My friend Cynthia at Tip Tail asked me to do a computer graphic of Tatum for her. I am really rusty and haven’t done drawings for a few months. It took me longer than I had anticipated and didn’t turn out very well. I had a really tough time trying to get the coat right. I hope she likes it.
Zoe and Gabby are still here. They are supposedly going home tomorrow night, but may stay til Monday. Not sure if their mom will make it home in time to pick them up. We played outside today and I took a couple pictures of large and in charge Zoe. Gabby really has that Kangaroo impression down pat. She is quite amazing when she runs. She is like a spring coiling up (picture blew) an then exploding ino her stride.
Friday night we had a horrendous thunder storm. Gabby has t-storm anxiety. The poor thing was sound asleep and slept through half of the storm. Then for what ever reason she woke up, sat bolt upright and started shaking. The thunder went on til about 5 am and lasted for over a minute each time. I turned on the ocean sounds cd to try and drown out the noise but she knew. She ended up on my bed and completely under the covers and shaking the bed off the frame. It was like magic fingers at a cheesy motel. Luckily we have had decent weather since.
Maggie tagged me, Brutus, for the MIDDLE NAME MEME.
Here are the rules:
My name is Brutus Decimus Zigan so here it goes -
Oh goodness…I need to tag somebody too! I guess this is where you find out who your friends “really” are. So I tag Targ (since his mommies forgot his birthday!), Chase, Moxie, Ferris and Kaiser.
xx Licks and Slobbers - Brutus xx
That’s her name! Her racing name that is. I looked up her ear tattoo on the Greyhound Breeding and Racing Database and found her information page. All racing greyhounds are tattooed shortly after birth with a unique litter number which is registered on the world wide database. All of her racing information is kept on her record along with that of her sire/dam and her litter mates. Apparently she raced “professionally” 25 times placing 1st three times. I knew she was fast, but wow way to go Gabby.
Gabby has what is lovingly known as “devil dog ears” because they are on backwards. The whole ear from the inside-out is backwards. It is a strange recessive gene that shows up in a few greyhounds from time to time. It does however increase the occurrence of ear infections. You can see from her picture how the point forward instead of back. I think it gives her charm…
I think someone is happy to be at her aunt Lolo’s house!
My friend Laura had to leave town for a family member’s wedding. So I offered to watch 2 of her dogs, Gabby (greyhound) and Zoe (Italian greyhound). This isn’t the first time they have stayed with me and are very good friends with my kiddos. Gabby is the dog that Rufus goes on therapy visits with. It will be nice to put a face with a name since I have talked about her several times before.
I picked the girls up on my way home from running errands with Brutus. We came home and Zoe immediately had to cuddle and love on my husband. She took a nap with him while we went outside to play. I don’t have pix of her yet, but I have the rest of the week. Gabby took off running like a chicken with its head cut off with the pack in tow. They played for a couple of hours. I think she’s worn out - she is sleeping like a log on a pillow. In fact now that I look around there is not a single dog awake, you could hear a pin drop except for Rufus’s snoring. Well, you know what they say, a tired dog is a good dog.
My friend Ang sent me an email today that she found my blog listed on the Urban Hound! How exciting!!!! This blog was listed as one of their top 10 favorite blogs… how cool is that. I recognize a couple of the other top 10 blogs and am an avid follower too.
“Meanwhile, It’s the Dog’s Life recounts a woman’s life in Ohio with two Saint Bernards and Four Labrador Retrievers. While the site tends to be photo heavy, it manages to avoid being cloying.” - Urban Hound NY
It’s nice to know people actually read and enjoy my blog and it isn’t just floating out there in cyberspace. Thanks so much! You made my day!
Today started off gorgeous and sunny. Its still quite chilly and the wind was blowing, but it was sunny! The clouds started moving in around 3:00pm and now it is gloomy, cold and windy. We decided to take advantage of the sun early on and played outside. Even with the temps being cold, the dogs couldn’t pass up the opportunity to swim in the pond.
I took Brutus and Rufus to the nursing home tonight. Brutus didn’t really want to interact with people and just laid down on the floor in each room. He must have just had all he can take of people for awhile after the Expo. Rufus however was his cheerful and outgoing self. He kept going up to the bedridden residents and putting his head on them and cuddling. It was sooo sweet. They gave out pictures of them to a few of their “favorite residents” too. I hope I never have to live in a nursing facility - I would miss having dogs too much
Here’s a picture of me and Brutus that someone sent me from the EXPO. The lighting in there was aweful! I am shocked as many of my pictures came out as did.
My husband brought home a peace offering yesterday. I think he feels bad about the virus getting through. He stumbled upon this at a thrift/antique store when he was waiting for me. Its framed with a really nice frame and poster size. I found it w/ the frame on art.com for $175.00! He paid a measly $10 - frame and all! I LOVE it! Don’t you think it looks like Brutus? I totally do!
We got back from our Chicago excursion late Monday night. What a trip! We had a great time. Brutus was soooo well behaved. I was shocked at how well he did around all the other big dogs. He really liked all the girly dogs but wasn’t too sure about Odie as he tried to share Brutie’s water and Brutie isn’t “into sharing” things like that with strangers… Silly boy - lol. I got some really cool goodies for the puppers at the EXPO. First of all I picked up 4 drool towels from The Doggy Details. She has the most awesome custom embroidered towels and ceramics. Last year I had towels made for B&R with their names on them. You can see pictures of them on her site! My favorite new one has to be the “this could be your pants” towel or maybe “got drool?” Its a toss up! Then I got a fantastic chartruse, eco-friendly, recycled leather greenbelts collar for Eris from Karma Charms. She looks so good it in. I also got two leather traffic leads from a guy that doesnt have a website but makes the most wonderful and economical leather leashes and collars out of horse grade leather. Having a traffic lead at the EXPO was a back and wrist saver for sure. And the last goodie I picked up was a FREE (can you believe it) Big Dogs Drinkwell. Science Diet gave them away as door prizes and had one left over. During tear down they gave it away and I was more than happy to give it a new home. Holy cow do the dogs love it! I can’t believe how much water that thing holds! Over 2 gallons and it actually filters out the slobber!
On a sour note - It has been one nightmare after another since I have gotten home. First I had a lovely present waiting on me when I got home in the form of a computer virus. I tried in vain for 2 days for remove/repair it and it was a TOTAL BUST! So I spent the better part of yesterday reformatting my hard drive and reinstalling everything. Then to top it off we have had horrible weather. Torrential downpours on Tuesday and Wednesday to the tune of 4″ of water flooding into the basement! It was unbelievable how much water poured in so quickly. We finally got the sump pump to pump it out and are now in the process of trying to dry things out. We did loose several electronic items.
Yesterday I did find time to bake for the dogs. I tried a new recipe which I am going to add to the canine cookbook section. The house smelled like pumpkin pie when I was baking. I didn’t take any pictures of them as well, they look just like the other cut out treats I made.
Preheat oven to 375. Combine pumpkin, oil, water, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir well and gradually add oatmeal and flour. Forms as stiff dough. Roll dough to 1/4″ thick and cut with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 40 min. (do not make a double batch as this recipe will fill two LARGE baking sheets and when the dough sits for 40 min while the other two sheets are baking it will become very stiff and difficult to kneed)
We had a gorgeous sunny day today. The firs “real” sun we have seen in ages. The snow is melting and I was outside in short sleeves. The dogs had a wonderful time outside and I got some stellar photos. Here are the best ones.
We took Rufus on a Therapy visit tonight at the Nursing Home. We met my friend Laura and her greyhound Gabby. As soon as we walked in a lady in a wheel chair says “this is no place for big dogs like that to be” so I say “they are therapy dogs” and she counters “it doesn’t matter they shouldn’t be here around people”. UMMM What?! Well, she ended up following me the rest of the time I was there. She kept getting closer and closer until she started interacting in conversation and finally got up the nerve to pet the dogs. Once she finally pet Rufus, she just fell in love with him and was loving on him and baby-talking him. I think we made a few people’s night too.
I went to the vet and picked up more Proin for Hera, she ran out this morning. She MUST have her meds or will pee if she misses a dose. I wanted to talk to the vet about Bo’s neutering. But since they are a large animal country practice, both the vets were out on emergency farm calls. So I did’t get to talk to anyone.
I am leaving first thing in the morning (like 6am) for Chicago. The Big Dog’s Porch is participating in the Pet Expo there. I have friends coming from Colorado, Massachsuts and even SPAIN! I can’t wait to see everyone. My son and Brutus are coming with me so it should be a good time. I will have lots of pictures and will see you all when I get back!
I met Bocephus tonight at his house. He is soooo beautiful and sweet! I really got his attention when I showed up with a baggie of Turkey Treats. I kept telling him he should share with his sissy, but he had NO intentions of leaving any in the bag for anyone or anything. He’s big! Really big. I was a little intimidated when I first met him due to his size I have to admit. But now that I am home and have sized up B and R in the same positions, he’s not much taller than them if at all. I guess I forget how big they really are since I am around them all the time. To be honest, I don’t even notice anymore (note to self, have head examined! B and R are huge) since I am so used to them being around.
He is a little older than I had originally thought. He is 5 1/2 not 3 and still intact. I worry about prostate problems and reproductive issues because he is older and still entire (oh and not to mention the anesthesia risks). I am going to call my vet tomorrow and discuss it with her. Another concern is that because he is so large that B and R might be intimidated by him and will gang up on him. He is soooo sweet and doesn’t seem to have an assertive bone in his body. I would like to have Rufus meet him to make sure he would be ok with him. I know my son will absolutely love him. Its so much to think about and consider. I guess after talking to the vet tomorrow, I will have a much clearer picture… but I really, really like him!
I thought I would try out one of the new recipes today. I decided to tackle the Quickie Turkey Treats. Oooh do they smell in the prep stage! Turkey baby food is icky! I can’t believe we try to shove that stuff down our human babies’ mouths. But the dogs are lined up drooling like crazy. Rufus had a drool string 6″ long hanging from his mouth. They have formed a semi-circle around the oven waiting for the goodies to spill forth. I have one batch finished and one in the oven. This recipe yielded 42 cookies. Since I am meeting Bocephus tonight at 7:00, I had to have something special to bring him. I am sooo excited to meet him. I hope we bond… I will definately have an update later tonight with pictures!
Preheat 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Mix flour and baby food with fork until they are well blended and form into a very soft dough. Add broth 1/4 cup at a time if dough is too dry. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into 1″ balls (with floured hands), place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet and flatten with the back of a fork to 1/4″ thick. Bake 18-20 minutes.
I have been working out the bugs with my new theme - thanks to the help Cynthia Blue of Tip Tail. I had trouble getting my header to fit right. Well, I hope everyone likes the new colors. I thought it was time for a bit of a sprucing up. It was a real toss up between two themes, but I think this one is a bit more “me” - hope you all like it.
I am also working on a Recipe Page for all the dogs’ favorite treats. This page will be a bit of a work in progress and I will continually add new recipes as I find them and try them out. I went to the store tonight and bought the fixin’s to make a couple of new recipes I found. I can’t wait to start baking tomorrow. I am not a big fan of liver, but I bet money the dogs are…
Well its official.. this is the single largest snow in the history of the Columbus area. We have made national headlines and even as a top story on Yahoo! We are still under a level 1 snow emergency and have been on a level 2 all day. Steve finally got out around 7:30 tonight after my neighbor came over and plowed our driveway on hes ATV (w/plow). How nice was that!
I went out in my Wellies to play and could not believe how deep the snow is. I trudged all the way out to the pond and it came up over my Wellies. All the dogs except Apollo were having a blast. They ran around like absolute nutters! I caught Apollo walking around ontop of the frozen pond!
I had to bring Apollo inside because he was shaking so hard… he was frozen, poor thing. He shuttered and shook for about 20 minutes after he came in too. I think he is ready for spring, what do you think? I know I sure am.
PHOTOS ARE LIGHTBOX ENABLED
I didn’t get to meet Bocephus today. I am so sad. I have rescheduled for Tuesday night - I’m going to have to bake more treats by that time. I am calling my vet tomorrow to see when I can get him in for a neuter surgery in case it works I couldn’t get out of my driveway. My husband finally got out, but I am not entirely sure my car will get out at this point. Hopefully this snow will melt soon. Looks like we will get up around 38°F tomorrow but will be getting another small snowfall. Can’t spring just come!
Well, I thought we had a lot of snow yesterday.. BUT WOW!!!! Today it continued and we have about 20-24 inches. They are calling it the snow of the century. My son just told me this is the largest single snowfall in Columbus, ever. I know I have never seen so much snow on the ground out here before. I got a couple of pictures from the door way today. I was afraid to go outside with my camera. It was coming down so hard most of the day that we had white out conditions.
We are snowed in. The roads are in horrible shape and We are under a LEVEL 2 snow emergency - which means no driving unless absolutely necessary. Which I guess isnt that big of a deal since I can’t even get out of my driveway. We are two acres back from the road and the driveway is treacherous. I hope things are in better shape tomorrow! I am supposed to meet Bocephus tomorrow at noon. I have been stressing about it all day. This snow is just putting a wrench in things. At least if I have to reschedule he’ll still be there unlike most of the kill shelters around here. His mom did send me a couple more pictures in the snow! He looks soooooo cute and happy playing. Fingers crossed the roads are clear tomorrow and I can actually get out of my driveway.
**PHOTOS ARE LIGHTBOX ENABLED
The treats have turned out wonderfully. The smell of peanut butter is heavy in the air. The dogs have each gotten a couple of them and they were gobbled down in no time. I made sure I carefully monitored the cooling process this time… lol The recipe is quite easy
Peanut Butter Cut Outs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup skim milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon Baking POWDER
Preheat 375° Mix ingredients together and knead heavy dough a bit. Roll out to 1/4 inch and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Here’s pictures before and after baking (lightbox is active on these pix)
I knew it was coming and there it was when I woke up. We have gotten several inches today already. The dogs were excited to see the white stuff back and ran around like nutters for a few minutes. The novelty quickly wore off and they decided it was time for breakfast and a nap. The news says we are expecting up to 18 inches of snow in the next 36 hrs.
Since we are pretty much housebound today I thought I would try my hand at some homemade dog treats. The recipe is from the Three Dog Bakery’s cookbook. I have made them once before and its pretty simple, just a little time consuming to roll out the dough cookie cut up the shapes. Rufus really liked them last time… he got up on the counter and ate a whole tray of them while they were cooling… grrr
Well off to play Betty Crocker - I’ll post the recipe and some pics after I get a tray made.
The family sent me some more pix last night. He is glorious looking! Such a sweet face! I am supposed to call them today to get more info and set up a time to meet him. She does daycare so I think I will wait until 7ish to call to make sure the kiddos are gone. Here are the pix:
I was perusing around on Craig’s list tonight. I do that from time to time.. Not necessarily looking for anything in particular, but looking none the less. We have gotten a couple of misc nicknacks from there but nothing of much substance. Well tonight I find a Saint in need of a new home. I have had my heart set on a female for awhile, but haven’t actively pursued looking for one. I have always been a firm believer in dogs finding me. And boy can they find me…
I have been in contact with the person who wants to re-home him and I have found out a little about him. His name is Bocephus and he is 3 years old. He is just darling!!! He isn’t neutered yet and is a fence jumper so that may be a problem. But I would like to meet him and see if there is a spark between us. If things don’t work out for us giving him a home I am sure Angela would adore him and Duke would love to have a buddy. I know they are inactively - actively looking… lol. I just want this boy gets a good home whether it is with me or with someone else.
Emily made the best banners for the photo comp winners. They are soo bright and colorful.. really jazzes up the forum! Thanks Emily! They look great!
Here is the one that is at the top of the forum:
Here is the one for me to use as a personal signature:
The Mardi Gras photo contest on Ruffdogs ended Friday night and there was a tie between Rufus and the owner’s dog Asha. Because there weren’t many entries (an ill conceived theme on my part. I guess Mardi Gras isn’t very popular in the UK) Emma decided to just make them co champs instead of having a vote off. They will both be featured on next month’s banner as co champs and King and Queen of Mardi Gras. That’s 2 in a row for Rufus.
Here are the winning photos:
They will be featured on the next forum banner together and when Emma gets it up, I will post it here for everyone to see.
