Nutrish Dish With Butt Pictures

Merci:  Hey, Buddy, a package just arrived for us.  We should go check it out.

Buddy:  Okay.  Just give me five minutes to climb off the bed and we can do it together.

Marcus:  Hey, look what I found.  It's a bag of dog food.

Merci:  You're blocking the view.  No one can see the bag.

Marcus:  Oh, sorry.  Is this better?

Buddy:  No, your ear is blocking the view now.

Marcus:  It's the new Nutrish Dish chicken and brown rice dog food from Rachel Ray.

Merci:  The package says there is no corn, wheat, soy or gluten.  And no poultry by-product meal, fillers, artificial preservatives, colors or artificial flavors.

Buddy:  That's quite a list of "no" ingredients.  Is there anything in it?

Marcus:  Yes, chicken.

Buddy:  Is that all?

Merci:  No, it says on the bag there are chicken, carrots, peas, potatoes, apples, brown rice, flaxseed and poultry fat and cranberries.  The full ingredient list is on the Chewy website.

Marcus:  Hurry up, Jan.  We're all ready for breakfast. 

Merci:  Hey, you ran into your Private Dining Car before Jan asked you to.

Marcus:  I know.  I can't wait.  I want to be served NOW!

Marcus:  Uh, Jan, did you hear me?  I said NOW!

Marcus:  It's about time! 

Buddy:  Finally we get to eat too.

Merci:  Hey, every picture has Marcus in it.  Buddy and I finally get a turn and ... wait, we're posting pictures of my butt?

Buddy:  Don't complain.  You're the one who refused to turn around and face the camera.

Merci:  We really have been enjoying this bag of food since it arrived. It's too bad this is the last of it.

Buddy:  Yes, we've enjoyed every bite of this Rachel Ray Nutrish Dish.  There's nothing left in the bag now except crumbs. 

Marcus:  Hey, where did the waitress go?  I need a trip to the restroom.

*** We were given the bag of food by Chewy.com in exchange for an honest review.  We were not paid.  Any opinions or comments are our own. 

Freedom Isn't Free

This is the flag that used to greet us each time we took a walk.  It became old and tattered and was removed, not to be replaced.  We miss seeing the symbol of American freedom flying proud in a breeze.

This Memorial Day we would like to share a video titled :Freedom Isn't Free.  It's in honor of all our vets who have sacrificed their lives to help keep us free.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Promotion and Raise Canceled

Rusty:  I did not say I want you to take my picture, Jan.  I said I want you to refill my breakfast plate.  Your promotion and raise are hereby rescinded.


Note: We try to keep the blog light and fun but this video about the coming "underhanded invasion" of pet food from China disturbs us.  We are going to have to start nagging Miss I Forgot To Check Where the Pet Food Was Manufactured.  She needs to watch for "Made In China". You might want your humans to do the same.


If the video doesn't play, click here. 

We will be back on Monday.

We are joining the Pet Parade blog hop with hosts Rascal and Rocco,  Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Owned by a Husky.

A Honkless Holiday

Percy:  So what's the story on your exciting walk last week?

Buddy:  We were walking and suddenly Marcus screamed - screamed, mind you - Hey, Minnie, hey, Mo!  You brought your family this time.

Rusty::  Who was he screaming at?

Merci:  Geese.  He thinks all geese are named Minnie and Mo. 

Percy:  So what did the geese say?

Buddy:  Nothing.  They just stared at us like we were weird.  Mo is a honker so I guess Minnie and Mo weren't present.

Merci:  Since the geese wouldn't talk to us, Marcus wanted Jan to run home to get his sign.  She refused. 

Percy:  If I remember correctly, Marcus speaks goose with a Southern accent and Minnie and Mo spoke Canadian.  What dialect you suppose these geese spoke?

Buddy:   Is silence a dialect?  They never made a sound.

Percy:  Oh, that's why Marcus came home all upset.  He came in muttering, Those stuck up out of towners!

Marcus:  *enters room*  Hey, guys, I just figured out why those geese wouldn't honk at me the other day.

Buddy:  Why?

Marcus:  It was a honkless holiday.  I think I hear the treat bag rustling in the kitchen.

Percy:  What's a honkless holiday?

Buddy:  I have no idea.  But this is Thankful Thursday.and I'm sure thankful you and Merci didn't ask him.


Join Pepi Smart Dog and friends for the Thankful Thursday blog hop.  

A Squirrel Model

Merci:  Hey, look.  Another squirrel that isn't running from us.

Marcus:  He's across the street.

Buddy:  It doesn't matter which side of the street he's on.  This is the deaf section for squirrels.

Marcus:  The deaf section?

Merci:  That's what Jan calls it.  A few years ago we came close to catching a few squirrels because they didn't seem to know we were there until we got so close they could have been dinner.

Buddy:   Jan would even yell at them as we approached and they didn't react, so she called this the deaf section of our walk.

Merci:  The other day we stood and watched this guy across the street.  He sat so still.

Marcus:  Finally, I stomped on Jan's foot and said, What does it take for you to get out your camera?

Buddy:  Even the squirrels know Jan takes photographs. Often unusual photographs.  I mean, who takes pictures down a pipe to check on baby birds?

Merci:  Jan got out her camera and he turned his back to us. 

Marcus:  But when the camera clicked on, he turned and posed for us again.  The only thing wrong with this picture is that I am not in it.

Buddy:  No, the good thing about this picture is that you are not in it.  Not your ears, not your nose, not even an eye.  This picture is a Marcus-free zone.

Marcus:  And so is this room now.  I'm leaving.

Buddy:  Was it something I said?

Our Mystery Guest

Micah: There was a strange woman in our house taking pictures of us.  Who let her in and why was she here? 

Buddy:  Oh, that was our mystery guest.

Micah:  Her being here was sure a mystery to me.  I was napping.  And then I wasn't. 

Cyndi:  I know how you feel.  Percy, Taylor and I ran and hid, but the rest of you got caught napping and had to pose.

Buddy:  It's okay.  If you remember Jan had an email last month from Bacon's mom asking to come meet Jan and bring a mystery guest.  Jan had no idea who it would be until yesterday morning when she saw the news on Facebook. 

Marcus:  Well, I think she was a nice lady.  She took my picture.  A lot!  She's my friend.

Micah:  Anyone with a camera is your friend.

Marcus:  But she's special.  She had TWO cameras so she could take twice as many pictures of me.

Buddy:  Jan thought we would never meet any bloggers in the flesh since we live too far off the traveled trail and don't travel.  But yesterday Jan got to meet two.  

Merci:  I remember her.  That's Bev a.k.a. Fozziemom from the blog All Fur One and One Fur All. She lives in Australia and takes pictures of native wildlife.  She just lost her dear dog Forrest recently. 

Rusty:  Bacon's human June (and husband Jim) drove Bev and Fozziedad Phil here and took Jan to lunch. 

Buddy:  Bev brought Jan some presents.  A handful of her wildlife cards with kangaroos, birds, even a porcupine.  Also, a copy of the book, Kangaroo Dundee.  And chocolate bars.   I suggested at least one of those bars should belong to us furries, but Jan refused.

Marcus:  Here's a picture of June, Bev and Miss I Don't Want To Share My Chocolate Bars.

Merci:  After a leisurely meal and a Funny Farmer photo op, it was time to snap Jim and June's picture before the visitors headed North. 

Buddy:  Jan had such a good day with these humans, she appears to be walking on air.  We hope she doesn't trip up there 'cause it would be farther to fall and you know how she likes to fly and crash.

Billy Sweetfeets and Dr. Buddy

A few days ago we learned that Billy Sweetfeets Norton Gingersnap has cancer.   He has always been a happy, loving mancat who loves to dance so we wanted to do a happy post for him. He's not sure how much time he has left - a couple months ... a year.  We hope he will be sharing many months with his family.

Billy and his brothers Sammy, Miles and Nikki from Meezer Tails are old blogging buddies. Six years ago, Dr. Buddy operated on Billy's brain.  Billy was a great patient and we had a lot of fun writing a 3-part story on the subject.  Because we love Billy, the Meezers and Mom Mary, we decided to take a trip down memory lane today. You are welcome to join us for a smile. 

*******

First posted Saturday, December 05, 2009 -

Jan left this comment on The Meezers blog: Hey, Meezers the Mom, Freckles and Deb suggested I ask you if you are aware Sammy & Miles told Buddy they are sending Billy over for brain surgery? They even offered to sign the pre-surgery forms since Billy is underage. Buddy is sharpening his scalpel. Is this okay with you?

The Meezers: Deer Jan and Buddy, I is aware that Sammy the great and Miles the wonderful haf signed Billy the weerd up for brain surjery. I am hopeing that Buddy can find out what is wrong wif him. Sin-seer-lee, MeezerMomMerry.

Jan: Uh, the Meezer Mom, this is Jan again. I received your permission for Buddy to operate on Billy's brain but I'm a little suspicious. The spelling looks more like Sammy and Miles' pawwriting. Did they intercept my message and "give permission" or are you actually in agreement?

Click to continue reading --Dr. Buddy Prepares for Surgery.

********

First posted on Sunday, December 06, 2009 -

Percy: Well, today was Buddy's big day. His first scheduled brain surgery is finished. Billy Sweetfeets was volunteered by his brothers, Sammy and Miles Meezer. They wanted to find out why Billy is "weerd."

Cyndi: I was Dr. Buddy's assistant. I was afraid I would pass out at the sight of blood. I didn't. I barfed. All over Dr. Buddy. At least I missed the patient and the sterile instruments.

Sam: Then she passed out. Instead of falling backwards so I could catch her, she fell sideways, landing on Merci, who screeched and dropped the emergency phone. It rolled out of her reach under the operating table.

Cameron: Perhaps we should begin at the beginning and give you an abbreviated account of our day in the operating room.

Click to continue reading - Billy's Brain Surgery.
.

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First posted on Monday, December 07, 2009.

Yesterday's post on Billy's Brain Surgery brought some interesting comments. We're still exhausted so we're just going to share some of them with you today.

Eric & Flynn left a message on The Meezer's blog: We googled green spots in the brain and it appears that Billy has been taken over by aliens!

We left a comment at the Meezer's too: Hey, guys, we're relieved to read Eric & Flynn's comment above. So that's what happened to Billy's brain. We're glad you enjoyed the surgical experience, Billy. Or at least most of it. We hope your head isn't too sore today. Miles & Sammy, we hope you are happy your little brother is home safe and sound. Buddy turned out to be a very competent surgeon. Much more competent than when he tried plumbing. 


Click to continue reading -  Comments on Billy' Sweetfeets.

Show Some Modesty

Cyndi: Pssst, Percy, wake up.

Percy:  Zzzzzzzz, zzzzzst.

Merci:  Percy, show some modesty! 

Percy:  Zsssss, zzzzst.

Merci:  You're going to be embarrassed when you see your pictures posted on the blog. 

Percy:  Zsssss, zzzzzst. 

Cyndi:  Forget it, Merci.  Percy's a guy. Not much embarrasses a guy.

Merci:  You're right.  He'll probably sell copies on Amazon.

We are joining the Pet Parade blog hop with hosts Rascal and Rocco,  Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Owned by a Husky. 

See you Monday.

Biscuits and Turkey Tea

Marcus:  *singing softly* ...rich folks eatin in their private dining cars...   prolly chompin biscuits and drinkin turkey tea...

Percy:  Hey, I recognize that tune.  Isn't that from "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash?

Marcus:  Sort of.  I'm just sitting here in my private dining car waiting for Jan to allow me my one hour in the exercise yard with the other inmates.

Percy:  Marcus, you just ate breakfast and you're waiting for Jan to finish taking pictures of Buddy and Merci for the dog food review next week.

Marcus:  Oh, what a relief!  My sentence has been commuted.

Percy:  Your sentence is way off track.  There is no such line as "prolly chompin biscuits and drinkin turkey tea" in the song.

Marcus:  There isn't?  Are you sure?

Percy:  Positive.  Here's Johnny Cash himself.  Listen and learn.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Join Pepi Smart Dog and friends for the Thankful Thursday blog hop.  

Micah Hatches A Scratcher

Micah:  Jan said .... WHAT?  She said I have been sitting here for so long she thinks I'm trying to hatch a scratcher?

Just because we've had so many baby bird stories this past week does not mean I am trying to keep the nest warm and hatch baby scratchers. It would save Jan a bunch of money, though, wouldn't it?

This is my scratcher and I can sit on it for as long as I so desire!  And if baby scratchers hatch, I will be a very rich internet sensation. Now go away.  My scratcher and I want some privacy.

Dancing With Wellness Core

Micah:  What are you doing, Percy?  You look like you're dancing with your breakfast.

Percy:  I'm not dancing; I'm sniffing this new food before I taste it.  It smells appetizing.  What is it?

Marcus:  It's Wellness Core Hearty Cuts with Gravy.

Cyndi:  Where did you come from?  You're a dog.  This is cat food.

Marcus:  So where were you cats when the package was opened and the camera appeared?

Rusty:  This is what it looks like after Jan pops the top on the shredded chicken and turkey recipe. 

Taylor:  I'm taste testing it now.  Tastes pretty good to me.

 Chewy lists the key benefits as:

• Chicken and turkey recipe in a hearty gravy
• Grain-free recipe helps pets avoid common allergens
• Superfoods like carrots and spinach provide essential nutrients
• Serve as a balanced meal or mix with dry food
•  No artificial preservatives, colors or flavors
•  No wheat, corn or soy fillers.

Micah: The first ingredients listed are chicken, chicken broth, turkey broth, chicken liver, turkey, dried egg whites, potato starch, carrots...  It also has blueberries, spinach, ground flaxseed, salmon oil, kelp and a number of vitamins and minerals. 

Rusty:  I prefer pate but this tastes pretty good.  I think I'll clean my plate.

Cyndi:  If you don't, I get dibs on your leftovers.

Taylor:  We all cleaned our plates.  To be honest, after that first meal, Percy wanted Jan to smash the chunks on his plate, then he started eating the gravy and leaving the chunks anyway.

Rusty:  I am the one who usually just eats the gravy, but I have been eating mine.

Micah:  Four of us enjoy the Wellness Core Hearty Cuts with Gravy and one of us loves the gravy.

Percy:  There is always at least one of waiting to volunteer for the cleanup crew, so food never goes to waste around here.

Cyndi:  Yes, I have to shove Taylor and Micah out of the way to get my share of any leftovers.

Micah:  You don't always wait until food is "leftover" to shove us out of the way.

Cyndi:  Rusty, are you done?  You have a smidge of gravy left on your plate.

The cat food for this review was provided by Chewy.com.  We were not paid and Chewy is not responsible for our content.
 

We are joining the monthly Chewy blog hop hosted by Golden Woofs and Oz the Terrier.  

Baby Bird in Dog Pen

Taylor:  Hey, how did the baby bird get in our dog pen?


Rusty:   I've been wondering the same thing.  Last week Jan let Marcus outside, saw the bird and decided Marcus needed to come back inside right away.

Marcus:  Yes, I was walking down the steps and Jan suddenly said, "Marcus - she calls me Marcus -

Taylor:  Of course she does.  That's your name.

Marcus:  She said, :"Marcus, let's go back in the house."

     "But I have to pee," I said. 

     "Later."

     So I dutifully went back in the house and sat for hours with my legs crossed

Taylor:  It was only for a short time, Marcus.  Jan went outside to take some pictures.

Baby bird:  Mama, where are you?  How did I get here?  Where am I?  Who is this crazy person following me around telling me to smile for the camera?

Taylor:  Baby looked dazed and lost.  Did he fall out of a nest in our tree or did his mama kick him out and tell him not to come back until he graduated flight school?

Rusty:  I begged to go outside to help him, but Jan hooked the screen door to lock me inside.

Marcus:  He wandered around the pen, hopped a little, flapped his wings here and there, and looked around a lot.  At first I thought he'd dropped his nest keys, but then I realized he was lost.   If I didn't have to keep my legs crossed, I could have taken him a map.

Taylor:  What happened to him?  Did his mom ever show up?

Rusty:  Not that I know of.  He slowly made his way across the pen, stopping here and there to practice lift off, flapped through the chain link, landed and disappeared around the neighbor's tree.

Marcus:  And finally I was allowed outside to pee!

Taylor:  I hope Baby is okay.  Perhaps he'll come back and visit us again.

Marcus:  I hope so.  I'd like to invite him to lunch.

Mama and Baby Pipe Birds

Rusty:  Bloggers have been asking for an update on the birds nesting in the pipe.  Marcus, you speak goose.  Do you also speak bird?

Marcus:  A goose is just a big bird with a built-in horn so he can honk the song of his people ... er, his gaggle.  So, yes, I speak bird fluently.

Micah:  Are the baby birds okay and still living in the pipe?  (Dedicated Determination and Cat in Hat with Scarf)

Marcus:  Yes, they are okay.  They tweet a "Hello, Marcus" at me every day or two.

Merci:  It sounds more like a "Mama, save us!" to me and Buddy.

Marcus:  That's because you don't speak their language.  Their mama thanked me for keeping such a watchful eye on them.

Buddy:  Is that what you call it when you practically drag us the last yards to the pipe - each direction!  

Marcus:  Last weekend we saw mama sitting on the pipe singing joyfully.  Jan was so afraid you guys would scare her away she stopped immediately and mama was just a blip in the picture.  Mama was gone before Jan could change the settings.

Rusty:  I bet you barked and scared her away, Marcus.

Merci:  Actually, Marcus has been quiet around the nursery.  

Marcus:  A few evenings ago, Mama was sitting on the pipe and flew into a tree when we approached.  She was small and hard to find to photograph.

Micah:  From what you've said, she'd have to be small for her and her babies to nest in a 2 inch wide pipe.

Rusty:  Is that picture for real?  It looks like wallpaper to me.

Merci:  Yes, it's real.  It was taken looking almost straight up at the evening sky.

Buddy:  This one is from the other day.  It's tough to get a picture looking down a dark pipe.

Marcus:  Here's another shot of mama.  Isn't she cute?  I keep waiting for those babies to accept my invitation to lunch.

Rusty:  Well, when they do, please let the rest of us know. We don't want to miss that meal.


Prayers requested for these sweet doggies, Luke/Benny and Cousin Andy.

You might remember Luke.  He lived with us for several weeks, was returned to his family, saved from there by Teresa, taken in by an Atlanta rescue and transported to New England where he went to live with Elise, Matt and his fur sister Rosie.

Last Saturday we learned Luke - now Benny! - has some health issues and was diagnosed with Lyme disease and with heartworms. 

Cousin Andy lives with Miss Teresa.  (Not Luke/Benny's Teresa)  We introduced him (Funny Farmers and Cousin Andy) in 2009.  Yesterday we learned he has been diagnosed with lymphoma.  Miss Teresa and Mr. Doug are heartsick.  They really love this little guy.  We do too.

We are joining the Pet Parade blog hop with hosts Rascal and Rocco,  Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Owned by a Husky. 

Marcus Saves A Broken Nose

Marcus:  Today I'd like to tell you the story of how I saved Jan's broken nose.

Percy:  Did I miss something?  I'm not aware Jan has a broken nose.

Marcus:  We wrote some posts on the 2016 saga of our new city water pipes - the explosion, the flood, the dry pipes, the midnight dig by flashlight, the knee-high flesh-eating grass -

Cyndi:  Marcus, I think you're exaggerating a bit.

Marcus:  The pipe connection blew, it flooded our dog pen, we had no water in the house and a guy from the water company was digging in our yard just before midnight one Saturday ... Need I continue?

Percy:  I hate to ask, but where does the flesh -eating grass come in?

Marcus:  Well, I might have exaggerated just a teeny bit there, but it was knee-high.  The guys left behind a mess of uneven rocky ground and a deep hole where the old meter used to be.  Jan could have stepped in it and broken her nose and then who would feed us?

Cyndi:  Wait a minute.  Jan would break an ankle if she stepped in the hole.  How is she going to break her nose?

Marcus:  You know Jan.  Whenever she falls, she flies and crashes.

Percy:  So the city sent this huge machine to fix the hole?

Marcus:  No.  I just think it's the neatest thing since the pocketknife with all the gadgets.  This toy can dig the hole, haul away the dirt and then brush up the mess it made in the street.  I want one.

Marcus:  As we started our Friday afternoon walk, a guy stopped to admire the mess they'd made.  I U-turned and dragged Jan back to ask him if he could please fill in the hole before someone gets hurt.

Buddy:  I know.  I was poised to take a poop near the curb and suddenly I was being dragged down the sidewalk in a semi-sitting position.

Marcus:  When we got home, the rocks and an empty plastic can were in the hole.

Percy:  I saw the guys came by early Monday morning to finish filling in the hole.

Cyndi:  It looks like they did a pretty good job.   

Marcus:  And that is the story of how I saved Jan's broken nose.

Percy:  It sounds more like you're patting yourself on the back with a front paw.

Buddy:  So this week we are thankful Jan didn't fall into a hole and break her nose?

Marcus:   Would you be thankful if she had?


PS - Please excuse us if we are kind of quiet.  Jan is on a house cleaning, clearing, rearranging binge again and it eats up our time and wears us all out!  

Join Pepi Smart Dog and friends for the Thankful Thursday blog hop.