Pillows and Garbage
I have a confession…
Who me?
I suffer from separation anxiety. I’m not proud of it, but my little mental problem does manifest itself in a couple very specific ways.
When my humans leave, they usually close the master bedroom door. I can’t open doors yet (although I do hit them with my nose when I want them opened.) But if I have access to the master bedroom when I’ve been left alone, my go-to destinations are pillows and garbage.
Not just any garbage, but the little can in the bathroom. No scrap is left untouched… it’s quite the scene when the humans come home.
The other manifestation of my anxiety is a little more disturbing and I hesitate to admit it. Plus, all the wackos on this here internet don’t make it easy to be honest about some behaviors. (My Foot-licker! post is a little too popular in some searches, if you get my meaning.)
Okay, here it goes: I jump on the big bed and hump the pillows. There I said it (or wrote it) and that’s all I’m going to say about it. Admitting it is the first step, right?
Anyway, some dogs have separation anxiety and some dogs just misbehave. You can tell if it’s true separation anxiety, if your dog exhibits her destructive behavior within the first 20 minutes of your departure. I think I check that master bedroom door as soon as I hear the car drive away without me in it.
In my case, simply closing the door will prevent me from compromising pillows and inhaling bath tissues. Two good suggestions for keeping your dog happy when she’s home alone are these: keep her tired and/or keep her busy. I’m sure you can figure out the tired part. To keep her busy, maybe supply a Kong or something similar that can hide a treat and make her work for her reward.
Please don’t judge me… everybody’s got “a thing” – this is mine.
Well, golly, I feel SO much better now.
Summer Reading List
I’m ready for summer!
Lazy, warm days, lying in the sun with a good book.
Summer Reading
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: Oprah-approved and she’s a dog lover and there’s dogs in it. A Win-Win-Win.
Nature Walks in Connecticut: A reference to broaden our trail hikes.
The Art of Racing in the Rain: I know I just read it – it’s THAT good.
A Thousand Acres: Strong women in farm country – cool.
Cat’s Eye: Know thine enemy.
Marley & Me: Kind of a goofy hero, but I totally GET him during thunderstorms.
In Her Shoes: Lawyer to Dog-Walker; nuff said.
Housekeeping: Coming of age story with vintage names like Ruthie and Sylvie. A dog character named Scout would fit right in, don’t you think?
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: My dog friends do not recommend this book even with *dog* in the title. I’m gonna make up my own mind.
Dogs Without Blogs – Annie
There are certain dog names that I love: Beans; Jack; Rocket; Nietzsche. One of my favorites is Annie. When the name is paired with a sweet little creation like the one pictured below, it proves that there is magic in dogs. Let’s meet Annie and her human, Shannon.
Sweet Annie
What is your name?
Annie
What breed of dog are you?
Jack Russell/Dachshund mix
How old are you?
about 2
What nicknames do the humans call you?
Annie Bananie, Baby Cakes, Little Orphan Annie
Do you like any of your nicknames?
I don’t like it when they call me Little Orphan Annie. I have a home and family now!
What is your favorite walk/hike?
thru the neighborhood with my best friend, Rubie, a shih tsu
What is your go to toy?
stuffed giraffe that is no longer stuffed
What is the most fashionable thing you wear?
my fleece coat
If you’re a reader, what is your favorite book?
any cookbook
What is the oddest thing you’ve ever done?
i jumped on the kitchen table (my family thinks I’m part cat)
What is the treat you will do anything for?
Stella & Chewy’s freeze dried duck
What is your greatest skill?
charming my family into getting anything I want :D
What is your favorite human food?
baby carrots
If you could be granted 3 wishes, what would they be?
I could eat all I wanted all day, I could sleep on my mom’s pillow and get my tummy rubbed
What do you love most about your human?
she takes good care of me, and gives me too many treats
Modern Jack Russell Card
What is your dog’s name?
Annie
What breed of dog do you have?
Jack Russell/Dachshund mix
How old is your dog?
we think she’s 2
What nicknames do you call your dog?
Annie Bananie, Baby Cakes
What is the best thing you’ve taught your dog?
potty training!!!!
How does your dog make you laugh?
when she chases the kids around the living room at full speed
What is your favorite walk/hike to take?
thru the neighborhood with my best friend, Anna and her dog, Rubie
What is the best toy you’ve given your dog?
well, she’s taken any stuffed animal she can get her teeth into
Has your dog ever destroyed anything in your home?
too many to count. the living room carpet is the biggest thing.
What do you love most about your dog?
she follows me everywhere and keeps me company all day.
***
Thanks Annie and Shannon for participating!
If you want to see more like the Modern Jack Russell Card above,
please visit the Annie & Page shop on Etsy here.
And, if you “like” their page on Facebook,
I think you may get a Mom’s Day discount on a custom dog portrait.
Check it out here.
who is your dog?
Have you signed up for the “Dogs Without Blogs” feature yet?
Whether you’re human or canine, I love to brag about dogs.
Visit our Facebook page to sign up here!
Would love to hear from you…
Old Lyme Disease
Oh yeah, I’ve got it. The dreaded Lyme. The big L.
***
I had been limping on my front right leg for a few days. I usually recover from tweaking my leg in a day or two. This had turned into three. On the fourth day, I seemed good to go, so A-Dog and I went running in the woods. Later that day, the front leg tweak had returned and now my back left leg was lame.
Shoes-on-the-Floor (the Dad of the house) gave me baby aspirin that night and I hit the sack hard. I seemed a bit more spry in the morning, but still limping. My humans were trying not to worry too much, but my birth mom just passed recently and the start of her illness was a limp that wouldn’t go away.
They L-O-V-E me at the vet’s office. I’ve been going there since I was a puppy. Everybody is so lovey-dovey and give me ear scratches and treats. Sounds great, right? As soon as I catch the smell of the place, I’m on high-alert and become a lap dog. If I could crawl inside my humans, I would. But my only strategy is to try and hide this 76-pound body behind my 18-inch wide human. Great plan.
Anyhoo, they checked out my limbs, ask a bunch of questions and took some blood. After losing about a pound of hair from fear, we waited for the results and it was Lyme Disease. Treatment is fairly simple. I’m taking antibiotics for three weeks and then I should be fine.
I don’t share product information very often, but these two things I’m going to share are awesome! First is the new way I get to take my pills.
These are great. No more messy peanut butter or trying to jam a pill into cheese. These little babies hold the pills just so. They smell and taste just like my other treats. They come in a capsule style too.
The last thing I want to share is a tool that we have used here in the birth place of Lyme Disease (I’m so proud!) many, many times on humans, as well as dogs. It’s been dubbed the “tick spoon” and I don’t remember where we originally got it. It’s called Ticked Off and they have a website here. The notched end of the spoon goes under the tick that’s embedded and removes the whole thing with a satisfying, yet disgusting, POP sound. See? Awesome.
I am on the road to recovery. Everyone is relieved that my diagnosis was not more dire. We’ll all be grateful for now and live in the moment, just like a dog should.
Dog Paper
Big plans are a’comin’ for more doggie designs at RiverDog Prints. I mean, really, D-O-G is in the title, right? The photo card designs will remain, but we’re moving into more stationery and paper goods for dog lovers. We have plans for cats too, but dogs first (as it should be.) And I say “we” because that’s my handsome head in the logo, right?
Remember the Doggie Valentine?
For spring, the Little Brown Dog braves the weather in style:
I’m pushing for more brown dog designs. I think we should make it a series – woof!
For keeping in touch with your doggie friends:
And a fun design that’s not just for spring:
We’ll do other dog illustrations, for sure, and other colors/patterns, like yellow and black and spotted. We love suggestions, so if you’re looking for something doggie in paper, let us know! We’re even creating a moving announcement, doggie-style.
But I’m remaining partial to the little brown dog. You would expect nothing less from this brown dog, right?
Dogs Without Blogs – Troy
I’ve been on quite a Chessie-centric streak here, but I think you’ll all love this dog coming to us from Tel Aviv! Troy is a handsome Chesapeake Bay Retriever rescue and lives with Sasha and family near the Mediterranean Ocean.
Troy at the Beach
What is your name?
Troy Fidelio Byron
What breed of dog are you?
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
How old are you?
I’m as old as the number I can count up to which is 3, usually followed by the throw of a tennis ball and a wheeeeeee….
What nicknames do the humans call you?
Nearly every human I know has styled their own nickname for me: Troychuk, Troysky, Troyannus ….
Do you like any of your nicknames?
The one our eighteen month old niece Ella uses: “…Hoy”.
What is your favorite walk/hike?
The quickest way to the beach. I tend to speed it up a little.
What is your go to toy?
The legendary water wubba, recently decapitated by my buddy, Mush.
What is the most fashionable thing you wear?
Hey, I’m a Chessie – we look so unique au naturel; and no that ain’t a Mohawk haircut.
If you’re a reader, what is your favorite book?
The one on the couch I’m sleeping on.
Giant Eel
Decapitating a giant eel.
What is the treat you will do anything for?
Flying fish.
What is your greatest skill?
Being oblivious to anybody and anything once I hit water.
If you could speak only one sentence, what would you say?
Dear hummins, we hate camera flashes.
What is your favorite human food?
A freshly baked roll from the market. I get one on Friday and carry it like a trophy.
Dude!
If you could be granted 3 wishes, what would they be?
That we could live on the beach; that we could also live on a lake and that there were more fish in the sea.
What do you love most about your human?
That she talks to me. Just like all dogs, I understand everything.
Troy Fidelio Byron
Troy joined our family two years ago after a stint in a pound and a rescue organization. At first, I thought he was a brown Lab with a coat that had turned rough from malnutrition. And what was with that tail? I mean Labs wag their tails, but this one just whirred….and those tiger eyes… I was soon enlightened by a Canadian vet we would meet on the beach who told me I had teamed up with a CBR. So that’s what the brown water dog was … but how on earth did he end up in Tel Aviv?
Our local vet tracked down Troy’s record. He was brought over by a very wealthy couple from a breeder in Idaho and dumped soon thereafter in a pound – y’know, accessory people. A trainer friend introduced us to Duke, a younger Chessie from Yorkshire in the UK – and apparently there’s only one more in Tel Aviv. The breed has only just been registered here.
Troy does so much: watching him join a group of little kids on the beach and going swimming with them takes my breath away. Every single day, Troy makes sure everyone around him focuses out of themselves and into the great blue wavy horizon because there’s always a chance of more fish in the sea – and hopefully soon, we’ll be joined by a Troyette.
Thanks Troy and Sasha for spending time on the dog blog. We love hearing about rescue dogs meeting their families! If you’d like to see more of Troy, you can check out his gorgeous bit of ocean at TroyDays on Flickr here.
who is your dog?
Have you signed up for the “Dogs Without Blogs” feature yet?
Whether you’re human or canine, I love to brag about dogs.
Visit our Facebook page to sign up here!
Would love to hear from you…
My Sweet Head
I look good in a hat, yes?
My head smells about as sweet as anything can right now. It baffles and pleases my humans to no end! They talk about it with wonder in their voices and I certainly get much more ear scratching.
This odor is not permanent. It comes and goes, as it pleases. There does not seem to be a pattern to it. At least not one that any of us can discern. If we could all figure out why this pretty smell arrives, we’d definitely ask it to move in permanently.
But as with all things in life, there is a Ying and there is a Yang. If the sweet smell is the Ying, then, oh boy, that Yang really stinks. And I’m sorry for you sensitive types, but I don’t have any control over how I smell. Except for the things I might roll in, but that another post. Just be happy I’m a Chesapeake Bay Retriever that does smell really good every so often. You don’t need to know why.
You just need to keep scratching my ears, k?
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who is your dog?
Have you signed up for my new feature, “Dogs Without Blogs” yet?
Whether you’re human or canine, I love to brag about dogs.
Visit our Facebook page to sign up here!
Chessie Photo Round-Up
Q: What kind if dog is that?
A: It’s a Chessie.
Q: ?
A: A chesapeake bay retriever.
Q: Oh, a retriever! Like a lab…
A: Uh, yeah, both are dogs.
Q: They sure are handsome, aren’t they?
A: Absolutely.
Photo Credits:
1. Play Ball, 2. Lincoln 4:52, 3. catching water, 4. STYLE, 5. Twiggy, 6. I BESEECH THEE, 7. Chesapeake Bay Retriever, 8. Dugan the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, 9. chesapeake Bay Retrievers, 10. American Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, 11. Chesapeake Bay Retriever Family, 12. Chesapeake Bay Retriever Family, 13. Chesapeake Bay Retriever Portrait
