Monthly Archives: December 2012

A Love Affair Between A Human And A Canine

Posted on December 28, 2012 | 12 comments
Jupiter

Jupiter

Time really goes fast for me when we have dogs staying with us.  Why?  Who knows.  Anyway, Jupiter will be going back home tomorrow and to say that we’ll miss him would be an understatement.  He is an excellent dog.  Docile, friendly, and very loving.

Cynthia and Jupiter

Cynthia and Jupiter

Now, what I was unaware of, of course, was that there was a love affair in full bloom between Cynthia and Jupiter.  Cynthia enjoys having dogs stay with us, but there is always those that she just fall in love with.  And all this was going on right under my nose, and I did not realize it until I caught these two re-handed.

Cynthia and Jupiter

Jupiter, “Oh, oh.  I think someone is watching us”.

He was right.  I was watching them.

Cynthia, "Oh boy. We did get caught".

Cynthia, “Oh boy. We did get caught”.

Aha!  Yes, you did.  But in all fairness, how can you not fall in love with such a handsome boy like Jupiter.

Jupiter

Jupiter

He is so handsome and such a heartbreaker.  We hope that he’ll be back in the future to share our home, love and walks with us.

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Posted in Dogs, Humor, Nutrition, Outings, Walking

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Merry Christmas From All Of Us

Posted on December 27, 2012 | 6 comments
Roxy

Roxy

We took a nice long morning walk on Christmas day, and before I took their coats off and brushed them, I had to take pictures of them wearing their coats.  Roxy was delighted wearing this sweater even though it is a little small for her.

Roxy and Jupiter

Roxy and Jupiter

Then, it was Jupiter’s turn.  He actually does not mind wearing a coat even though his face says otherwise.

Alex, Roxy and Jupiter

Alex, Roxy and Jupiter

We took all the canine kids out on the deck for a photo shoot, but as you can see they were not really in the mood to pose, but rather ready to go to sleep.

Alex, Roxy and Jupiter (from L to R)

Alex, Roxy and Jupiter (from L to R)

But then, I showed them a treat, and Voila!  They are all ready to pose.

Alex

Alex

Oh, oh.  Hurry up taking the picture.  I am losing Alex already!

Jupiter, Alex and Roxy. (from L to R)

Jupiter, Alex and Roxy. (from L to R)

Since Christmas here in Odenton, MD was a nice day, I removed their jackets to take this picture before going back inside.

Roxy and Jupiter

Roxy and Jupiter

Once inside, it was time to go to sleep.  Jupiter was exhausted, but I think Roxy really liked posing for all those pictures.  We bundled her up and got her ready for a nap.  As you can see, our Christmas day was uneventful, but fun because we shared it with our Alex, and our two canine guests, Roxy and Jupiter.  We hope you had a great time as well.

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Posted in Dogs, Humor, Nutrition, Outings, Walking

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Christmas Eve Dinner With Our Canine Guests

Posted on December 26, 2012 | Leave a comment
Cynthia Cooking

Cynthia Cooking

Cynthia was in a cooking frenzy on Christmas eve, and as you can see she was so into it that she did not even have time to turn around for this picture.

Jupiter was extremely adamant that Christmas eve dinner needed to be guarded properly so he took that job himself and held watch while Cynthia was cooking.

Roxy and Jupiter

Roxy and Jupiter

As customary, Roxy and Jupiter stayed in the kitchen with Cynthia, “helping” her prepare dinner.

Alex

Alex

Alex had a completely different idea than Roxy and Jupiter.  Alex did not guard the food nor help cook dinner.  She preferred to go to her bed and fall asleep.  Our little princess.

Christmas eve dinner

Christmas eve dinner

We finally sat down to eat and Cynthia cooked what I requested, plantains, pork, and salad, along with wine.  Delicious.  We had a peaceful and uneventful Christmas eve with our Alex and canine guests.  We hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well.

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Gallery

Our Canine Christmas Eve Guests

Posted on December 24, 2012

This gallery contains 9 photos.

Jupiter, a good-looking boxer is staying with us for a couple of days and he was kind enough to pose for some of these pictures.  All of them, Alex, Jupiter, and Roxy, of course, did this because we promised to … Continue reading →

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Bye Sienna

Posted on December 23, 2012 | 6 comments
Sienna

Sienna

I can’t believe 30 days went by so fast and it was time for Sienna to go back home last week.  We’ll miss her a lot, that is for sure, and here are some of her cute quirks that we’d like to share with all of you:

  • She did not bark during the day, but she did it at night time while she was dreaming
  • She was Cynthia’s sous chef and as such she’d hang out in the kitchen with all of us
  • She’d go to sleep once we wrapped her up in a blanket like a burrito
  • She’d pick the biggest Nylabone to chew on, which by the way was just a little smaller than she was

Every dog is different, and each one has his/her own quirks and that is what makes them even more endearing to us.  We’ll miss her very much, but I know that she is very happy to be back home.

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Posted in Dogs

Alex Sprained Her Leg

Posted on December 15, 2012 | 18 comments

This week I went to run some errands and when I came back, Alex greeted me with so much enthusiasm that she ended up hurting her front right leg.  We usually walk for about 40-60 minutes twice a day, but since Thursday she is on bed rest.

Alex resting

Alex resting

Alex’s favorite pastime is sleeping, but I don’t think she is very happy with the amount of bed rest she has been subjected to since Thursday.  Today, Friday, she was not limping, but when she came back in after peeing in my backyard she ran going up the stairs and by the afternoon she started to limp a bit.  That’s it.  She will be on bed rest until her leg heals completely.

I love my girl, but sometimes her enthusiasm gets out of hand and she ends up hurting herself.  Alex will be staying at home with Cynthia so she can recuperate while I walk and continue exploring our neighborhood with Sienna and Roxy.

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Posted in Dogs, Humor, Nutrition, Outings, Walking

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Walter, a Handsome Australian Shepherd

Posted on December 12, 2012 | 6 comments

Today, Tuesday, we had Walter, an Australian Shepherd stay with us for two days.  I always do research on the dog’s breed that stay with me to better understand the dog and to be honest Walter is a typical Australian Shepherd.

Alex, Walter and Sienna (from left to right)

Alex, Walter and Sienna (from left to right)

This is what I found out about Walter’s breed: highly energetic, but sometimes can be easy-going, may show guarding behaviors, intelligent, learns quickly, enjoys working, often called velcro-dogs for their intense desire to be close to their owners, barks mostly as a warning, but not inclined to obsessive barking.

Handsome Walter

Handsome Walter

Now the description of Walter is very accurate, but you also have to remember that training and patience also make his traits shine.  His mom took him for a few courses in obedience and even one to learn tricks.  In other words, she took the time to train Walter and I could tell he was trained by the way he behaved on our first meeting.  He was a little excited, which is normal, but he listened to his mom.

Walter, posing for this picture.

Walter, posing for this picture.

Regardless of your dog’s breed, at the very least, either take an Obedience Class with your dog or hire a dog trainer to help you bring out the best in your dog.  I took 3 classes with Casey, my first dog, Obedience I, Obedience II, and Canine Good Citizen.  And one class with Alex, Obedience I.  Now if money is a little tight, you can always go to the library and get books about dog training that may be helpful to you and your dog.  Look at it this way, and I am saying this from experience, living with a dog that at a minimum has basic obedience is a pleasure rather than living with one unruly dog that in the end might end up in a shelter.  Enjoy your dog and you can start training him with treats.  They all love treats.

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Posted in Dogs, Humor, Nutrition, Outings, Walking

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Yes, Dogs Also Get Cold

Posted on December 10, 2012 | 21 comments

My girl, Alex, and Sienna, both seem to get cold very easy.  Whenever they are cold, they look directly at me or Cynthia as if to say, “I am cold”, and this is our cue for us to bundle up both of them.

Sienna wrapped in a blanket

Sienna wrapped in a blanket

Sienna loves when we wrap her in a blanket.  If you decide to do this with your dog, make sure not to wrap her too tight.

Sienna, wrapped up in a blanket like a burrito?

Sienna, wrapped up in a blanket like a burrito?

Burrito?  Now I am getting hungry.

Sienna asleep

Sienna asleep

I guess Sienna got tired of posing and decided to take a nap.

Sienna and Alex

Sienna and Alex

What I’ve noticed with dogs is that those dogs that have very short hair like Sienna and Alex do tend to get cold very easy.  People without pets usually ask, “Why make a dog wear a sweater?  They don’t get cold”.  That is not true, specially for those dogs with short hair like my two girls on the above picture.  If your dog is shivering, and you are outside with her on a cold day, believe me, chances are that she is really cold, not just cold.  A lot of dogs do not like to wear sweaters, like my Alex, but I make her wear it anyway because the minute we stop walking she shivers a lot.  Take your dog for a walk, but make sure you outfit her properly during this time of the year.

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Roxy, A Beautiful Pomeranian

Posted on December 4, 2012 | 8 comments

Roxy stayed with us this past weekend and Cynthia did her best to take pictures of them, but as many of you pet parents know many times our subjects are not very cooperative.

Roxy falling asleep

Roxy falling asleep

Sienna about to fall asleep

Sienna about to fall asleep

The above two pictures is a perfect example of what happens after a nice long walk and feeding.  No cooperation from these canine kids.

Sienna n Roxy3

Do you know how I got them to look awake and alert?  I showed them a treat and that helped.  Yes, I know I had to bribe them, but I wanted to take a picture of both of them.

Sienna aka Super Girl

Sienna aka Super Girl

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