I admit it, I like frogs, my neighborhood is usually overrun with them just before or just after a storm but they can be a hazard, when walking your dogs. It happened to me a few nights ago, I got home after dark and quickly took my 3 dogs out for a walk. It was like a game of get the frog (no, before you ask no my dogs don’t eat them – they just like to nudge them with their noses) but I couldn’t even take 3 steps, before my dogs stopped to play with the frogs. I tell you it took us forever to take our walk that night but my 3 pups agree, it was worth it.
As most Chi owners can relate, the phrase “that’s not a real dog!” gets heard a lot. I encounter it the most at a pet-friendly store and a little kid will laugh and point and say “look daddy, that’s not a real dog!”. Well, I’m here to tell you they are! They are perpetually loyal, persistently playful, and love a good walk (that is when they’re not chasing squirrels).
They may be a little smaller in comparison to the greater population of the canine world, but what they lack in size they make up for in attitude. I don’t know how a heart can’t melt when you look into their wide eyes that say “you are the coolest person on the planet”. And really, no matter what breed or mix dog one might have, if you don’t get that feeling by looking in their face then maybe that’s not a “real” dog.
I’m sure Chihuahuas and their owners everywhere are busting at the seams with excitement for the release of the new movie “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”. Being a chi-mix owner myself, I’ve considered smuggling Chach into the theater so we could watch it together. However, I’m sure the first bark in the movie would send my pup into a barking frenzy…hence the gig would be up and we’d both get escorted out of the movie theater. Hey, don’t act like you haven’t thought about doing it too : )
With temperatures beginning to drop in North Texas now is a perfect time to get out with your dog and get some exercise. I’ve found the more I walk my dogs, the better we all feel and they seem to get into less mischief. But exercise isn’t just limited to dogs, it’s also important for cats as well. Check out this link from iVillage for some suggestions. http://home.ivillage.com/pets/cats/0,,p9rm,00.html
That about says it all!!! I’ve adopted Houdini – my Red Heeler mix can get out of anything. First we tried a crate… the wire kind and yep he got the back down… then it was a baby gate? He jumped that and now we are just leaving him alone in the master bedroom. Wish me luck I have no idea what I’m going home to?
On the first day of fall and the pending cooler temperatures you may find yourself venturing out to a dog park or two? And I find myself asking is there a dog park etiquette? Do boy dogs only hang out with boy dogs and the girls with girls or is there lots of mingling going on? What is the best dog park in North Texas? I’m sure many puppy parents would want to know and why?
So is it really worth it? I’ve been debating about getting it for my new dog – I have 3 and one has already cost me a fortune in vet bills and surgery. Here is an interesting top ten list to look at before making a decision.
Yes just like the human world, it exists in the puppy world, and we’re going through it in our household. It’s been tough, we’ve been working with our new puppy, he is trying to be the big dog but there are already 2 others in the house, it’s all about balance. Check out this interesting take on the whole situation and what can be done in case you are going through it too.. http://www.doglistener.co.uk/aggression/rivalry.shtml
I used to think squirrels were so cute.
I’d see them in my yard, sitting so contently, munchin’ down on a nut.
I almost wished I was like Snow White so they’d let me walk up to them and pet them.
Now, not so much. They’ve shown their true colors since my dog moved in.
They are vindictive, mean-spirited, and just plain spiteful. Let me tell you why…
My Chi-mix dog, Chach, is quite the outdoorsman.
His favorite thing to do is chase squirrels.
He’ll spot one and he’ll get low to the ground and ever so slowly inch closer and closer until he’s ready for the takeoff and…whoosh, he’s off like a thoroughbred in the Preakness.
The squirrels find the nearest fence and/or tree seeking refuge.
At this time, Chach turns around with a look on his face that says “that was fun” and he’s ready to come back inside. But wait, what’s that noise?
Both Chach and I hear a loud annoying chirping…Chach turns back around and what does he see???
The squirrel crawling back down as to tease Chach and waving his tail at him.
Now you’d think a squirrel who’s just survived a brush with death at the hands of a chihuahua would learn his lesson and find another backyard to hang in.
But noooo, it insists on taunting my poor pup (the chirping that sounds like a mocking laugh doesn’t placate the situation either).
Chach has become bound and determined to catch the squirrel one day, and it seems like that day is getting closer and closer (he’s really learned to hone his skills).
Now I don’t know what Chach would do once he caught it. He might bat it around and play with it, eat it, or (my worst fear) bring it to me as gift.
Until then, Chach and I have agreed to call them what they really are…”rats with fluffy tails”.
With summer in full swing in North Texas it’s important to remember our pets can get skin cancer too. In fact, According to Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine, dogs have 35 times as much skin cancer as we do. Check it out? But we warned some may find the pictures a little graphic.
