Valentines Day for Dogs

The story of a dog named Darby, link below.

http://www.smallpawsrescue.org/pup3/feb1209.html

Ok, we have valentines for people why not dogs? I am extremely prejudiced I know because I own a bichon and a lab but today with the economy the way it is and all why not do something truly loving for yourself, your family, and one of our furry friends. Think about adopting a dog.
You can go here, for a bichon or you can type in your breed preference and zip code on the left hand side to see other breeds. (Such as Labradors?)

Bichon Trying To Save Mama From The Vacuum

Here's a semi funny video I did this afternoon. I'd gotten up from my day off afternoon nap and decided I couldn't take the family room floor anymore and had to vacuum, remembered there was string in the vacuum brush from the last time I'd used it. The string is from a place in the carpet that the Labrador dug up when my husband and he were playing with the laser light, the lab thought he could dig the light up and get ahold of it?
Anyway the Bichon is distressed by the vacuum, I'm pretty sure he thinks we are not in control of things with motors that make noise such as the vacuum and the lawnmower so he must protect us. This is also the noise he makes when I get out of the car or leave him in the house if amplified 10 times.

Neighbor Sells Womans "Lost" Dogs on Craigslist

Seems that this woman Theresa let her 3 little dogs out and they got out the back gate, one came back the other two didn't. She then saw them THE NEXT NIGHT for sale on craigslist, the woman posting them was a neighbor in Columbia, PA, who said they had been her grandmothers dogs and she had had them for 3 days??
Here's the link, what do YOU think? I think I'm glad the original owner found them and I hope she has them back safe and sound.

300 Dogs Rescued From North Carolina Puppy Mill

Three hundred dogs were rescued Friday from a puppy mill in North Carolina. The dogs were mainly Lhasa Apso, Shih-Tzus and Chihuahuas.
The link is here to the complete story.
The animals were housed in unheated unventilated outbuildings without proper medical care or socialization.
Being an animal lover and perhaps letting my animals run a little too freely I just can't understand how people can treat dogs like this.
If you have room in your heart and home for a dog please consider adopting a rescue dog.

Temperament Testing for Dogs

American Temperament Test with breed statistics.

Temperament testing for dogs for you to do yourself.

Testing suggestions from Paw Rescue.

To be honest I heard about the first one on the radio this morning on the way to work @ the unholy hour of 6 am and googled the others. Bichons didn't do so good, actually little dogs didn't do so good, lab's have very good temperaments. If you have a dog you spend lots of time with you probably can do the temperament testing in your head and not bother leaving the computer. The tests from Paw Rescue give you clues what to look for in a rescue or shelter dog. My bichon gives the sort of a growl but I'm not really growling when I tell him he can't get up in the night and bark with the other dogs. I can turn him over and put my hands on his neck (OK he rolls over and I play like I'm choking him and he makes this ahhh ahhh noise but he loves it), he hates to be held on his back though but we are working on it, those are some of the things the tests ask. My Bichon would flunk the person running by or riding a bike by, he LOVES to chase things like that.

What else is new? It snowed and sleeted last week, got way behind with everything because it took me forever to get to work and back. We will say that is the excuse for the infrequent postings. The dog is "telling" me I need to do something now, must go! Ahhh we had a playing howling session, he is satisfied for the moment. Wonder what that says about his temperament and mine?

Even the Cows Love Me or How to Get Stuck in Your own Driveway

Sort of an involved story but it was like a comedy of errors. And it does involve animals.
Wednesday was our wedding anniversary. My husband had been gone on a trip and called to say he was coming home, he has a big truck (semi) and had driven through all the ice and sleet and snow we had in the midwest. We had like 2 inches of mostly sleet on the ground, some snow and ice, highways were clear but side roads hadn't melted @ all @ that time. I'm driving home and thinking can he get in the driveway? My dad had blacktopped the end of our driveway and it has a little hill so it's doubly hard to get into when it's slick. So I get a brilliant idea to use the bags of salt I had stockpiled in the trunk of my car. So I get home get out of the pickup and get in the car and take the salt out to the end of the driveway. Actual highway is out of sight in this picture, it's behind the mailboxes, this is what remains of the snow after a day of above freezing temperatures, was taken this morning. So I go out there and spread salt and get the brilliant idea to mush it into the ice and snow with the car. I own one of the last rear wheel drive cars made, cadillac cts. So I'm out there on this steep little hill with the car going back and forth and eventually I can't go back anymore, just forward which is downhill and out to the highway. So I have no phone and no drivers license because I wasn't planning on going to town. Don't want to turn around because all of the other side roads were bad, so I go to town to turn around which is only 1/2 mile away. On the way back there are cows (you knew we would get to them eventually?) in the cemetary which is across from part of our property. Two young cows, big calves actually, I think OK, I will honk so they won't run out in front of me, works with deer and cows usually. So I honk honk honk, get back to my driveway and get a run @ it and get back in. So now I'm back @ the house and look to the N toward town.
This picture was taken this morning when snow had mostly melted but it's the view I saw minus cows. I see the cows running down the airstrip toward me, that's it running along the highway and then almost up to the house. A car had pulled in behind me and the girl in it said she didn't want to bother me but did I know my cows were out? I told her they weren't my cows they just followed me home but thanks anyway. Remember it's my anniversary, I have to feed my animals and think of something for supper because sandwiches won't do on an anniversary, and figure out whose cows these are. In the meantime the dogs, lab, schnauzer, bichon and terrier have discovered these cows in the yard happily munching on the compost pile and are naturally trying to run off the invaders but luckily the calves ignore them, I didn't want them out in the highway. I figure out whose cows they are, get ahold of a babysitting 13 year old boy who isn't sure how many calves they have. His mama is supposed to call me. I decide to go shovel a little on the blacktop part of the driveway, feed animals, start supper etc. After awhile I see the cows hightailing it back to the cemetary. Eventually after 1/2 hour or so my husband does come home, makes it in the driveway fine, the boy calls me and says the calves are home, I described them and told him somebody needed to check the fence.
So that was Pee Wees big adventure for the day. I guess they call the calves to feed them by honking so that's where I made my mistake, they thought they were being called to supper! Was hilarious but for awhile it was what next! So how long has it been since you've had cows follow you home, @ a run no less?

Bichon Grooming Bath and Final Brushing

He's not so cute when wet. I used antibacterial deodorizing shampoo and whitening shampoo this time because I don't think he has any fleas.
Here he is after the first brushing with a pin brush and partly dried in front of an electric heater, he REALLY hates a blow dryer but sometimes we resort to it when pressed for time. In the summer I just brush him outside and dry him on the patio.And this is him in all his glory in the living room where no one ever goes except the grand kids to play because it's big? I used a comb on him to finish partly and no mats or snarls, well hardly any but I avoided those, will trim some later.
And I tell him to sit so he stands and looks out the window one way............
and then the other way because I call kitty hoping he will look @ the camera but it flashes and he doesn't like it. I could have brushed his legs and feet a bit more but we were both getting tired and his haircut is rather uneven but after 3 hours and 2 people this is as good as it gets! Look @ the before pictures this morning a couple posts below this and see if it's not an improvement. Maybe not as much as a beauty parlor for a woman but close?!