Tag Archives: fun in the sun

Give Your Thanks and Don’t Eat the Bones

23 Nov

Thanksgiving, a day of human satiation and enough drool-worthy food to cause any dog to wish they could walk on only two legs and own opposable thumbs. Tomorrow my humans will sit down at the barely used dining room table to tuck in whilst I’m stuck under the table hoping one of them slips me something yummy. Many of my fellow blogs and animal-centric sites are all a buzz with the feast foods one shouldn’t be sharing with their pooches, but what about those dog-friendly dishes? Thanksgiving is full of them! Let’s take a look:

- Sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes are a great spud for your dog to nosh on. Of course, we’re talking sweet potatoes free of butter, spices, and those little white marshmallows. When you’re busily cooking away for your feast, throw a sweet potato in the oven to set aside for your pup.

- Turkey: Yes! Turkey! The main event! Feel free to slip your dog some skin-free (skin is too fatty and hard for your dog’s digestive system to break down), seasoning-free, light turkey meat. And while it is important to skip cooked bones, a raw bone is totally fine. If you can’t get a raw turkey bone, maybe find a marrow bone or raw oxtail. Not only will your pup love to gnaw on it, it will also keep them busy and not begging at the table.

-Pumpkin: Like sweet potato, pumpkin is a great snack for your dog. Also like sweet potato, make sure it’s plain pumpkin (i.e. no pumpkin pie filling).

-Vegetables: Think cooked (or raw) carrots, green beans, and peas. While not my favorite, there are dogs that go bananas for some cooked, plain veggies.

-Butternut squash: One of my favorites! Remember, no butter, seasoning, etc.

-Potatoes: Some dogs are allergic to this spud, but if yours isn’t, feel free to share some butterless, seasoningless (seeing a pattern yet?) potatoes.

See, your dog can partake in the fun and festivities of Thanksgiving too! Just remember, skip the fat and the extras and keep it simple and plain for the four-legged crowd.

Happy tail wags!

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Happy Howl-o-ween (Oink Oink)!

31 Oct

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Woofstock 2011

12 Sep

I love raising money for animal shelters and rescues. It is up there with squeaking a brand new toy and eating chicken. Of course, helping out animals in need is even more fun when you get to hang out with other like minded humans and dogs. This weekend I got to do exactly that! Saturday marked the 6th annual Woofstock festival presented by The Animal House. Woofstock is festival that celebrates the pawesomeness of being a dog as well as all those pooches (and kitties!) looking for their forever homes. This year, there were 17 rescues and animal shelters from all around New England that benefited from the proceeds raised through the “Pay What You Can” admission fee, pet items yard sale, silent auction, 50/50 raffle, for-profit vendor fees, and what ever money is raised by the shelters and rescues themselves through items sold or services rendered at their booths.

Some of the rescues is attendance

There were also tons of vendors selling everything from collars, toys, treats, pet shampoo, and dog clothes. My pug friend Jenny and I (we attended the event with Marie, Jenny, Angelica, and Leo) were in doggy heaven from all the delicious samples being doled out by the likes of TriPom Chews, Zelda’s Biscuit Bakery, Nature’s Variety (where I met one of my facebook friends!), Stella & Chewy’s, Barkwheats, Merrick, Evermore Pet Food, and more. Leo wasn’t all that interested in the treats because he doesn’t eat in public. Some of the other vendors included Mutt Nose Best, a natural pet care line made in Maine, Uncommon Paws, a shop and maker of collars, leashes, pet clothes (who also happened to have a display of blanketIDs!), Classic Hound with their beautiful collars, the Maine POM Project, and so many more.

Mom, myself, Angelica, and Leo

There were also some really fun dog demos to watch. We happened to catch a bit of the agility demo where a few pups ran through tunnels, jumped over hurdles, and generally made me jealous that I wasn’t a bit more athletic. Even Jenny and Marie got into the action when they volunteered to help out during the freestyle demo.

This is Jenny's patented "Sniff for Treats" move

Honestly, one of the greatest things about the Woofstock was being able to meet so many different dogs and humans. Dogs from giant (and I’m talking at least a four poop bagger kind of giant) Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds, to itty bitty Chihuahuas as well as every breed or mix of breeds in between were their in their furry glory. I sniffed butts of dogs with three legs, dogs who needed carts to get around, even a deaf Border Collie. There were long haired dogs, short haired dogs, some dogs in dire need of a hair cut. I even got to finally rub noses with Finch, the foster dog turned adopted dog of the humans behind Barkwheats (and a puppy that my mom has been obsessed with ever since seeing her photo on the Loyal Biscuit facebook page), as well as Oscar, a me-look-a-like whom Angelica and Leo kept running into around Rockland.

This Great Dane's head was bigger than all of me

 

The adorable Finch!

 

Oscar, my look-a-like and I

All in all, it was a terrific day that was spent helping out 17 terrific shelters and rescues. We all came away with the satisfaction of knowing we helped many pets in need of homes, lots of new friends, and so much swag! 

So much swag!

As I didn’t want to make this post too picture heavy, I’ll be posting the rest of my Woofstock photos on my facebook page later today. 

Happy tail wags!

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2011 Boatyard Dog Trials

15 Aug

It’s that time of the year again for the annual Boatyard Dog Trials put on by the Maine Boats, Homes, & Harbors Show (read my post about last year’s competition here). As it was last year, I wasn’t able to attend due to the “No Dog” rule (other than the dog contestants, that is), so I sent my ever adventurous human reporter (my mom) to go and take some notes for me (and have fun obviously!).

This year the competition was extra special because my Labrador friend, Fenway, and the co-owner of The Loyal Biscuit Co, Joel, were one of the five competing dog-human teams. The other dog contenders were Grace O’Malley (the pirate queen), Oskar (the skilled jumper), Lyla (the crustacean queen), and Pixel (the facebook celeb. You can find Pixel’s facebook page here)

Fenway, the black belt!

There are three parts to the trial that every dog has to complete. The first part is an obstacle course involved bait buckets and lobster traps, the second is entering and exiting a tippy dinghy, and third, a freestyle routine. In addition to the different parts of the competition, there are usually only two rules in the competition (1. Either the dog or the handler must be completely soaked at the end of their 8 minute or less routine and 2. Not only is cheating allowed, but it is incredibly encouraged) but this year an extra rule was added! The third new rule was that, somewhere in the freestyle routine, a rubber ducky had to be included. In this, every contestant excelled. There were duckies included in everything from a raft of ducks used for fetching, to a ducky float stuffed with bribes for the judges.

Layla

There were two teams that my mom found incredibly impressive. The first was Fenny and Joel, the former of which was dressed in a karate gi, the later in his police officer uniform. Not only did Fen handle the obstacle course with ease (even through the temptation of the stinky bait bucket), but she was also in an out of the dinghy as if she had been doing it her entire life. The greatest moment happened during the freestyle when, after going through a few obedience commands (and Joel rolling around on the dock in an attempt to make Fenway roll over), Joel tried to entice Fenway with a rubber ducky when he “accidentally” fell off the dock. Fen jumped in not too soon after. You can see the entire performance here (mom tried to get video, but the judges’ boat kept getting in the way. Oh, and if you listen closely, you can hear my mom shouting “Fenway’s a SHE” in the background). 

And double points for BOTH contestants being soaked

The other impressive team was former shelter dog, Pixel, and her “Posse.”

Shelter pets DO rock

Pixel performed an impressive trick when she and her human attempted to board the dinghy. Her human laid down and became a living gang plank, connecting the dock with the dinghy. After a few faulty starts, Pixel boarded the dinghy with finesse. Then, during her freestyle, she not only jumped over a jump covered in duckies, she also donned a swim cap and rode a skateboard. Her human, in a matching swim cap, also rode a skateboard, except she rode it right into the water.

Pixel during her freestyle

Of course, through out all the fun, the Boatyard Dog Trials is a judged competition. So after all the bribes, doggy gymnastics, and cheers, the judges tallied their votes and awarded Fenway with the championship and Golden Bowl trophy!

Even though there had to be a chosen winner, in truth, all the dogs were winners in the spirit of having a good time.

Happy tail wags!

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Celtic Celebration

22 Jul

Last weekend, I was very fortunate to attend (along with Leo, Angelica, and my mom) the Maine Celtic Celebration in Belfast, Maine. It’s very rare that I get to go to any sort of outdoor festival, mostly due to the crowds and heat. This time around, the celebration was hosting a whole afternoon of dog activities, not to mention happened to be hosted in the same town as a pawesome dog park and the new Loyal Biscuit location, so my mom felt a little more than obligated to bring me along.

One of the day’s events was a parade and show of Celtic breed dogs. While we were a little late for the parade, many of the attendees were still wandering around enjoying the free agility course and just having a ball canoodling with the other four-legged festival goers.

Some were even dressed for the occasion

 Thankfully the revelry wasn’t specified only for those of Celtic origin, so there were dogs of every breed (and mix of breed) enjoying the sun and attention.

Like Bagel!

 The biggest draw of the afternoon was watching a flyball demonstration by a Maine-based flyball team known as the Flyball Maineiacs.

One of the flyballers in action

Flyball is a form of racing that matches two teams of four dogs who race relay style over a 51 foot course that features jumps and a pressure-released ball box. Each dog races down the jumps, hits a box which releases a ball, grabs the ball, and returns back through the jumps. Once the first dog returns, the second dog is released to run the course. Because the event was so thrilling to watch, I made sure my mom grabbed a video!

All in all it was a very fun and incredibly exhausting day. I was very appreciative that my mom came prepared with plenty of water and let me rest (or in one case take a snooze on a stranger’s lap) when I became a little too hot and tired. Even Leo, who is usually nervous and scared in crowds and unfamiliar places, seemed to enjoy himself.

Happy tail wags!

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Beach Romp

12 Jul

My love for the beach is a vast and powerful love. When we are within a mile of any salty and sandy location, my tail starts drumming faster than my excited puppy heart. Why do I love the beach so? It’s because the beach is one of the only locations that I am allowed to run without any tether. No leash, no fences, just boundless freedom (until the humans calls me back, that is). It’s even better when I can share the joys of this freedom with other pooches. Recently I had that exact opportunity during a beach visit that resulted in a gathering of the furry minds. A Havanese named Cosmo and a Labrador-mix visiting from Connecticut were all ready enjoying the salty spray. Luckily my mom had her camera in tow and she captured our fun on video:

Happy tail wags!

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Jaxs’ Allergies

11 Jul

I often extoll the virtues of a doggy wardrobe. Not only are dog clothes incredibly stylish, but they often can protect against sun, rain, cold, and yes, even allergies!

(photo source)

Meet Jaxs, a eight year-old Jack Russell Terrier who suffers from a painful allergy to grass (among other things including milk protein, and oats) If Jax comes in contact with even a single blade of the green stuff, sores start to form on his paws and his fur falls out in clumps. His very concerned human didn’t know what to do with Jaxs’ condition or any idea what has causing it. It wasn’t until Jaxs’ veterinarian ran a few tests confirming that he was, in fact, allergic to grass.

Armed with this information, and a set of canvas and velcro booties, Jaxs began his new life of romping through lawns without the painful side effects that would make him chew his paws. In fact, Jaxs has become so enamored with his booties that he will protect them from other dogs (especially when they try to pull them off) and he even cuddles with them when he sleeps. When his human grabs his leash in preparation for a walk, Jax will even go fetch his boots.

Obviously there are some less than understanding humans who believe the Jaxs’ human is cruel by making him wear his boots. The way I see it, though, it would be cruel if Jax had to be kept confined to his home due to a reaction with a very simple cure. Plus, I’m sure Jax doesn’t mind having a posh set of paw covers just as long as he gets to run in the fresh air without pain.

Happy tail wags!

Source: Small World News Service

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Opening Celebration

7 Jul

One of my favorite places to spend time (and the humans’ money) is The Loyal Biscuit in Rockland, Maine. My obsession with this pet supply store is very evident in many of my blog posts as well as my facebook page. I just can’t stop talking about the store, Heidi and Joel the human owners, as well as Chuck and Fenway the shop dogs! It’s really the place to be if your a dog on the town in Rockland.

Well, now the Biscuit wealth is being spread across the state. Last week, Heidi and Joel opened The Loyal Biscuit’s second location in Belfast, a hopping town that’s roughly 27 miles away from Rockland.They had been steadily working on the new place for quite awhile, and all of their updates and facebook posts were quite teasing for a beast as curious as me, so it made me very happy when my mom’s friend Marie suggested we take a road trip for the grand opening. The Loyal Biscuit – Belfast is very much in line with the original Rockland location. The main focal color is the vibrant green, the floor is still white and black checked (though in a different pattern), there is a self-serve dog wash (which I skipped inspecting in case my mom thought I was past due for a bath), and all the toys, treats, and food are of the highest quality that one has come to expect from this lovely store. Along with a new location comes a new human member of the staff. April, whom is the lovely human on the left in the photo above (the other human is Heidi), seems to have fit in perfectly.

What’s great about the location of the Belfast Biscuit is that there is a dog park (which I’ve written about before) not too far away that will draw many a four-legged shopper to their door. Plus, it will be a reason for me to convince my mom to take more road trips to Belfast!

Happy tail wags!

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Mutt Walk

22 Jun

I am a little late in posting about this as the summer has seen me spending much time at the beach and not enough time forcing my mom to help me write blog posts. Even still, this event was far too much fun to skip mentioning, so here goes.

A few weekends ago, the Camden-Rockport Animal Rescue League(CRARL) held their annual Mutt Walk in Camden and Belfast (Belfast being a new route location). The Mutt Walk is one of the fundraisers for the shelter to help pay for all the necessary items that are needed to take care of all the animals until they find a forever home. Willing participants and their pooches can garner sponsorship money to participate in the walk that goes through downtown Camden. Last year, we learned of the walk too late so we were unable to have time to find sponsors. This year we were very much prepared (and even roped Angelica and Leo into joining us!).

Though they were more than happy to participate.

 The Mutt Walk started at the CRARL where the staff handed out bandanas to the dogs and Mutt Walk tees to the humans.

I look snazzy in polka dots, no?

After some canoodling with the other walks, both four-legged and two-legged, and some pre-walk hydration, it was time to set foot and paw to the route. While the walk itself was only 2 miles (with a rest halfway), it was quite warm. Thankfully the CRARL staff thought ahead and placed water stations at key points throughout the route. It was a blessing, even if I had to deal with left over slobber from some of the big dogs.

A tongue like that can produce a lot of slobber!

Of course, being the wonderful diva that he is, Leo barely set paw to the ground. Instead, he was pushed in a stylish carriage that Angelica fixed up earlier that week. As he can be a little nervous around crowds of dogs, being separated from them in that manner seemed to ease his stress a little.

And he only tried to run me over once.

 At the halfway point, a barbeque and refreshment stand was set up in a nice shady nook. There, awards were handed out for Top Dog (the human and dog who raised the most money), Biggest Dog, and Smallest Dog. Though it came down between Leo and I, Leo took home the title of Smallest Dog (the lucky scamp!).

All in all it was a really fun day, and an exhilarating if not dog-gone tiring event. Events like the Mutt Walk make fundraising for a, animal shelter like CRARL seem less like work and more like a tail-wagging good time.

Happy tail wags!

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2nd Annual Pooch Parade

21 Jun

It’s that time of the year again where the days are nice and long, the temperature rises (as does my tendency to break into a pant), and the humans start eating (and sometimes sharing) that delicious thing called ice cream. Summer also harkens the annual town Summer Solstice celebration in which the entirety of Main Street is blocked from traffic and a whole host of street vendors, bands, and tons and tons of people come out to party in the name of the turning of the seasons.

Like last year, The Loyal Biscuit Co hosted a Pooch Parade at the beginning of the Summer Solstice. And, also like last year, my mom and I decided to participate. Of course, as the Pooch Parade also doubles as a contest (one of the categories being “Most Creative Costume”), I couldn’t be in the parade without a costume. This time around, instead of a sailor, my mom made me a hula-girl outfit (as suggested by my friends Hurley and Dusty on twitter).

I may just be the cutest hula-girl ever.

Unlike last year, I wasn’t as overwhelmed by the forming crowds, the romping dogs, and the loud honking from the bands. In fact, I acted the seasoned parade participant and sniffed many a butt in greeting. My friend Jenny was there along with her brother Jack, the long haired Akita, and their human Marie. For their costume, Jenny was “Miss J” the diva rapper, Jack was her security guard, and Marie acted the part of the ever present paparazzi.

Jenny

 

Jack

 I made so many more friends at the parade as well!

Willow

Xena

Oskar the Chihuahua and his Havanese friend

The parade route was the entire length on Main St and ended directly in front of the Loyal Biscuit. There we were greeted by Heidi from the Biscuit, as well as a Planet Dog spokes-human, Jenna from Zelda’s Biscuit Bakery, and the humans behind TriPom Chews and Smart Pup. The last four humans acted as the judges for the contest. The categories being judged were: Cutest Puppy Ever, Tiniest Puppy, Most Creative Costume (as mentioned earlier), and Largest Dog. Obviously the Largest Dog and Tiniest Puppy had clear winners; Jack and Oskar respectively. Xena won Cutest Puppy Ever. And Most Creative Costume went to me! I almost started nervously chewing my claws in anticipation as the judges deliberated. I thought Jenny and her entourage had me beat, but lo and behold, I was reigning costume champ again!

Celebratory hula!

 My prize was a wonderful goodie bag of yummy treats (and a few other surprises like a gift certificate) from The Loyal Biscuit. Between that, and all the yummy samples from the judges (biscuits, chicken jerky, and yummy dog smoothies galore!), my belly was so stuffed by the time I returned home. I can’t wait for next year’s parade. I’m all ready brainstorming costume ideas!

Happy tail wags!

 

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