August #Giveaway at For Love of a Dog Jewelry | Monday Mischief

A giveaway!  The staff at For Love of a Dog (that would be Jeffie, Rudy and Rosie) are up to some mischief.  They decided they'd give up a real game of fetch today in order to offer you a chance to win a fetch necklace!

Enter now and you could be the lucky winner of this Fetch Dog Bone Necklace. 

This handmade dog bone necklace features a copper dog bone focal hand stamped with FETCH.  A hand crafted three dimensional porcelain tennis balls dangles from the dog bone.  This copper necklace is 22" long for wearing comfort.

Barking good jewelry for the dog lover whose dog loves flyball or simply to play fetch with tennis balls.  Another fun necklace from the dog bone jewelry at For Love of a Dog.


Giveaway Rules:

1. There will be one winner (chosen at random by Rafflecopter) and they will receive this Fetch Dog Bone Copper Necklace from For Love of a Dog Jewelry.  

2. This giveaway is open worldwide.  However, those of you who live outside the US must agree to be responsible for all Customs/VAT fees.

4. The winner will be announced on August 28 here on this blog, plus the winner will receive an email from me that morning.   If I do not receive a response to that email within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter misbehaving?  Sorry about that.  It happens sometimes.  Make sure you're looking at this individual blog post and then try refreshing the page.  OR click on the linked phrase "a Rafflecopter giveaway" (just above this paragraph) and you'll be taken to the entry form.

Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.

Thank you to Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies for hosting Monday Mischief! 
 

PrideBites Dog Toys | Product Review

We tried to stir up some mischief by testing a new dog toy this past weekend.  

We'd seen the Pride Bites dog toys on a number of pet blogs and thought they were super cute, especially the special customized PrideBites..  

So when PrideBites asked if we'd like to give one a doggie test and review, we were delighted.


In no time at all, we received a Steven the Baby PrideBites dog toy.

PrideBites description:

"Meet Steven, a festively plump Baby Boy PrideBites dog toy who's just aching to be your dog's new favorite companion.  He loves to play inside and outside, and when its time for a bath, just throw him in with your laundry because Steven is machine washable.  Like most babies, Steven also floats and squeaks..." 

PrideBites dog toys are made of two layers of soft Durabite fleece with a rip stop technology sewn between the layers.  Their Durabite foam is light weight and retains its shape even after being in water.  Each toy contains a squeaker which is encased in an inner pouch for safety.

Made for active play both indoors and outdoors, PrideBite dog toys float, so they're perfect for water play, too.  Great for tug of war with their 55 pound pull pressure, they're made to withstand multiple dog play.

Out of the box I was impressed by how sturdiness of the PrideBites toy we received. Bright colors, soft fabric and cushy foam.

Jeffie and Rudy looked it over, but I'm not sure they understood it was a toy for them.  The sound of the squeaker was very soft.

Rosie caught on right away.  She took great pleasure in checking out the construction of our Steven the Baby PrideBities dog toy.

Rosie says PAWS UP for PrideBites and has claimed this one for her own.

Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.

Thank you to Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies for hosting Monday Mischief!

Rosie's First Ice Cream Cone | Monday Mischief

Though I think Mother Nature has been the real mischief maker this summer with her crazy ideas about the weather, I suppose I was the one making mischief at our house yesterday.


I recently confessed that we give our dogs nibbles and tastes of all kinds of people food.   Birthdays are celebrated with trips to the DQ where the dogs share a bowl of ice cream.  Yes, they eat very nicely from a spoon and know to take turns.   Plus, there are some trips to the vet that just have to be rewarded with a sausage biscuit from MickeyD's.

If you disapprove and are wearing your judgey-pants, just move along... nothing to see here!

Yesterday I realized that Rosie had never had an ice cream cone.  

Years ago my mom turned me on to these itty bitty, mini ice cream cones.  Pretty cool!  Each dog just gets one and, the truth is, we only do this once in a blue moon.  After all, Rosie's been with us 8 months and this is her first.

 The plate shown here is a small dessert plate - these cones are little!

Jeffie knows what's coming and this is very serious business!

 

I think Rudy is watching to make sure the cones are equal in portions.

 

Rosie is clueless... except we're in the kitchen 

which always means something good will be coming her way.

 

Jeffie sniffs first, then gobbles.

 

Rudy works fast, hence the very blurry photo.

Rosie carefully takes her ice cream cone from the dog daddy.

More, please....

Thank you to Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies for hosting Monday Mischief! 

Mischief Monday: Chauffeuring Mr and Mrs Peeper, a Farm Story

I'll give you the moral of this story right up front:  You can lead geese to water but you shouldn't put them inside your vehicle with the windshield wipers on.

And I'll leave it to you to decide who was making mischief in this farm story.  

I chose two White Chinese goslings at the hatchery before I knew that domestic geese could live well into their thirties.  

The dog daddy was not too thrilled at that news since he hated geese. When he was a little boy some geese chased him into an outbuilding at his grandma's house and wouldn't let him out. 
 

Mr and Mrs Peeper

While they were still young, they lived in our fenced yard in a wire enclosure that could be moved around for fresh greens.  This way I could keep a close eye on them, plus they and the dogs could get used to one another.

Mrs and Mr Peeper

Our yellow Lab mix,Sherman especially loved baby creatures and Mr and Mrs Peeper were no exception.

The Peepers and Sherman

Sherman having a chat with Mr and Mrs Peeper

Once grown, they moved into their own permanent digs.  They roamed at will during the day and were locked into their house at night for protection. 

Mr Peeper

We had a number of spring fed ponds on our 150 acre farm.  The closest was about 1/4 mile from the house.  The geese never ventured far from the house and barn, so I used to lead them to the pond for a swim.  I didn't herd them, I'd whistle and sing to them.  They'd follow me anywhere.

The peeper piper leading the peepers.

They definitely enjoyed it.  However, it was small, pretty muddy little pond, so I'd just sit on a rock and watch.  Sort of a zen time of relaxation.

Mr and Mrs Peeper (White Chinese) with Peabody and PeeWee (Grey Toulouse)

Swim over, I'd lead them back up to the house and barn yard.

Of all our ponds the one we referred to as "The Big Pond" was the best for swimming.  During the wicked heat and humidity of summer, that was where we all headed for some fun and to cool off.  I'd throw the inner tubes, floats, a cooler of water, and towels into the back of the old farm pickup.  In the dogs would hop.

I'd tried leading the geese to "The Big Pond" on foot.  However, it was too far away for a hike.  I was afraid if I put the geese in the bed of the pickup that they'd fly out.

So I decided to just throw the geese into the pickup cab with me.  Worked like a charm.  They seemed to enjoy the ride and they loved going to the pond with us for a swim.

My dogs, Benji and Sherman, alternated between relaxing on floats, drifting around the pond, and swimming after Mr and Mrs Peeper, chomp, chomp, chomping... thought they never seriously tried to snatch them.  The geese would shriek and sometimes turn around and chase them!  It was a like a game of tag.

There came a day when the dog daddy came home from work in time to join us as we prepared to head for the pond.   He thought it was hilarious that the geese road with me in the truck and had the bright idea to take some pictures.

He snapped a few photos, but pronounced the windshield too dirty for them to be any good.

"Turn the windshield washers on!"  he shouted.  

I did.

The Peeper chauffeur reeling in shock and trying to avoid goose wings.

All hell broke loose.  The Peepers, sure it was an attack of some kind and their lives were in danger, began screaming honks, flapping wings and, in general, trying to escape the confines of the truck. 

Poor Peepers trying to escape the windshield wipers while their chauffeur laughs hysterically.

Our days of swimming at the pond were over.  

They refused to ever get in the pickup cab again.

Thank you to Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies for hosting Monday Mischief!  

Monday Mischief: Dog TV at For Love of a Dog

Image source: DOGTV.com

I thought I was so smart.

I thought I had a perfect doggie Monday Mischief blog post. 

Our dogs do sometimes watch TV, especially Rosie, so I thought I'd catch some cute photos of them watching the new DOGTV channel.

According to their website, DOGTV is the first television network for dogs.
  

"DOGTV's 24/7 programing helps stimulate, entertain, relax and habituate dogs with shows that expose them to various movements, sounds, objects, experiences and behavior patterns, all from a dog's point of view."

The folks at DOGTV suggest that you sit down and watch with your dogs, so that's exactly what I did.

I found the programing relaxing and rather soothing.  The dog daddy loves it.

The dogs were not impressed.  Not a one showed an interest.  At all.  In fact, they left the room!

Another session - another try.  Ditto.  Zero interest.

The dog daddy thinks it's because we live in the country with lots of stimulation and their huge backyard is a dog park of their very own.  Perhaps it's because there are three of them and they amuse each other when we're not interacting with them.  

Maybe they're like their humans and just not that much into TV.  I dunno.

However, yesterday when I gave DOGTV a third try, I suddenly realized that I did have a taker!   

Skeeter was outside, sitting on the deck sideboard and watching intently.   She only turned away when the segment with monkeys came on.  I mean:  got up and turned her back on the monkeys.  When the next segment came on - birds - she turned around and became mesmerized once again.

Guess at our house "Television for dogs" is really entertaining for cats!

Thank you to Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies for hosting Monday Mischief! 

Mischief Monday: Missouri Puppy Mill Lawsuit Withdrawn

Once again, I'm not talking about mischief at my house.  Today I'm barking about commercial dog breeders in Missouri.  

Several months ago, a group representing 83 dog breeders in Missouri brought a lawsuit to stop the new regulations for humane standards of care for dogs in puppy mills.  (The Canine Cruelty Prevention Act was passed in 2011.)  

These breeders now have dismissed their lawsuit against the regulations and the Canine Cruelty Prevention Act will remain the law of the land in Missouri.

Dog breeders must now comply with the new law or close their dog breeding businesses.  As of today, more than 1,000 dog breeders have chose to close up shop.  All breeding dogs now must be provided with veterinary care including an annual veterinary examination, have unfettered access to outdoor exercise, increased living space, and can no longer be housed on wire flooring.

Obviously, that's good news.  The mischief has to do with the testimony given in the latest court hearings.

Here's what the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation has to say about the lawsuit being withdrawn:

"We are certain that the lawsuit was dropped not only because there was no legal basis for such a court case but a public trial would have proved extremely embarrassing for the commercial dog breeding industry.

In the hearing for a preliminary injunction, one breeder testified that when she was told she had to provide her dogs with access to the outdoors, she chose to kill them rather than comply with the new rule. She had her veterinarian euthanize 72 of them and proudly presented a photo of 25 dead dogs to the judge as evidence of how her business has suffered since passage of the new law. Another breeder in the courtroom audience stated that she also destroyed her dogs rather than comply with new rules and bragged that she only had to pay her vet $7 per dog to have them euthanized.   

While some of the testimony was a tragic exposure of how dogs are exploited in the commercial dog breeding industry, some of the testimony proved farcical as the breeders and their representatives argued that they did not know what "constant" and "unfettered" access to the outdoors meant. They claimed that since the regulations did not define the terms, the breeders were left in the dark. One witness under cross examination by the attorney general's office was asked to read the definition of "constant" and "unfettered" from the dictionary. After reading the definition, the witness claimed that nowhere in the regulations did it say to refer to the dictionary for meaning of the words. He claimed not to know to use a dictionary for words he did not understand. He argued that "even words with defined meaning need further clarification from the Department of Agriculture."  

Another breeder testified that her dogs cannot be outside as they are too excitable and the excitement of being outside could kill them. She said she could not risk them being outside as a car might backfire or children might walk by her yard. Any excitement could cause them to die. This, of course, raises the question as to whether she informs her customers that the puppies she is selling are restricted to indoor use only for their entire life and can never go outside even to relieve themselves. This breeder testified that "outside air causes loss of ventilation" for dogs. She alleged that six dogs died of heatstroke and excitability when she tried an outdoor exercise plan.

 

The breeders argued that dogs do not need access to sunlight and even expressed objection to providing extra bedding to dogs housed outside in winter weather claiming they did not know what "extra bedding" meant. The breeders also argued against the requirement for heavy duty tarps for windbreaks for dogs housed outside.

An Assistant Attorney General summed it up well for the judge when he asserted that dogs are simply commodities to commercial dog breeders. We are certain that the dog breeders did not want the public to be aware of that sad fact and dropped their lawsuit rather than publicly expose the cruel conditions of puppy mills and the uncaring attitude of too many commercial breeders at an open trial."

Though I've been critical of the new Missouri law, saying that it does not go far enough, I'm glad we've got it when I think about the kind of people it addresses.

EDIT FOR CLARIFICATION:  The Canine Cruelty Prevention Act addresses individuals and entities that enter dogs or cats into commerce as defined under Missouri state statute.  Commercial breeders are inspected at least once per years by Missouri state animal care inspectors.   

In plain language, for those dogs confined to crates/small wire enclosures in commercial dog breeding facilities, attached outdoor runs are required.  Those runs must have "constant and unfettered access", as well as meet requirements for drainage and shade.  And there are other requirements for commercial dog breeding facilities.

My post (above) summarized testimony given by those commercial dog breeders who testified in a public court hearing.   

Thank you to Snoopy’s Dog Blog, Alfie’s Blog, and My Brown Newfies for hosting Monday Mischief! 

Monday Mischief: Vole Hunting with Rudy and Rosie

The dynamic duo at more innocent pursuits.

Rudy and Rosie are quite a team... especially when they're hunting voles.  I managed to get some video footage of one of their vole expeditions a few weeks ago.

Please excuse the shaky camera work.  Not only was I trying not to laugh, I had Jeffie nudging me over and over.  He knew Rudy and Rosie were not supposed to be doing that!

In fact, what cracks me up the most in this video, is Rudy.  Both he and Rosie are aware of me and the camera.  However, Rudy also knows that messing around with critters and digging holes in the yard is a big no-no. 

In the end, good boy Rudy, can't bear it any longer and runs to mama!  Yes, they really did have a vole they were "playing" with.  Thankfully, they did not eat it.

Here's the latest addition to our YouTube channel.

We're joining the Monday Mischief pet blog hop today.  Hosted by Alfie's Blog, Luna Dogs Life, My Brown Newfies and Snoopy's Dog Blog, this is your chance to share your pets tales of mischief and wrap up the weekend.  Join us!

Monday Mischief: First Doggie Pool

We just might finally have a water dog again!

We got our first doggie swimming pool many years ago on the farm.  Sherman and Spanky were thrilled.

The pool had colorful fishies printed all over the bottom and Spanky loved to stick his head under the water and chomp at them to try and "catch" them.   Sherman loved to just lay down, soak and cool off.

To our great disappointment, Tucker, Lucy and Jeffie regarded their doggie swimming pool as a giant water bowl.  No playing; no soaking.  Just a tongue lap now and then.  So much for the pool.  

Rudy got so excited about water - that's Rudy shown above when the creek overflowed into our yard - we thought we had a water dog.   We were thrilled and picked up a little kiddie pool at the big box store.  Our thought was that if he really liked it, we'd get him a bigger one.

Well, Rudy did like to walk around in the doggie pool water.  Sometimes he stomped a front foot down to splash.  Unfortunately for us, he mostly thought it was a really big water bowl.

Now we have Rosie, a very confident 6 month old puppy who's usually ready to try just about anything!

 

 What is this thing and why is it in my yard?

 

 They've put this thing on the deck now... where are Rudy and Jeffie?

 Hey guys, should I be afraid?

 

Rudy says there's nothing to worry about.

But now they've put my Jolly ball in there

and a tennis ball!

 

I've got to get my Jolly ball!

 

Forget the Jolly ball.  This is fun!

 

Oooh... you can drink it!  You can splash it!

You can stick your head in it!

 

Wow, my head is wet!

 I think I need a towel!

We now keep a "dog towel" by both the patio and back porch doors for our little swimmer.  I managed to capture some video and when I've got some time, I'll get that uploaded to our YouTube channel.  Rosie loves the water and I suspect there's a bigger doggie pool in her future!