Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.

Before I get to today’s follow-up, I wanted to share a post I wrote on my personal blog. I shared it on Facebook Wednesday night and debated posting it here, but chose instead to share it on Auntie Jodi’s Thoughts. 

You Make Me Laugh – June 12, 2016

Genevieve said, “When your dog is a diva – there’s no such thing as a candid photo. #dogkardashian”

Ahaha, yes, I guess my dog is a diva, or is that divo?

Emma said, “Bailie and I don’t mind the camera a bit, so it’s hard to give any tips. I run to be front and center any time the opportunity arises and I get mad when I hear the camera shutter and I am not the one being photographed.”

So I wonder which is harder, having a dog that shies away from the camera or having one that loves it? 😉

Sue said, “I’ve given up on candid photos. The dogs hear the zip of the camera bag… or the little ding when I turn it on… or even just see me touch the camera and they get excited. I’m sure they think we’re going to do a treat review. Oh, then they’ll sit or whatever I tell them, but that cute moment that I really wanted a picture of? Gone.”

I feel ya Sue, it’s the same way here!

Jan K said, “For some reason getting out the camera around here is reason to stop what they’re doing, and get up and move! I have to be very sneaky to try and capture what they’re doing.”

Oh yes, I’ve actually tucked the camera into the cushion of the couch to try and muffle the sound it makes when you turn it on. 🙂

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s mom said, “Sometimes I take the picture from a little further away – with my phone – and then crop it in the editing tools that pop up at the bottom of the screen.”

That’s a great idea! I am not real familiar with the editing tools. Guess I have to work on that, right?

Jen Gabbard said, “Since I have a big ass handheld camera (no smartphone) every time I pick it up Laika gets excited because she knows it means we’re going outside to do something fun.”

I have a small hand held, but I do get the more candid shots with the phone because it doesn’t make any noise when I turn it on. 🙂

Monika and Sam said, “Despite mental protestations to suggest otherwise, these are deviously clever creatures…we are just mere humans and quite unable to keep up with their brain power.”

They really are quite clever and their hearing….wow, I swear they can hear just about anything!

2 Brown Dawgs said, “LOL he is too smart for you.”

Yes, yes he is! 😀

I Like Sticks

Emma said, “Bailie and I both enjoy a good quality stick. I like to break them in pieces, Bailie likes to chew them up. Mom takes them away from us as soon as we start to do anything but carry them as she is afraid they will splinter in our mouth or throat.”

That’s a really good point Emma! Mom is so wise. I do remember how worried I was when Delilah ate all those colored pencils!

Sue said, “OMG, that puppy picture! 😀 Rudy was the most destructive puppy I’ve ever had and he focused on wood. Antique furniture wood 🙁 ”

Oh Rudy. I’m lucky, Sampson was really not a destructive puppy at all. Delilah on the other hand, well….she’s still one. 😉

Jan said, “One of my dogs was part beaver when I first got her. She never actually ate a tree but she would have if i hadn’t stopped her.”

Bah Ha Ha, Jan you should about made me spit food all over the place!

Monika and Sam said, “Sticks are pretty much “meh!” to Sam. Better to find a nice moldy partial burger in a wrapping paper on the walk for dramatic effect. *sigh*”

*Sigh* is right. Ugh, the stuff they come up with. I never know WHAT I am pulling out of Delilah’s mouth until it comes out. hehehe

Cupcake said, “I love eating ANYTHING off the ground. Let’s face it, it’s how I survived the first 3 years of my life! Mom says if there’s a chicken bone in a 10 mile radius of my house I will find it and try to eat it. Ummmm… Yes. What is her point…?”

I’m not sure, I think that’s a mad skill to have Cupcake!

Jan K said, “We still have some dining room chairs with chew marks on them – that was both Sheba and her late brother Moses.”

Do you treasure them? At our old house the door and door jam had puppy scratch marks from Sampson letting us know he wanted to go out. As long as I lived there I couldn’t bear to cover them up.

2 Brown Dawgs said, “I think all dogs like to chew on wood. Not sure why that is, but you should see Freighter and Storm’s dog houses.”

I remember you posting about that! If I recall, Storm really did a number on hers.

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom said, “Ducky likes to chew on sheets, pillowcases, bedspreads, and blankets. So, she is still confined to her crate at night (and whenever we leave the house without her). She also likes to chew on the carpeting when she’s really anxious, acorns and other yard trash, and any cloth-type toys. Thankfully, she usually spits out pieces, but now and then I find tiny pieces of her Kong Wubba toy in her poop.”

Oh Ducky. I’ve heard of other dogs that chew on material, thankfully Delilah doesn’t do THAT!

The Mate Was a Mighty Sailing Man – TBT

Taryn Tipton said, “We used to own a boat, but we downsized to a big jetski that can be stored in our garage. Both boys ride on it with us! Here are some photos/background (you’ve seen it before!):”

I remember those pictures! I was amazed that your dogs actually rode on them.

Check out her post of the dogs on the jetski!

Jan said, “Misty the alpha Poodle is a water dog. If she sees water she is in water like her hunting ancestors, so we keep her away from water. The other dogs hate the whole idea of wetness.”

Oh gosh! Delilah is the same way. Once she pulled hubby into the river in her desire to get into water and the year we went to the Llama farm, she almost climbed out the car window when she saw the lake. Thankfully I was right there and grabbed her.

Jen Gabbard said, “Oh man that would be so awesome, that’s my perfect idea of relaxation. I’d love to be able to take Laika out on a boat one day. She loves swimming, not sure how she’d do with a magical motorized car that rides on water though.”

It really was awesome. And because it was a pontoon boat, it didn’t go so fast it would scare Sampson and it gave us lots of room to move about. 🙂

Jan K said, “This brings back great memories for me. Back when we had Kobi and our Lab mix Maggie my hubby had a fishing boat. The dogs absolutely loved going out in it. Kobi didn’t like the water, but he loved sitting in the front of the boat with his ears flapping in the wind! Maggie would wait patiently for us to find a place to stop and let her go off for a swim…There was a lot of excitement if my hubby actually caught a fish, but even though he didn’t often, we still had so much fun out there!”

THAT is so awesome! It really is so much fun! I don’t know how Delilah would do though, I can imagine I’d need to keep a tight hold of her. She loves the water!

Well that’s it for me folks, have an amazing weekend!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.

You Make Me Smile – June 5, 2016

Lorian Lipton said, “Louise always goes down to her kennel at 9:15 whether I come or not. She comes looking for me if I don’t close her door after awhile and looks at me strange. Sofie stopped sleeping in her kennel a few years ago and basically sleeps at my feet wherever I am. :-)”

Oh how sweet, it’s like Louise is asking you to tuck her in. 🙂

Emma said, “Mom says her dogs have always gone to bed on their own when they are tired. Years ago in Germany with Trine they were sitting outside at a restaurant with her under the table off leash (very well behaved dog) When they went to leave she was gone! They started walking towards the little hotel they were staying in and low and behold, she was curled up asleep in front of the door to the hotel! That was over the top in my book!”

Oh my word! That’s over the top in my book too! Was Mom worried at all, or did she suspect that’s where Trine had gone to?

Taryn said, “Wilson has always gone upstairs to bed on his own, even as a young pup. Jimmy is too dedicated to his people and will stay until we go up. Then he feigns being too sleepy to walk up by himself and wants to be carried. Grab a biscuit and head up, and all of the sudden he’s wide awake!”

Ah yes, the secret is in the biscuits. 😉

Sue said, “Rosie goes to bed with the Dog Daddy (very, very early). Rudy sticks with me. However, Lucy used to sometimes go to the bedroom and then come back to me – repeatedly – and I knew she thought we should go to bed! Just taking care of mama, you know 😉”

I think that’s sweet, I love when they ‘check’ on us.

Jan K said, “Both Sheba and Cricket put themselves to bed almost every night! Luke usually stays with us to watch TV for a while. I sometimes go to bed before the hubby, and then Luke doesn’t know what to do!”

Ohh, it’s like he has to choose…the Momz or the Dadz?

Alexa88 said, “there is just something about having one’s dog sharing the bed that brings it to a whole new level of comfort.”

It does for me, I love waking up and finding that sweet little soul right next to me.

Cupcake said, “I am not allowed on the bedspread, so even though I go in and out of the bedroom 57 times checking, I can’t put myself to bed till Mom turns down the comforter. Then I have to wait till she tells me it’s OK. #thestruggleisreal”

#thestruggleisreal Cupcake, you are right!

Jen Gabbard said, “Laika has a weird bedtime habit. She’ll jump up on the couch (her bed, she howls & kicks in her sleep so bed privileges have been revoked) when it’s time for bed, but she won’t lay down. She’ll sit up against the back of the couch and fall asleep with her head on the back of the couch.”

OMG it’s like she’s tired, but won’t ‘go to bed’ until you do.

Peyton said, “Had a Great Dane and he would put himself to bed when my son went to bed. Picture a huge Great Dane sleeping with a six year boy in the lower bottom bunk. By morning there was not much room for my son.”

LOL I really can picture that. I have a 90 pound lab and there are some nights where there is no room for ME!

A Story of Dogs and Pancakes…

Emma said, “Mom says most men just don’t pay attention like women do. We are always excited when left under the care of a male human as we know we can get away with a lot!”

In my experience Mom is right about men. However since these were for his breakfast, one would have been paying attention. 😉 Which is why he got the FIRST pancakes. 😉

Sue said, “I didn’t know you back then and had never read this. I kind of knew you weren’t going to say she was snatching half cooked pancakes off the hot griddle, but I was still cringing! 😉”

She didn’t do it with the pancakes, but don’t think she hasn’t done it! She’s taken hot dogs and chicken directly out of a hot pan. That was many years ago, hopefully she has settled down some. 🙂

Taryn said, “Since my blog is mainly photos with small snippets of writing, I don’t think mine has changed much. It’s been going for 7 years now though! Thanks for reminding me I missed that date on June 1st!”

Congratulations Taryn! Seven years is amazing!

Beth said, “Barley LOVES pancakes–she always gets the first one. I laughed when I read you still ate the pancakes–Barley’s put her paws up on the stove to devour the end of banana bread that was cooling–I cut off end she’d sampled and ate the rest 😉”

Well I didn’t want to throw out the whole bowl of batter. Besides, I figured cooking it would probably kill any dog cooties. 😉

Jan K said, “I think one of the first posts I read by you was when Delilah stole the chicken out of the kitchen sink. So no, she sure hasn’t changed! Your writing does seem a bit different. I think if you told this story now, there would be more cursing. 🙂”

Oh God yeah! At first I was terrified to use swear words (especially on the free WordPress, I thought they would close my account.) But the more I blogged the more I saw other blogs (not usually pet bloggers) that swore. Then I said, Fuck it. This is who I am. And I’d like to think that I use them discriminately enough to be humorous and not offensive. (At least I think it’s funny.) 🙂

Jan said, “It reminds me of why I prefer little dogs who can’t reach very high. I like to look back at posts I’ve written in the past but it get scary when I can’t remember writing them.

I hate when that happens Jan, the ones I forget is titles. I wonder how many times I’ve used a duplicate title. As for the dogs, haven’t you ever heard of the dogs that figure out how to climb on counters and refrigerators?

Monika and Sam said, “LOL, a gal after my own heart (still utilizing the pancake batter). You absolutely make me laugh out loud, Jodi.”

Thank you Monika, my goal is to make people see how our pets can enrich our lives and how you can find humor in some of the most frustrating experiences.

A BIG Thank You!

Tori Mistik said, “I’m happy to hear she’s doing better. My 13 year old lab is having a rough week. I’m debating if I should take her to the vet today. Last night she wouldn’t put any weight on her back right leg. She’s on Tramadol for pain, but maybe there is something better. I’m going to see how she does and maybe call the vet this afternoon.”

Oh no, I hope she’s feeling better. Please keep us posted. Does she have arthritis? Sampson’s had some good results with Rejenease, Dasaquin and Natural Stride. 

Jan K said, “Yes, that did bring tears to my eyes as well. What a wonderful community this is!…It is a blessing to be able to be here for pets through the tough times. As much as it’s difficult to see them aging and having issues, it’s far better than losing them at a young age. We lost three dogs at young ages (5, 6, & 8), so being able to help Kobi through his old age was truly a blessing, and both girls now too.”

It really is an amazing community. And I have to agree with you, just being able to help them is such a blessing.

Emma said, “Blogville is the best “ville” around! Everyone is so wonderful, and the help and support from others is always amazing! You are never alone!”

You are right Emma, Blogville is the best, and you always have someone that is willing to reach out and help.

Beth said, “It’s never easy watching our pets age, but it’s a little easier knowing what a great support system we have!”

Support is key. So many times people don’t understand that bond I have with my dogs, but I know that you guys DO!

Jen Gabbard said, “That’s the sort of comment that makes blogging all worth it. Seriously that’s awesome, and I’m so glad for the update.”

Amen sister. 

Well that’s it for me friends, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

 

Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.

You Make Me Smile – May 29, 2016

Cupcake said, “Of course! Nose-level is friend-level. That’s where my friends brushed against the shrubs when they walked by. Good job, S. Very thorough.”

Never thought of that one Cupcake, thanks!

Taryn said, “LOL! Nose-level for a corgi is still where the big dogs peed!”

LOL yes, I can see that.

Sand Spring Chesapeakes said, “Gambler would have to rub his back up and down that type of shrub.”

Why does he rub? Neither one of my guys does that.

Kim at Life at Golden Pines said, “I wonder what they’re smelling too, but I most wonder what the heck they’re rolling in too! 🙂”

Ugh, the rolling is the worst! Sometimes they are rolling in something that I cannot see, but upon closer inspection, it’s a dead worm or something equally gross.

Julie said, “I never know what Cocoa might be sniffing. I am always worried that she is going to stick her nose in the weeds and come out with something!!”

Yes! Or when they stick their nose down a hole you KNOW a critter lives in!

Monika and Sam said, “Oh those are penthouse pee-mails as opposed to garden level ones. ღ”

Ha ha ha, penthouse pee-mails!

2 Brown Dawgs said, “Could be anything. Maybe a bird perched there one time.”

Never thought of that one either!

Ten Things I Love About Delilah

Emma said, “We are a hot mess around here, real dirt magnets with out of control furs! ”

Um, Emma I’ve seen you in real life, I highly doubt it. 🙂

Jan K said, “There is just something special about a dog who loves so deeply, especially when you had to earn that love over time, I think it makes it just that much deeper.”

What a beautiful way of say that Jan, I have to agree with you.

Sue said, “I adore that first photo of Delilah – so sleek and beautiful I want to reach through the screen to touch her.”

I don’t blame you, she really is a stunner.

Blueberry’s Human said, “Now…about that sewer grate…Delilah is no fool. She knows that beneath those grates, lives a psychotic clown. Enough said.”

Ba ha ha, that’s what I used to tell my kids. 😉

All Things Collie said, ” A couple weeks ago we were taking the girls for a walk. Holly didn’t notice the storm drain, stepped on the grate, and her paw and leg slid down inside. She panicked and couldn’t get up, so I panicked and in my rush to free her I threw my keys aside. What I didn’t notice, but my daughter did, was that my keys slid right into the sewer! ”

Oh my gosh, that would panick me too! I know my dog would flip as well. I’m assuming she was okay? So glad your daughter was there to help with the keys too!

Julie said, “This is awesome. I am going to write one for Cocoa soon.”

I can’t wait to read it.

The DADO Report For May 2016

Honestly you guys, I could make this blog all DADO all the time and we’d never run out of stuff to talk about. 🙁

Emma said, “We did have a dog come off after us. The dumb owners had to go inside to put on a coat before they could come get their dog. I was in shock by that dumb move! The dog snarked at sweet Bailie and I wanted to grab it and show who’s boss. Finally stupid, over grown sized son, came and got his dog. No sorry, no nothing except looks at mom like she was the dumb one.”

There is nothing worse than someone whose dog is an asshole and they don’t apologize for it. I sometimes wonder if people don’t put any thought into what COULD happen.

Sue said, “You know those mimes floating around about how every dog needs a home and every home needs a dog? Well, this is just one small reason every home should not have a dog. The older I get the more amazed I am a some people’s stupidity.”

I have to agree with you there. I’ve heard so many people say they want a do and I think to myself, “Please God, no.”

2 Brown Dawgs said, “Hmm it sounds like Roxy has not been trained properly. First our dogs will not blast through our efence collar or no, working or not. Right now ours is on the blink was well, but the dogs still go out. They know the boundary because they have been trained. Next, Roxy’s recall sounds like it does not exist. This is my biggest beef with dog owners today. They just do not want to reinforce that recall which in my mind should be a non-negotiable. Also one reason we do not train a recall with treats because as you saw, treats are not an incentive when there is something more important.”

I can almost guarantee you she hasn’t been trained. As you know I’m not a fan of the e-fence or collar to begin with. Where I live (IMO) people don’t use the fence properly. None of the dogs are ever supervised, so they have no way of knowing whether the dog is staying in the yard or not, some of them don’t wear their collars all the time, they give the dog full range of their yard and put the fence line right close to the street, AND they don’t train their dogs NOT to run pell mell at dogs walking past. I’ve started taking video of the dogs charging us and one of these days, I’m going to splice them all into one.

Mary Hone said, “Ugh, stupid people. Now that we are in the very heart of DADO land, off leash dogs are everywhere. I hate it. The other day a giant male pitbull almost, thankfully only almost, came after us. And them 5 minutes later a woman stopped in her car to ask me if I had seen 2 irish wolfhounds. She saw my look of fear and gave the usual….They’re friendly, don’t worry. Needless to say I headed back right away and thankfully no one got bit that day.”

I love that. Maybe YOUR dog is friendly, but you have no idea if mine is and you have no way of predicting if something might spook your dog and make their behavior change. Not to mention the harm that can come to an off-leash dog. What if it ingested something? They wouldn’t even be able to tell their vet WHAT it was. SMH

Jan K said, “Phew, I’m just glad that no one got hurt here. It seems that woman’s son is smarter than she is! I suppose that’s the problem when you use an e-fence as your trainer and don’t do any actual training yourself… My dogs are not bomb proof when it comes to recall. That’s why they don’t leave their yard off leash. People just need to use common sense, and know their dogs.”

Exactly! But common sense isn’t common…

Taryn said, “My May DADO report is an ugly one. I was walking Jimmy by himself because he needs a lot more exercise the old man Wilson. We were almost home, about a block and a half away. I am on the sidewalk (on leash of course) and see a man headed toward me walking a very large and fat Doodle. I had never seen him before but wasn’t too worried. Doodles are usually nice if rather bouncy. I did notice he was walking the dog on several leashes tied together and he was letting it drag. Because Jimmy is not always nice, he is not allowed to greet other dogs. I ducked down into the street to walk on the far side of a parked minivan. Before I knew it, and completely unexpectedly, the Doodle flies around the front of the minivan and attacks Jimmy! The man has no control due to the loose leash and doesn’t even stop walking! I had to pull his huge dog off of my cowering dog! In an effort to shorten this comment, I’ll just say we got into quite a yelling match. We were so loud, John heard us from a block and a half away and rode his bike over to see what was up. Then he got in a yelling match as well! The guy was quite an a-hole and never even asked if Jimmy was OK. Fortunately there were no puncture wounds, but I’m sure the altercation did nothing to improve Jimmy’s attitude toward other dogs!”

Ugh, Taryn, that is just awful. Could you have called animal control? I programmed Animal Control into my phone and from now on, if I run into an asshole, I’m using the number. Don’t you just want to slap people like that?

Monika and Sam said, “For the record, as soon as a dog realizes those e-fences only sting for a second (or don’t when they aren’t operational), you can pretty much count on them blasting through like it was nothing.”

I have heard that myself and also that dogs will willing “take the sting” to leave their yards, but I have no personal experience with that so I can’t say with certainty. I do know with all of the e-fences around here, I’ve only seen three incidents (and they were all this year!) of dogs leaving their yards. There was the big dog that followed Delilah and me one morning and I told him to get back in his yard, then the dog next door to him accidentally went too far and popped out of her yard but quickly popped back in, and then this recent one. The funny thing is they are all on the same street, on the same side and practically next door to one another.

Jen Gabbard said, “I laughed way too hard the other day when I was reading an article about construction. Turns out the word dado is some sort of groove or something and I corrected them out loud and said “No, that’s not what a dado is” …You may be a pet blogger if that’s your first reaction to seeing dado 🙂

Oh my God! I laughed so hard at this! Yes a pet blogger has a different definition of a DADO!

Well, that’s it for me friends, have a fabulous weekend!