Smokey verses 4 Black Labs!

Seems like a fair fight...

Nice While it Lasted

Kit is cute as a button but a button with a destructive streak. Last time she was here another dog taught her to chew on the outside wall of the kennel. I was just expecting more of that this stay. Alas no, she found something new to chew on. The caulk that I installed last month to make the outside runs easier to clean. Nice while it lasted. I am going to have to remember to keep putting Kit in this particular kennel every stay!

Just a Bit More Food than Needed

This is Maggie Mae and this is her food. Not a stay's worth of food, a day's worth of food. I measured it out, 10 cups total. I was told half a bag in the morning and half a bag at night along with the 3 treats in each bag. They even dated each bag for me. I poured those first 5 cups and thought to myself, if this little thing with zero percent body fat really eats that whole bowl she must have a tape worm the size of a boa constrictor!

When she took 5 meals to eat 5 cups, I had a new and better measurement of what she eats. I asked about the enormous bags of food; they were just worried about her running out. I found myself just having to do the math: she was supposed to stay 7 days,so 70 cups of food, that is actually enough food for 35 days!

Six Pack!

And try as I might, I can't get them all in one picture. Also difficult to do, get them back into the right kennels in the right sets.





















I did however manage to get a photo with none of them in it.

Be a Dog, Smell a Butt! You Will Be So Much Happier!

I would often shouted that advice at a beagle named Scooter. He never did take my suggestion to heart. Dog personalities really do vary. You get from All Dog, to All Human, and, for me, sometimes all in the same weekend.

All Dog
These are my players, all speed, happiness, and no manners or steering. They will smell everyone, early and often. They play or try to play with everything on four leg and sometimes even me. They ofter won't take 'No!' for an answer to a request to play, that is when I have to play referee.

All Human
These are the dogs that think they are people. They have a slightly panicked look when they end up in my kennel. They look at me and in their eyes I see that not only are they people, they consider themselves to not be Dog-People either. I know that look, my mom has it everytime my labs got near her.

All Human can be overcome. They just need to relax, smell a butt and be a dog! If you can get a All Dog to pester All Human into playtime they will get it.

I have watched this change happen over and over again. From freaked out and cowering at my feet to running, wrestling, leaping, sniffing, and wagging with the pack. It is a joy to behold. Only I wonder what they think when they get back home. Do they look at their owners and think, "You are great on the petting, scratching and sitting with stuff and the letting in and out and feedings are great but, heck, you are just not all that much fun."

It might explain the dogs that drag their owners from the car to kennel.

Special Orders! I Don't Get Them!

As I have said before, if you are feeding your dog and it takes more than three ingredients or three steps, you are working too hard. I remind you that your dog considers a dried up cat turd on a hot sidewalk to be a rare and wondrous delicacy.

People keep telling me that their dog is a picky eater. I find that to be impossibility. Dogs by nature will eat anything, most often things that they never should have tried. Like my dog that once barfed up a piece of leather with a brass rivet in it. That is when I figured out what happened to my boat shoes.

Universally, the extra treat added to the dog food for these finicky eaters is something that is all protein and fat: Chicken, eggs, cheese, or hot dogs. I even had a dog that came with bologna. Dogs, as a rule, should only eat dog food. It is designed to give them all that they need everyday of their lives. Giving them all this extra is only throwing off the balance of protein, fat and minerals. Besides, that extra stuff tastes great and can only make dog food less appealing.

So, if your dog won't eat and the vet says their is nothing wrong with them. Let them get hungry. I have learned that no dog will hold out not eating for more than 48 hours, no matter how mad they are about being in the kennel. Then add lots of exercise to work up an appetite. Or, and this a drastic measure, get a second dog. Nothing like competition for the food to make one more interested in breakfast.

Or drop them off here. Between the playtime work outs and all those other dogs looking at their food, I rarely have a picky eater with a full bowl for long!

Three Days Off!

I am getting pretty spoiled not having to hit the door by 7am. I am making up for it by digging in and getting the kennel into shape. Really, just a fluke that I have exactly the right amount of time for the caulk to cure falling when I finally get my car back to go buy the supplies, with the right weather to pull it all off.

I caulked the new concrete, this should make it easier to clean and I also water-proofed the concrete. I am hoping this makes a world of difference on my ability to get sun-baked poop off the concrete. Oh the stuff, I never used to think about.

The kennel will be 8 years old this November and it is showing the wear and tear of non-stop dogs. Now, that the website is done, I hope to get back to designing a new, better kennel. Once that is up and running, the old one is going to get a makeover!

What's in a Name?

Just like the Harley motorcycles, dogs named Harley come in many different Models.

I had a Miniature Pincher and a Chihuahua named Harley at the same time last weekend.

I have a Boxer, a German Shepard, a Roitwieller, a Shitzu, and a Pomperanian. Those are just the ones I remember off the top of my head. Last time I worked on my database, I had about 48 different Harleys and I haven't even tried to type in any dogs from this year.

Buddy is another popular name, along with Sadie, Smokey, Magie, and Roxy. There are two different Boxers named Roxy but, they have never been here at the same time. So getting two Buddy's, both Dachshunds, is some new and unusual and really a bit of a pain keeping them straight and in the right kennel!

The Art of Drumming Up Traffic for Your Blog By Commenting on Mine

There is more to getting people to read your blog than to just post a comment asking to view your blog.

The best way to get my attention and that of readers is to post something witty, funny or insightful. If your posts are consistently interesting, not only will I search out who you are, so will my readers.

Really, what you post makes a difference. I wish you well with your blogging!

Miss Bailey

Miss Bailey is shy of the camera.


Miss Bailey is afraid of the brush, so I have to let her molt in this heat.


But she is not shy or afraid of the big dogs.


To a point, anyway.


So, Miss bailey gets some time alone and the big kids get to keep on wrestling.

A Good Workout for Both of Them

Ike getting what he usually dishes out!

At first, it was just Ike and Tobit. I was trying to get the shot of Tobit mounting Ike's head like a furry Russian hat but, Ike wasn't letting her get into her favorite position.



Then Belle got in on it.










Then BB and Millie joined in.



The girls had even had him down and surrendering.



















Kissing to make up.

Belle and Tess = Tessie and Anti-Tessie

Belle is a slightly subdued version of Tessie. She jumps but, not non-stop. She barks but, mostly at the chickens and not the other dogs. She wants back in her kennel, FIRST! but, doesn't need to go in every kennel. She runs like the wind and in that respect, she shows me that Tessie is starting to get old.

Tess, however, is the exact opposite of Tessie. She is old, sedate, quiet, and willing to stand with me in the shade and get petted.

Tess was recently abandoned on and adopted by Belle's owners. One lucky dog, now.

What is really disappointing to me: Belle and Tess go home today and Tessie is coming on Sunday. I would love to get these three girls together!

Finally, I have a system that works!

It is very long and convoluted but, everyone gets out and no one gets hurt.

First, the cast of characters:

We have Zoey and Kale, they are a perfect match and are having a good time together. They would, could and should play with the Big and Bouncies that we have this weekend. Only, Puppy plays WAY too hard and I am worried about a Little Bit getting a little bit smooshed.



Under the title of Big and Bouncy, we have Lily, Puppy, Prudence, Emma, and Oakley. Two Lab mixes, a Boxer, a Standard Poodle and a Labradoodle, respectively. They are all getting along, famously.







Then there are Tequila and Mikki, these two are giving me gray hairs and I really don't need anymore of those. Tequila is a Pitbull and is showing too much fence aggression to ever be let out with anyone else. It is just as well, because Mikki is so old and arthritic that I can't risk having him hit by another dog. Mikki is in such bad shape, he can't get out the dog door. I actually thought I was going to have to take this dog to the vet to be put down because he wouldn't even stand up for the first day. Talked to the owners and it turns out, I have to get Mikki to stand up and move or he will just lie down all day, making his stiff joints even worse.






That is when I came up with my system:

Step one, lock Tequila in the outside run.

Then let Puppy, Lily, Prudence, Emma and Oakley out to play. Try to get them all on the back portion of the play yard and close the gate. (Biggest hold up in this process is waiting for Puppy to pee. Either that dog has the largest bladder or the smallest urethra, 'cause he takes much to long to finish peeing.)

Go back in the kennel and walk Mikki out the door and through the gate to the play yard. Let Tequila out with her brother. Keep Lily, Puppy and Tequila from fence fighting at the gate.

Let them all play for at least 15 minutes.

Put Tequila back in her run.

Walk Mikki back through the gate and into the kennel. Feed him his special combo of dog food and chopped up hot dog. Grab Tequila's special bowl, that keeps her from eating too fast and throwing up. (Will have to get a picture of this bowl and find out where they got it, I know a number of dogs that need this device)

Go back outside.

Give Tequila her food in the outside run.

Put all the Big and Bouncies back in their runs.

Let Zoey and Kale out, and stick them on the far side.

Let Amos and Dillan out. I don't have a picture of these guys, a Shitzu and a Chiuhuahua. They are truly the rarest of all breeds, a small dog that comes when called. A wondrous treat for me. Only, they don't get along with the other two little bits.

All of this takes about 45 minutes, minimum, so I am thankful that this mismatched set of dogs showed up after my husband is off from school.

Puppy VS Toddler!

And the Tails Tell All, Again.

This is a happy Great Pyrenees' tail.



And this is an unhappy Great Pyrenees' tail.



It was my goal to get Attila to raise her tail to at least half-mast before the end of the weekend. No luck, that dog is just seriously freaked out, all the time.

I Think I Know What Muffin is Made Of!

I have always wondered about Muffin. I and his owner has always suspected Great Pyrenees but, he has quite a bit of yellow and black in his fur allong with the white.

Well, I had two Great Pyrenees along with Muffin and I think the tails tell the pedigree.

That is definitely the same tail.