Thursday, December 31, 2015

Happy New Year


We weren't going to post but we do what to wish you a Happy New Year and a healthy, happy 2016.

Jan:  We said we would give you an update this week, but won't.  Suffice it to say things are not going well around here  Still, we have a lot to be thankful for.  Enjoy your New Year celebration. 

Monday, December 28, 2015

Calming Chews for Jan ... er, Cats


BUDDY:  We've had a very eventful few days away from blogging. 

MARCUS:  After this past month, especially these last two weeks, Jan says her old body is ready for arrest.

MERCI:  No, no, Marcus.  A rest.  Two words, not one. We'll give you an update on Sam's condition and Jan's mishaps in a day or two.

BUDDY:  Don't bother asking.  Our lips are zipped until we post.  Besides, the felines want to do a post today. 

Cyndi.
 CYNDI:  Is that for me?  It smells good.  What is it?

Micah.
MICAH:  I think it's a Pet Naturals of Vermont Calming chew.  Yes, this definitely tastes familiar.  We've had them before.

CYNDI:  Then why did Jan volunteer us to review them?

RUSTY:  You know how she is.  She forgot, but then she thought it was a brilliant slip, Micah, because they might help you,stop fighting with Percy.   


PERCY:  They are supposed to help manage everyday stress and behavioral issues naturally.  We've sure had a lot of stress around here since Sam got sick.

 Key Benefits -
    Helps encourage relaxation and calm behavior.
    Does not sedate or cause a change in personality.
    Ideal for times of high stress like holidays or trips to the vet.
    Naturally delicious and veterinary formulated.

CYNDI:   The active ingredients are Thiamine (Viratmin B1), a Colostrum calming complex, and something called L-Theanine.  The inactive ingredients are brewers yeast, calcium sulfate, canola oil, chicken liver flavor, citric acid, glycerin, maltodextrin, mixed tocopherols, propionic acid, rosemary extract, silicon dioxide, sodium alginate, soy lecithin and vegetable oil.

MICAH:  The colostrum calming complex is made from proteins supposed to support cognitive function and manage everyday stress.  The vitamin B1 is to affect the central nervous system to help calm and relax anxious animals.

PERCY:  There are five of us and 30 chews in the package.  Since we have all been stressed, there weren't enough to find out if they would help help stop you from attacking me, Micah. 

RUSTY:  You guys can attack each other.  I'm going to enjoy my Calming chew for today. 

PERCY:  I only eat mine if Jan breaks it in half for me.  It tastes better delivered with a dollop of servitude.

TAYLOR:  I'm still new at this.  What am I supposed to say?

RUSTY;  You're supposed to be honest about the product.

TAYLOR:  I licked my Pet Naturals of Vermont Calming chew and it tasted so good I ate it and asked for a second.  Jan didn't give me one.  Why is she so stingy with treats?

CYNDI:  I think she helps herself to some when we aren't looking.

PERCY:  There are two types of calming chews for cats - with or without the vitamin B1 and colostrum calming.  There are also two types for dogs.  We should get a case for Marcus.

We were provided with a bag of the product by Chewy.com but we were not paid for this review.  Any opinions expressed are solely ours. 

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas 2015

CYNDI:  We are going to take a few days off to lounge in the sun by the pool and gorge on tuna and chicken..

MARCUS:  We are?  I've never been on a trip before. Where are we going?  What should I pack?

PERCY:  For starters, you should pack your imagination.  It's the cheapest way to travel.

MARCUS:  Does that mean we aren't going anywhere?  I was looking forward to wearing my new shades and straw hat.

MICAH:  You know we don't have any travel funds and we all have to be here to help Jan take care of Sam.  He had a good day Tuesday and a bad day Wednesday.

RUSTY:  So we decided to do our Christmas post on Christmas Eve and hopefully take it easy for a couple of days.  Or a couple of years.  Whichever comes first.


MERCI:  We hope you have a Christmas filled with family, friends, good food, and fun.  But most of all, we hope you remember that Jesus is the reason for the celebration.

PERCY:   Taylor, don't be shy; tell everyone Merry Christmas.

TAYLOR: Uh ... *waves a paw* Merry Christmas, everyone!

BUDDY:  Pipo & Minko from WeBees Siameezers posted Belated Birthday Mews to Cyndi and sent her a card  They mentioned Sam.  Their woofie sibling Mr. Jack Freckles also included Sam in his Sunday post. How sweet, Pipo, Minko, Jack Freckles and Mom.


We originally planned to post the lovely Christmas cards we received but we aren't going to be able to do it this year.  Thank you, each of you. We have enjoyed each ecard and snail mail card received.  They have lifted our spirits during this time when Sam's health is our major concern. Have a blessed Christmas.



Today is Thankful Thursday.  Stop by PepiSmartDog to see what he is thankful for this week and to join the blog hop.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Taylor Steals Breakfast

MERCI:  We promised to let you know how the 30 day I and Love and You dog food Challenge is going and ...

BUDDY:  Hey, Taylor, you get out of my bowl.  That's my breakfast!


TAYLOR:  I've never had dog kibble before.  It tastes pretty good.  How about if we trade?  You can have my breakfast. 



MARCUS:  We made the recommended gradual switch from our food to Poultry Palooza.  (I and Love and You Challenge.)  In the first part, we told you why Jan was so eager to try it for 30 days.  (It sounded very healthy.  For us, not for her.)  Now we want to tell you how we are doing on it. 


NOTE:  We had to remove Sam from the challenge since he had a stroke (Body Here, Personality Missing) because he has has had to have canned, or at least soft and wet food (or cooked chicken - he loves chicken) so he can lap it up.  His health problems are in no way related to this food.  In fact, Jan is sorry he is unable to eat it as she feels it would be a healthy food for him during his convalescence. 


MARCUS:  Here I am in my private dining car again because Jan is taking pictures of food.  A while ago I started to get a bit chunky and Jan cut my rations back by 1/2 cup twice a day.  I am looking good now and she finally realized I am a high energy dog and I need that missing cup of food to help keep me from being so food aggressive.Since she has been feeding Sam by hand and I like to hang around waiting for drips and drops, she has noticed I have been a good boy.  I haven't been the least bit aggressive toward Sam while he is being fed.  It helps I get to lick the bowl when he is done eating.

My coat is healthy and I poop like a pro.  Oh, perhaps I shouldn't have said that.  But I always do my best.


MERCI:  That's me on the left.  My coat is soft and my poop is softer.  I haven't had a ... well, you know *blush* .. a dingleberry lately.

BUDDY:  Jan fears I am a lost cause.  She has been working with me to clear up my skin problems and then along came all the stress with Sam's health, and then the cold weather came back, along with lots of rain, and I am miserable again.  I don't do well in extremes, either hot or cold.  I had a good bag of no grain food before the challenge and my poop turned from yellow to brown.  It's normal firmness now.

MERCI:  We all like the I and Love and You Chicken Palooza, even the cats, as you can tell from Taylor's picture at the top of this post.  Last night was her first venture onto the washing machine and this morning she was thrilled to find three bowls of dog kibble served for her breakfast.

MARCUS:  She was disappointed when they were removed and given to us.  It's a good thing she wasn't food aggressive when Jan took away the bowls of food.  What would Jan have done with her?  Taylor doesn't have a private dining car.  I guess she's not as special as I am.

Chewy.com provided the food for this review but we are not being paid.  Anything in this post is our honest opinion or experience.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Cyndi is 12

MICAH:  We are so ashamed.  With all the upset over Sam, we completely forgot about Cyndi's birthday until someone left a comment today.

MERCI:  We are so sorry, Cyndi.  We hope you don't mind if we use your picture from 2011 again.

MARCUS:  If I had known, I would have shared my beef ear chew with you.

CYNDI:  No, you would not have shared with me!  And what would I want with a beef ear chew?

RUSTY:  The point is it is Cyndi's birthday and we don't have a present for her.

PERCY:  If we could get it for you, what would you most like to have, Cyndi?


CYNDI:  Thank you, guys.  I appreciate that you care.  If I could have anything I want, it would be for Sam's brain to heal from the stroke and Buddy to feel better, too.

Jan:  The weather recently turned cold again and Buddy doesn't do well in the cold.  I did an update on Sam yesterday but it was a backward instead of forward day.  He barely ate, but he isn't stupid.  He inhaled the chicken for my sandwich when I offered it.  A friend invited me to lunch and I left Sam asleep, gated in the bedroom.  I came home to find him standing at the gate, his body in the bedroom and his head between the kitchen wall and refrigerator.  No telling how long he was like that.

I was scooping dog kibble into bowls Sunday morning and turned to find Sam's face and shoulder against the hot metal grate of a gas space heater.  It was going at the time.  He doesn't seem to have much, if any feeling on that left side.  I caught him before he was seriously burned.   Later, he was cornered in the bathroom between the tub and toilet, head down, trying to move the toilet tank out of his way.  Some time later he crossed a blockade to wedge himself between the bed and a 5-tier shelf.  He was trying to squeeze between the shelves and the wall.  Even with all that was on it, it was moving, swaying and things were falling off.

I feel like I'm living in a war zone.  Blockades everywhere and sometimes they don't work.  He is a big dog and despite his disability, a strong one.  Last night he was a jack-in-the-box.  I'd get him into bed and half an hour or an hour later, he'd be up again.  Instead of his usual 2-hour at a time wandering, he walked - inside and outside - for 2 hours and 40 minutes this morning.

He needs constant attention and the only time I can do anything is when he is sleeping.  Visiting and commenting are on hold. 

A little comedy.  Yesterday I picked up a chicken to cook for Sam.  I left it, covered, to cool on the stove.  I surprised Micah just as he was ripping off a whole chicken leg.  He took off so fast the chicken leg went flying the opposite direction.  Never a dull moment around here.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

While The Human Is Away


Sam;s badge by Zoolatry.

Jan:  Many thanks to Ann of Zoolatry for the lovely graphic of Sam and to all who have visited, left a comment, or sent an email since we posted Thursday on Sam's health issues:  (Body here, personality missing.)  I can't get around to visiting all of you to leave a comment, so I started to reply to those commenters I have an email address for, then thought better of it since I don't want Google to shut my email down thinking I'm spa--ing.  But everything has been appreciated. 

Sam is sleeping for a few hours at a time now and then pacing at least two hours before sliding to the floor wherever he is.  The weather has turned cold again so I have to lift him to his feet to walk him to his bed, lift him onto it, and maneuver him down, then position his legs so he can be comfortable.  When he is up and wandering, I have to keep an eye on him as he gets himself into tight places and could get hurt.  Or yank out the computer cords, or blow up the house (gas space heaters), or ... the list is endless.

He has moved furniture, including a bureau and a bookcase, gotten his head stuck between "floors" of the cat tree, tried to burn his nose on a hot heater, and worn me out from extricating him from places it isn't possible for such a big dog to be.

After he got "tangled" in Marcus's crate the other night, I was surprised to see he again wandered into it by accident on Saturday.  This time he walked straight in, waited, then u-turned to his left without falling over, and walked out of the crate.  I was thrilled.  But then he went to the corner outside the bathroom and stood there so long I backed him up and turned him around. 

Sam has not made a sound since he had the seizure on the 5th.  Not a bark or a whimper.   One really weird observation.  A dog's whiskers are sensors.  They have a purpose, one being to help him to not bump into things.   I noticed several days ago Sam's whiskers are gone.  I can't imagine what happened to them.

He is keeping me busy!   And now the crew can have their blog back.

BUDDY:  Okay, guys, she's going to shut the computer down soon, so we have to hurry.

MICAH:  I didn't think she would ever stop talking.

CYNDI:  Who gave her permission to take over our blog?

PERCY:  Uh ... I think I did.

MERCI:  Why would you do that?

PERCY:  Because she asked if we would mind if she said a few words and I said okay. 

RUSTY:  Were you drinking?  You know when it comes to words she can't count!

CYNDI:  That's okay this time.  It was for our Sam.

MARCUS:  We can all use a good laugh and we figure you can too, so we hope you will enjoy our Sunday Smile for today.

MERCI:  This is what Susie the Beagle does when her human is not home.

MICAH:  What do you dogs - or cats - do while your human is away from home?


If the video doesn't play, click here.

We didn't have a chance to do an actual selfie for today.  We hope it is okay to let Zoolatry's picture of Sam stand-in for one today.


Join the Sunday Selfie blog hop hosted by the Cat on My Head blog.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Body Here, Personality Missing


We haven't said anything about what has been happening around here lately, but Sam has not been doing well.  It has been a roller coaster ride since he had two seizures on the weekend of December 5 - 6.

Yesterday Jan took Sam to the vet.  Mr. Doug was a big help.  He cleaned out the tailgate part of his van for Sam's bed.  Mr. Doug kept offering to lift Sam in and out but he's not supposed to be doing any heavy lifting and Sam is currently 69 pounds.  So Jan figured out how to lift Sam in and out.  It turned out to be much easier using the waist-high tailgate part than it would have been the passenger section.

A physical exam and blood work shows Sam is physically a healthy dog.  Neurologically, it's a different story.  He has had a "vascular incident"  - most likely a stroke, possibly vascular bleeding.  He is blind in the left eye and his brain is not communicating well with his left side at all.  He does respond to voices but his brain is slow to process.  He isn't too sure where his feet are.  He has little response to touch on his left.

He wanders around until he is exhausted and collapses.  Jan took him outside at 1 a.m. the other night. and spent half an hour watching him walk around the yard as if he had no idea where he was.  At 3 a.m. she had to extricate him from a small space where he was trying to squeeze between the wall and the cat tower.

Yesterday morning she wondered how a big dog could get lost in a small house.  He was found in the bedroom closet (the door was open a crack) where he had lodged himself sideways.  His reverse and left turns are not working well.

As we typed this, Sam wandered into Marcus's crate for the first time.  He has been afraid of the confines of the crate. He went in crooked and got stuck.  Jan opened the second door on the side and managed to maneuver him inside so she could walk him out backwards.  He dropped down and stretched out.  A few minutes later he was most of the way out, with one paw "stuck" - the front left paw.  Jan had to lift it for him.

He isn't eating full meals but he is eating.  He's not in any pain.  His body is here but his personality is missing. This might reverse itself.  It might not.  It's one day at a time.

Meanwhile, Jan is exhausted from lack of sleep and an overload of stress.  With one of us ill, the whole crew is stressed and we have been acting up a bit more than usual.  

After 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan suddenly realized she had not paid our utility bill.  If not paid by 5 p.m., it would cost another $25.  $25 is rather precious around here.  Thank you, Miss Johnnie, for giving her a ride so she didn't have to hike to town.

And, Mr. Mark, we can't thank you enough for your help!

Come to think of it, we have a lot to be thankful for this Thursday.

Please forgive us if we missed sending you our ecard.  If we did, please pick it up on our Christmas Cards 4 U post.






Today is Thankful Thursday.  Stop by PepiSmartDog to see what he is thankful for this week and to join the blog hop.

It is also Thoughtless Thursday, hosted by Ruckus the Eskie with co-hosts Love is being owned by a Husky and M.K Clinton.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Unexpectedly Gifted



MARCUS:  Hey, Jan, what's this?  Is this all for me?

SAM:  You lay a paw on anything there and you'll have to answer to Merci, Buddy and me!  


MARCUS:  But where did it come from?  Did Jan order it for us?

RUSTY::  No, Jan was surprised to find it on our porch when she came back from the meeting last Thursday.

MICAH:  It was funny.  You dogs are doing the 30 day I and Love and You Challenge and she wondered what could be in a box from them.

CYNDI:  When she opened it, she found dog goodies and socks.  Organic cotton socks.  15 pairs.

PERCY:  That's enough she could wear two pairs on her feet, a pair on her hands, a pair on her ears, and a single sock on her nose this winter to keep warm, and she would still have leftovers.

BUDDY:  Okay, I was with you right up until you hung one sock on her nose.  She'd need two socks, one for each nostril.

SAM:  They wouldn't stay on and her nose would freeze anyway.

BUDDY:  Not if she anchors them with a clothes pin. That's what she does with the new drapes.

MICAH:  To get back to the subject, Jan started to write an email to Miss Sydney at Chewy to ask if she knew anything about the box.

RUSTY:  She happened to look down at the box and noticed a slight problem.

CYNDI:  The box was sent to our address but the addressee was not Jan of Jan's Funny Farm.  It wasn't even close.

MERCI:  She emailed the sender instead.  As it turned out, no one was more surprised Jan had received an unexpectedly gifted box than the sender.  Jan was sad she would have to return all those socks.

SAM:  Socks?  What about all those dog goodies?

PERCY:  A clerical error giveth and the right thing to do taketh away.

MERCI:  That's easy for you to say since there wasn't anything in the box for you cats.

PERCY:  I and Love and You had partnered with the Wearpact sock company for a "Socks and Paws" contest. 

BUDDY:  The lady from the company was very nice. We get to keep the box.  Oh, and everything in it too.  When the winner receives a replacement box, we are sure she will enjoy it as much as we are enjoying this one.


MARCUS:  You mean this is all ours?  How generous!  So when does Jan intend to start passing out the treats?

NOTE:  Just for the record, this is a true story.  We are grateful for the unexpected gift.  It will in no way affect our 30 day I and Love and You challenge.  Both they and Chewy are expecting an honest review of the product we are testing. 

Monday, December 14, 2015

Squeaking and Squealing


BUDDY:  What's that you have, Marcus?

SAM:  Is it edible?


MARCUS:  No, it's my new Kong Holiday Jumbler Football.  It comes in red or green.  Guess which color I was sent?

BUDDY:  I never heard of it.  What does it do?

MARCUS:  It's a football chew toy.  It's supposed to stand up to tough play.

SAM:  You are definitely the one to test it for toughness.

MARCUS:  There's a tennis ball inside with a squeaker.  I can play football with Jan and drive her crazy at the same time.

MERCI:  You don't need a special toy to drive Jan crazy.  You do it all the time screeching at the top of your lungs while playing with your old "soccer" ball.


SAM:  Hey, that sounds like fun.  Why don't you give us old timers a demonstration?

MARCUS:  Okay.  I chew on it to make it squeak and then Jan can pick it up by one of its two handles and throw it.  Sometimes she kicks it. 


BUDDY:  And then you run like a loony character with it in your mouth.  Is that it?

MARCUS:  Yes, essentially.


MERCI:  Look at the little piggy.  He wants to play with his old soccer ball ...


SAM:  And his new football at the same time.


MARCUS:  *squeak, squeak*  See, it talks to me.

MERCI:  What does it say?

MARCUS:  I don't know yet.  I think it's in Morse Code.  Maybe I can train it to yell at the soccer ball for me since Jan thinks I'm too noisy.

SAM:  You think?  You do know one of the neighbors recently asked which one of us makes all the noise?  She was afraid someone was harassing one of us.  Little did she know it's the other way around.

MARCUS:  Go ahead and make fun of me. You're just jealous because you don't have my energy ... or my Kong Holiday Jumbler Football.

BUDDY:  You sure have been having fun with both balls recently.  Between the squealing and the squeaking,  we all need ear plugs.

We received a Kong Jumbler from Chewy.com for this review.  We were not paid, nor influenced in what to write.

Friday, December 11, 2015

He Said She Said What?


PERCY:  Hey, Merci, I realize you're a bit old and forgetful now, but do you remember the Rascal and Catzee blogs?

MERCI:  I sure do.  I'm old but not doddering.  We always enjoyed reading them.  After their mom lost each of them, she closed their blogs, but she has a personal blog called 5 Acres and a Dream.


PERCY:  She has a new book called Critter Tales. Both Rascal and Catzee are in it. And she is having a "finally got it done" celebration giveaway!

MERCI:  We are entering, aren't we?

PERCY:  We're entering right down to the wire, but we would sure love to win a copy of that book our old friend Leigh wrote.

MERCI:  So you think all females are old?

PERCY:  No, I didn't mean it that way.  I just meant we've known Leigh for a number of years now.  That makes her an old ... I mean, a long-time friend.

MERCI:  You do know you and Jan are a lot alike in speech.

PERCY:  In what way?

MERCI:  Jan has a strange way of stating things too.

PERCY:  I am not strange!

MERCI:  But you just implied that all females are old.  The other day Jan said to Mr. Doug, "Do you remember Tommy who used to live next door to Mother?

               Mr. Doug asked, "Used to?  Did he move?

              "No," Jan replied, "she did."

              Mr. Doug laughed.  "So the next time I need to say someone died I should just say she moved?"

PERCY:  You're right in one regard.  Jan does have a strange way of stating things.


It's time for the weekly Friday Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Roscoe.  It is co-hosted by Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Love is being owned by a husky.
 

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Christmas Cards 4 U


PERCY:  Jan finally finished our Christmas card.  And her own.  Our name is spelled correctly, so we're proud of her.


MARCUS:  Can you guess which one this is?  Ours, of course.  We wanted to include all our friends, but we figure we must have left out someone.

RUSTY:  We hope each of you who celebrate will have a joyful Christmas filled with loving family and friends.


 CYNDI:  This one is Jan's personal card.  Please accept either one.  Or both.

MERCI:  On our walk today someone stopped her car to talk to Jan and we wrapped our leashes around Jan's legs.

BUDDY:  When she untangled them, we walked about two blocks and then I gave Jan a big surprise!

SAM:  Yep, Buddy suddenly decided to walk ahead of Jan instead of behind her and as he passed, she saw his leash dragging on the ground.

MICAH:  Oops.  Good thing a squirrel didn't appear.  Or a motorcycle.  Or a skateboard.  Or just about anything he'd want to chase.  We sure are thankful Jan didn't come home without Buddy.


Today is Thankful Thursday.  Stop by PepiSmartDog to see what he is thankful for this week and to join the blog hop.

It is also Thoughtless Thursday, hosted by Ruckus the Eskie with co-hosts Love is being owned by a Husky and M.K Clinton.

Tuesday, December 08, 2015

I and Love and You Challenge


BUDDY:  Hey, you're getting your breakfast first again.  Why are you always so privileged when we are tasting a new food?


MARCUS: Any time Jan takes pictures of us with food, I get to eat in my private dining car so none of you can steal my food.

BUDDY:  You mean so you can't steal our food.  You sure do manage to worm your way into most of the pictures around here.   

MARCUS:  Why I never!  Okay, I was the first one to the new food when the camera appeared and I'm so handsome Jan just had to include me.


SAM:  I never heard of I and Love and You. It says on the bag it's a Nude Food.  Does that mean we have to be naked when we eat it? 

MERCI:  When's the last time you dressed for dinner around here, Sam?  "Nude Food" means it's real food with high protein and grain free, no fillers or artificial anything. This is the Poultry Palooza Recipe.


MARCUS:  It looks like regular kibble to me.  What's special about it?

MERCI:  Let's see.  The ingredient list is a long one.  It reads, "turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, lentils, garbanzo beans, tapioca, chicken fat (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols and citric acid), dried beet pulp, sweet potato, chicken, natural chicken liver flavor, chicken liver, chicken hearts, blueberries, chia seed, apple, spinach, tomato, carrot, fish oil, potassium chloride, olive oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), calcium carbonate, new zealand green mussel - a whole host of vitamins and minerals - dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium thermophilum fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract, dried Trichoderma reesei fermentation extract, yucca schidigera extract and rosemary extract."

BUDDY:  Wow, that list is longer than you are, Merci.  Enzymes, prebiotics and probiotics for our tummies.  Omegas 3 and 6 for healthy coats.  Fatty acids and superfoods for joint support.  Antioxidants for vitality.  No corn, wheat or soy.

SAM:  By the way, don't let Marcus' innocent look fool you.  When Jan reached for the container, he tried to scoop a mouthful of kibble. 


MARCUS:  Here is our breakfast, all measured with 1/4 serving of the I and Love and You mixed with 3/4 of our regular food.  Buddy's bowl is on the bottom right and it looks different because he has recently been eating a different food from the rest of us.

BUDDY::  Jan didn't even ask us if we want to do a 30 day challenge.  She read the ingredients list and some information on the brand and jumped at the opportunity.  Each recipe is approved by their holistic veterinarian. 


SAM:  Today is day four of the challenge, so we will graduate to 1/2 our regular food and 1/2 I and Love and You.  By day nine, we should be 100% on the new kibble.

MERCI:  We will let you know how this change in diet affects us over the next three plus weeks of our 30 day challenge.  We are looking forward to it.

We were provided the food through Chewy.com for the challenge review, but we are not being paid.  And any opinions expressed are our own!

Sunday, December 06, 2015

Micah's Sunday Selfie


MICAH:  Hey, Jan, are you there?  Is this camera on?  I can't see myself in the lens.  How do I look?

BUDDY:  What are you doing?  You look like an out of focus giraffe.

MICAH:  Do you think anyone will know it's me?

BUDDY:  Well, they will now that you've announced yourself.

MICAH:  Good.  I would hate to be unrecognizable for my first selfie post.

BUDDY:  I think this is a good time to present the Sunday Smile video.

MICAH: Two labs jumped in a canoe when it started to float away and a third dog swam out to  rescue them.

BUDDY:  What teamwork!  One lab dropped the rope in the water and the rescue dog towed them to shore. 


If the video doesn't play, click here.


Join the Sunday Selfie blog hop hosted by the Cat on My Head blog.

Friday, December 04, 2015

Marcus Filches, Percy Models


MICAH:  Uh-oh, looks like someone is in trouble again.  Do you remember this picture from last year?


SAM: Jan thought she had finally resolved the Marcus eating the cats' food problem.  All has been well for ... a week? 

MERCI:  Tonight she suddenly heard the thud of something heavy landing on the kitchen floor and she immediately knew what that something heavy was.

RUSTY:  She raced into the living room just as Marcus dropped onto a bed and tried to look innocent by not licking his mouth.

CYNDI:  She sped into the kitchen and checked the cat food bowl.  Yep, licked clean and still wet.  She raced back to the living room, pointed to the crate, and Marcus walked into it with his head down but a glint in his eye.

BUDDY:  He's a chip off the young Buddy.  I was quite good at the same sport when I was young and agile.  Jan can't figure out how he got up on the dryer again.  Way to go, Marcus!  Keep her confused.

MARCUS:  I don't know why Jan always blames me. I was only licking my mouth because I was wondering what was for dinner.

PERCY:  We wrote yesterday's post on the Old New and New New Coats Wednesday evening.  Surprisingly, Jan did try to adjust Buddy's and Merci's coats to better fit them.  However ...

SAM:  As some of you were aware, in between coats, Jan lost a needle and thread on the desk.  She was afraid one of us would find the needle and get hurt.

CYNDI:  So she kept looking.  Last evening she decided to try one more time.  It was not on or under anything on the desk.  It was not on the floor.

MICAH:  She was tempted to go look in the refrigerator, just in case, but she had not left the chair while she was sewing.

RUSTY:  She picked up  Buddy's coat and saw the glint of a needle.  It was a needle and black thread "glued" to a black velcro strap.

MERCI:  A couple of days ago, we saw a drawing from the One Drawing Daily blog.  We stopped by and volunteered to be one of the daily drawings.


CYNDI:  And yesterday Thomas Clausen sent us the link to Percy's Little Cat in Profile drawing.

BUDDY:  We really like the drawing and Thomas Clausen said it would be okay to post it on our blog.  He also has a website,  Pet Portraits by Thomas Clausen.

RUSTY:  We're not doing a review.  We just think you'd enjoy visiting to view some of his work.  And perhaps you know someone who would like a pet portrait for Christmas?

MARCUS:   You too can volunteer to be one of his daily drawing models. 

SAM:  It's a good thing Thomas didn't pick Marcus as his subject.  He'd have had to draw Marcus with his mouth full of cat food.


PERCY:  This is the photo he used.  It's from our Introducing Taylor post.


It's time for the weekly Friday Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Roscoe.  It is co-hosted by Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Love is being owned by a husky.

Thursday, December 03, 2015

Old New and New New Coats


BUDDY:  Hey, remember my new coat?  It ran a little small, so Miss Pat was really sweet and ordered me a larger one that would cover more and keep my tummy warm.  It ran a little large. 


PERCY:  You look like a drowned rat there, Buddy.  Are you planning to grow a bit?


MERCI:  Jan is hopeful he will put on a little weight this winter but the girth strap is still too big, so it looks like she might need to stitch that a bit shorter too.


MICAH:  Are you an old man, Buddy?  You look like an old dog here.

BUDDY:  I just turned 11.  I guess I am an old dog.


CYNDI:  Well, it sure does look like it covers a lot more of you so it should be warmer.

RUSTY:  It has boops to put his back legs through so it stays put.

SAM:  Boops?  I think you mean loops.  He didn't wear the loops on this trip.  Jan was just trying to figure out what needed to be adjusted.

MARCUS:  Jan sewed the understrap so the hood will stay on Buddy's head and the coat would stop sliding back so he doesn't pee on the coat.

MICAH:  The next time he wore it, it fit much better but Jan forgot to take pictures.

PERCY:  And then yesterday the weather started to turn cold again, so Jan got out his coat and discovered the understrap stitching had ripped open when he wore it walking.

RUSTY:  So Jan has to sew it up again. 

MERCI:  But the good news is that Jan got the idea to try Buddy's old new coat on me - the one in the first picture above - and it fit!  Well, I'm a bit long for such a small dog so the length was good but it's a bit roomy around the girth.  So Jan has to sew that up too.

SAM:  My new coat fits fine.  Since Jan has to sew the other two, I guess you and Buddy, Merci, will be ready for winter by next spring.

MARCUS:  Buddy really needs his coat and Merci's teeth were chattering the last cold night we had, so maybe we should all go pester Jan until she gets out the needle and thread again.

BUDDY:  We are thankful to Miss Pat for our winter coats.  We really like them and hope Jan can alter mine and Merci's a little without sticking herself with a needle too many times.

RUSTY:  So, Marcus, that means you stay out of the room while she is sewing!

What are you thankful for this week?

Pepi Smart Dog's Thankful Thursday blog hop is today, so we will hop on over as soon as we can get online.

And it's also Thoughtless Thursday hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and co-hosts Love is being owned by a Husky and M.K Clinton.