q is for quiet time

Sorry for posting one day late!  Mommy and daddy took a trip over the weekend and boarded D and me last minute so there was no way I could get to a computer - you can blame mommy if you want, it certainly wasn't my idea to be boarded!  Anyway, letter Q is perfect for today because D and I are wiped out from our weekend playing with other dogs so this post (and this whole day since we got home) is all about quiet time.  

Most dogs like a nice long nap and me and Dorothy are no different.  Since we moved to Austin and mommy started working from home every day, our lives have become more routine with lots of naps.  We basically know that we'll wake up, take a run and potty break outside, come back for breakfast and then it's quiet time while mommy works.  If we're lucky, she'll take a lunch break, or a 'refresher' where I can persuade her to throw my ball for me and tug D will get her to tug her rope: but most days we just hang around (quietly) until she wraps up for the day and takes us for our walk.  If it's a decent off-leash with lots of running type walk, then D and me will usually take another nap afterwards before dinner - but if it's just a lame around the block walk, we'll usually beg mommy to play with us or follow her around the house until dinner.  Then it's potty breaks and quiet time for the rest of the evening.

When mommy's busy working we don't bother her much; unless it's going on day three stuck inside because of the rain... but more on that with letter R tomorrow!  This dog needs a little more quiet time for tonight.

Dorothy likes to nap on the pet-bed during the day

As for me, if I can't be on mom's lap, it's the couch

p is for paper

Ever heard the excuse 'my dog ate my homework?' well in our house it's a possibility.  Me and Dorothy LOVE ripping up paper!  Paper bags, receipts, gift wrap, tissue paper: you name it!  Even the cardboard rolls inside toilet paper and paper towels - we'll rip it all!  Mommy says we're better than a shredder and we're happy to help :) 

Most of the time mommy doesn't mind us ripping up paper that's left laying around, both the parents are pretty good about keeping the important stuff out of reach, but here are some pics of a time when we weren't supposed to rip up mommy's pink tissue paper - it was intended as Aunty Erica's gift wrap... 

heheh, so good, so fun hehehe

O wait... you mean we weren't supposed to pull this
down off the counter?  Ooops! I mean, it was Dorothy!

I've been right here literally the whole time..
nowhere near the tissue paper - it was all her, I promise!
See? Caught her red handed!

 ... And we love birthdays and Christmas because we get to unwrap all our own gifts! Here we are last Christmas, unwrapping our toys from Aunty Amy:

She knows we love unwrapping the paper so Aunty Amy always puts extra
layers around our Christmas toys... she's the greatest! 

... Now, if only we could stop eating the paper once we've shredded it apart... then mommy wouldn't have to put us on periodic paper bans! 

o is for opposites

Dorothy and I are chalk and cheese: complete opposites in every way.  I started this list a while back because it was obvious from the beginning just how opposite we were, but nothing new has been added in a while so I think this list is a pretty thorough one to explain our differences, and just in time for letter 'O.'

• I'm white / Dorothy's brown
• I have hair/ she has fur (that's why she sheds whereas I don't)
• I hate the crate/ she loves it!  
• I love chase toys/ she loves tug or chew toys
• I love the car / she hates it
• I love my harness and leash, jumping around whenever mommy gets it out/ she hates it and runs away from mommy when she sees it
• I'm toy driven/ she's food driven
• I love ham/ she loves fish 
• I'm picky/ she's easy-going
• I love to make the parents throw my ball so I can run around the house during 'TV' time/ she loves to lay all over mom and dad for cuddles 
• I'm cautious/ she's reckless and rough
• I smell flowers/ she eats 'em
• My ears flap down/ hers stand up
• My toe nails are see through/ hers are black
• I don't like strangers/ she thinks everyone's her bff (although as I mentioned in my yesterday's 'n for new people' post - she seems to be snapping out of this one!)
• I chase squirrels/ she chases birds
• I like to be alone/ she can't stand it
• I prefer belly rubs and hate people touching my ears because I get ear infections!/ she's the total opposite (yep you guessed it): hates people touching her sensitive belly and LOVES ear scratches
• I hate the bath/ so of course, Dorothy loves it!
• I like to snuggle my toys/ she likes to destroy them
• I love laying under a warm blanket or wearing a soft sweater when it's cold/ she hates anything like that touching her (even if she's cold) and will tear it up in no time if mommy's not around to stop her
• I don't lay on the ground/ she'll lay down anywhere!
• I'm cynical and hold grudges until I feel the person responsible is truly sorry/ Dorothy's happy-go-lucky, forgiving, trusting and doesn't know the meaning of 'angry.'

Can you believe it?  Opposite in every single way! Sure makes life here interesting! 

ying and yang

n is for new people

I look like a 'cutie-pie' (barf) but I'm actually quite a serious dog.  My parents call me a fuddy-duddy because I can get nervous in unfamiliar circumstances and I don't warm up easily to new people.  I was shy as a pup (they think I may have been the runt) and then I became protective of mommy and the house - barking at strangers that came to the door or spoke to us at the park.  Now that I have a baby sister to protect as well, I'm weary of some other dogs too.  

It's funny - I can't really explain it in a way humans can understand because I don't think you guys have the same special powers we dogs do - but I can tell a nice dog from a foul one ages away!  It doesn't matter if they're bigger or smaller than me, (I've had some of the best plays with Pit-bulls and German Shepherds) all that matters is their intention and I can always tell.  

Mommy says she wishes she had my ability to see humans for what they truly are from a distance the way I can with dogs.  I have to admit, it's harder with people but my policy has always been to proceed with caution with brand new people and slowly I think Dorothy is coming around to my approach as well. She used to run at everyone and jump on them or demand pats and cuddles straight away but after a few (not so polite) encounters, she's learnt what I've always known: that some people don't like dogs all over them and that although kids look fun, they are rough!

Kids are the ones I'm most weary of, especially when they come over to our place!  When they're inside the house, they HAVE to touch our toys - even the special ones Dorothy and I keep all to ourselves AND our most favorite and special toys too!  All the while, we aren't allowed to get upset or mommy puts us outside.  Even if they touch our bones!  When this happens, I sit outside and think: is it any wonder that a dog can take a while warming up when these kids come storming into our house, mess up our toys, pull our hair or dress us up!  I hope mommy and daddy never have one of their own.... Sharing them and my toys with Dorothy was bad enough!

m is for mealtimes!

Meals are every dog's favorite time of day.  Every dog that is, expect me.  I've always been much more excited about a walk, a drive or a game of fetch.  Don't get me wrong, I'll sit as well as the next dog for a juicy piece of turkey or (my fav) prosciutto but I don't beg or bother the parents while they're eating like Dorothy does.  Hanging under the table hoping for a scrap to fall on the floor is and has always been, well, beneath me!  (pun intended). 

I have always been a picky eater - the kind who only ate when I was hungry and never anything I didn't like.  Before we got Dorothy there were days I didn't eat breakfast at all.  Mommy could put dry morsels out in my dish and know that I'd take a bite if I was hungry.  That, plus my excellent toilet manners and unsupervised behavior meant that they could go out over night and not worry about me at all. 

Those days are gone.  Now that Dorothy's around and she needs supervision plus entertainment, we can't leave food out anymore (and the parents can't stay out late).  She will and does eat anything she can get her mouth on - even if it makes her sick.  It's kind of gross to watch and get so embarrassed when she begs in public, especially around people we don't know.  I stand back in indignation, while she goes crazy, hoping no one will realize she's related to me.  

When mommy does feed us, it's usually something good.  She knows very well by now what I won't eat and has stopped trying to make me. She knows I'll snack on dry morsels (Ideal Balance only!) but don't consider them a meal.  For dinner I like things mixed into them like ground beef, smoked turkey or ham, fish (as long as it's cooked), grated cheese, steamed vegetables, a boiled egg, bbq chicken or some of the canned food varieties by Ideal/ Science Diet.  The annoying thing is that D gets the same meal I do and I often think it's a waste of fresh meat since she'll just as easily inhale the (generic brand!) morsels dry and finish with a loud, rude burp!

when mommy makes fish for dinner we eat it too

For snacks we love raw fruit and vegetables - mommy gives us pumpkin, lettuce, apples, pears, cucumbers or anything else she has in the fridge.  She just won't let us eat onion, red things, croos-if-for-us vegetables or citrus.  

here's us munching on squash

and lettuce

l is for liver treats

Years ago, when mommy was still living in that other country with my other grandparents that have those funny accents, they had a doberman who used to love treats made from liver.  Grandma used to make these treats herself - she'd gotten the recipe from the doberman breeder and when I came along, she passed it along to mommy to see if I would enjoy them as well.  Well did I ever!  

I was a 10 wk old pup when mommy made the first batch and training could not have gone smoother.  I learnt all my first commands for these treats and so did Dorothy.  Now we hardly ever get these special treats because liver isn't something you see at the grocery store on a regular basis in Austin.  But for this letter 'L' post, daddy bought some especially! 

I'll hand the keyboard to mommy for instructions on how to make them, just in case anyone else wants to make them for their dogs - trust me, they'll love them!  You'll just have to mind her spelling and measuring - she is Australian after all. 

Ingredients:

- 1lb (500g) liver pieces cut into small cubes

- 3 medium sized garlic cloves

Utensils:

- a garlic press (if you don't one you can use a knife to chop garlic into small pieces)

- mixing bowl

- non-stick cookie baking tray (I line mine with wax paper so there's less to clean up)

- air tight Tupperware container

Method:

- preheat oven to 350f/ 180c

- place liver cubes into mixing bowl and press the garlic cloves over the top

- mix all together until garlic appears evenly distributed

- place treats a little distance apart on baking tray (to avoid them baking on to each other) 

- bake for approx. 20 mins / until liver appears firm and has a dark brown colour

- remove from oven and allow to cool before placing treats into airtight container and refrigerating

 ... Thanks mommy! Now all the doggy-parents who read my blog can give their good dogs special treats too!  

BTW: Mommy's read articles that say garlic is "toxic" to dogs but that's probably only when it's raw because Dorothy and me get cooked garlic in a few dishes and we've never had any problems.  

k is for Kong

A kong is a toy that every dog should have.  Me and Dorothy love our kongs and since Dorothy isn't a crated-when-the-parents-go-out dog anymore, mommy likes giving them to us stuffed with treats when ever she goes anywhere.  What kind of dog wouldn't enjoy that?

Kongs come in lots of different shapes but we have the bone shaped ones made for small dogs.  Mommy says kongs are better than bones when we're unsupervised because she says a shard could break off a bone, gets caught in a throat and ... well you know!  But she doesn't have to worry about anything with a kong full of treats.  She knows we'll be safe and busy for hours! 

Although I thoroughly enjoy my kong and the variety of different treats that mommy pack inside it; I want to say... just for the record, that I used to do ok without any such diversions before Dorothy came along.  Mommy and daddy both know, in full confidence, that they can leave me any time and I'll do well on my own without needing anything to keep me busy.  I've never once chewed anything, broken anything, dropped anything or even misplaced anything I wasn't supposed to.  Nor have I ever had a bladder malfunction.  Mommy puts a puppy-pad down for me and I was trained long ago to just go on that if I needed to.  I also want it known that when mommy gives me my kong, she always tells me that it's my extra-special treat for keeping an eye on Dorothy while they're out.  Hmpf, Dorothy!  Who's sure to rip up a coaster or a shoe without it her kong!