.

Are you running for your credit card to get your dog ready for spring with a few Red Sox licensed pet products? Leashes, collars, bandanas, bowls, clothes and toys are just a click away.

I did a web search and you can buy them at many locations online, but I was strangely drawn to Chowdaheadz.com because I love their slogan "WICKED PISSA STUFF".

You can take the girl out of Revere, but you can't take the Revere out of the girl.

Been meaning to blog the Red Sox pet products for some time, but I was given a sign that the time was now because on the drive home from dinner last night, the kids and I saw a bumper sticker that said...
Yankees still suck!

Maybe I will pick up some Fenway Franks for training treats this week.

Gotta love this bat dog toy
It squeaks and chants
Lets go Red Sox woof... woof... woof... when your dog fetches it.
From Chowdaheadz
15.99

Marking up my Winter Wonderland
(to the Tune of "Winter Wonderland")
Dog tags ring, are you listenin'?
In the lane snow is glistenin'.
It's yellow, not white - I've been there tonight,
marking up my winter wonderland.

Smell that tree? That's my fragrance.
It's a sign for wand'ring vagrants:
"Avoid where I pee, it's my property!
Marked up as my winter wonderland."

In the meadow Dad will build a snowman,
following the classical design.
Then I'll lift my leg and let it go, man,
so all the world will know it's mine-mine-mine!

Straight from me to the fencepost,
flows my natural incense boast:
"Stay off of my turf, this small piece of earth.
I mark it as my winter wonderland."

The Twelve Treats of Christmas
(to the tune of "Twelve Days of Christmas")
On the first day of Christmas, my family gave to me
a Stick to chew from under a tree...

(Day 2) ... two hours chasing doves
(Day 3) ... three marrow bones
(Day 4) ... four squeaking ducks
(Day 5) ... five tugging rings
(Day 6) ... six toys a squeaking
(Day 7) ... seven Kongs afloating
(Day 8) ... eight flying Frisbees
(Day 9) ... nine nylabones
(Day 10) ... ten tennis balls
(Day 11) ... eleven days of hiking
(Day 12) ... twelve obedience lessons

Fill the Bowls
(to the tune of "Deck the Halls")
Fill our bowls with freeze-dried liver,
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Watch our noses start to quiver,
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Please add bits of cheese and bacon,
Fa-la-la, Fa-la-la, la-la-la!
Happy wags our tails are makin',
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!

Sniff the gifts and shred the wrapping,
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
'Round the Christmas tree go FRAPping*
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
Swipe a slurp of grandma's eggnog
Fa-la-la, Fa-la-la, la-la-la!
Then relax and be a bedhog
Fa-la-la, Fa-la-la, la-la-la!

(*FRAP = Frenzied Activity Period)

Let It Snow
Oh the snow in the yard is yellow
Thanks to our doggie fellow
But the droppings sink way down low
Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow!

So the scooper sits rusting outside
As we wait for Spring and "low tide"
The piles will wait down below
Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow!

In the warmth of the summer sun
We must scoop every day in the yard
But as soon as the winter comes
Finding the stuff gets quite hard

While the piles sit there fertilizing
Our backs arent exercising
Our rest is short, this we know
(please)
Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow!

Doggies White Christmas
I'm dreaming of slow squirrel
One I could catch and make my toy
Or a lovely shoe
That I could chew
Would add greatly to my joy

I'm dreaming of a dog biscuit
Tall as a house and twice as wide
Little toys that squeak
And kids that shriek
And huge bones made of rawhide

I'm dreaming of a huge buffet
With all the plates at tables edge
Grabbing hefty portions
Of people rations
Before they go in the fridge

I'm dreaming of a long walkie
One where I choose where I will go
Greeting doggie friends
Sniffing both ends
Our tails wagging to and fro

I'm dreaming of a soft pillow
all to myself and end of day
Where I snore the evening away
Storing energy for doggie play...

Tennis Balls
(to the tune of "Silver Bells")
Flying Frisbees, kongs and rope tugs
All are wonderful toys
And they all give me hours of pleasure
But there's one more that I adore
- They're my most special prize,
If I lost them I'd probably die...
Tennis balls, Tennis balls!
Throw them so I can go fetch 'em!
Tennis balls, Tennis balls!
Come on let's go out and play!

O Puppy Tree
(to the tune of O Christmas Tree)
O Christmas Tree
O Christmas Tree
How high up are your trimmings!

O Christmas Tree
O Christmas Tree
How high up are your trimmings!

Before the pup
We trimmed your boughs
Close to the floor
As space allows

O Christmas Tree
O Christmas Tree
How high up are your trimmings!

The balls aren’t glass
No tinsel yet..
After that last trip to the vet

O Christmas Tree
O Christmas Tree
How high up are your trimmings

Empty boxes
Wrapped carefully
Now barricade our Christmas tree

O Christmas Tree
O Christmas Tree
How high up are your trimmings!

When pup is grown
We’ll trim with glee
And have a normal Christmas tree

O Christmas Tree
O Christmas Tree
How high up are your trimmings!

Hark! The Joyous Doggies Call
(to the tune of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing")

Hark! The joyous doggies call
Mamas returned from the mall
Let us greet her joyfully
While she tries to gain entry

Let us jump and let us yip
Let us make our mama trip
Let us bring her our best toys
Ones that make the squeaky noise
Were so glad to have her home
All doggies hate to be alone
Hark! The joyous doggies call
Mama has returned from the mall!

Three Hounds
(to the tune of "We Three Kings")
We three hounds from Portland are.
Smelling treats, we've tracked them quite far.
Led our mission to your kitchen,
right there to yonder jar.

Roo-oooooo...
Can we have one, pretty please?
Must we beg upon our knees?
Crunchy! Chewy! Love them? Do we!
Serve them up - please don't tease!

All songs were lifted off the Internet and authors are unknown, except for the Twelve Treats of Christmas which was penned by yours truly.
If you know of other doggie carols, or if you would like to try writing your own, you may post them here.

Update! Taken from the comment section:Several of these carols are from my web site Tale Waggers - stories for "dog people" at http://www.talewaggers.com
The following are my carols:
Tennis Balls
Dog Christmas
Hark the Joyous Doggies Call
O Puppy Tree
Let it Snow

there are more carols on my web site

Today brought yet another pet funeral to the Smith house. Blue, one of our two 5 year old rescue parakeets, was laid to rest in the drizzle under a wild rose shrub. She is survived by her nastier sister Yellow.

For the first time in my life l lived with pets that I had no bond with. These two birds lived in my house for two years, but would still cling to the cage whenever I walked by, or fed them or cleaned the cage. These birds had no use for people, partly because they grew up with a boy who most likely abused them, and partly because the two birds had each other and had no use for us.
Like dogs, they missed an important early window where they should have been handled and socialized in a positive way.

I am sad for my kids. The bird chose to die when I was at work and my kids called me at least 7 times to give me a blow by blow of Blue's slow demise. Long distance really isn't the next best thing to being there, but at least my clients were understanding.

If she were a treasured pet, and we were rich, we might have chosen to Mummify her, the new craze of the rich and famous. Somehow, this appeals to me, although I don't have a spare $10,000 or so for the bird or the $50,000-100,000 that it would cost for the dog.

On a smaller scale, I think I would be interested in a small size urn that was a life like statue of the dog. Attention starving artists- you could make a mint on this idea!

For more over the top products, check out my other related blogs:
Beach Wear for Dogs
Rich Resting Spaces
Shoes you can't use
Here comes the bride
Bling it on and Balls

Here comes the bride

Always the bridesmaid

The groom

I was on the phone tonight discussing my over the top web findings with my good friend Beth and mentioned that I had been surfing for dog wedding attire.
To which she pronounced "First of all dogs are not monogamous and second of all, they have no business wearing white."

Nuff said.

Wedding attire featured here available at Ritzy Rover.com
Dress $149.00
Two-piece tuxedo $119.00
Bridesmaid shirt $18.00
prices do not include shipping

Check out Buttercup and Peanuts wedding. Buttercup and Peanut.com also sells wedding attire. If your virgin bride needs a veil, they got it!

You have got to check the interior of Monster Dog House from the Discovery Channel. Love the photo of the humans playing poker and what dog wouldn't love their own inground bone shaped swimming pool.

Then check the Monster Animal Shelter in Tennesee.

My welcome screen on AOL this morning tells me Swarovski crystal dog tags are the “new thing" and all of Hollywood is scrambling to get their tags and even matching collars.

Here is a tag I had made locally for 7 bucks. My dog is often used as a demo dog and when she visits with people she often flings her derriere right at them, and still they don’t understand that all she wants is for them to:

For all her hard work, it was the least I could do in return!
Which tag would your dog rather have?