Some Dogs Just Love Cats!

Check out this adorable talking dog who just happens to want his own kitty!

You will have to copy and paste it into your browser, but it's worth it!

http://www.pawnation.com/2013/04/15/talking-dog-wants-kitten/

Puppies and Babies are Heaven On Earth

My wonderful, beautiful daughter, Jennifer sent us these photos. I don't think there's anything more special than puppies and babies! Enjoy!

The Dog Did What????

I'm not sure the photo is real, but I think it's an amazing story!

On Marco Island, Florida, a group of dolphins came to the aid of a lost Dog that had fallen into a canal and couldn't get out. The dolphins made so much noise, it attracted the attention of people living nearby, who then rescued the dog. The dog was believed to have spent 15 hours in the canal water before he was pulled out by fire personnel and reunited with his owner. One of the people whose attention was captured by the noisy, demonstrative dolphins said: "They were really putting up a ruckus, almost beaching themselves on the sandbar over there. If it wasn't for the dolphin, I would have never seen the dog.” 

(Source: ABC7news) He said also if the dolphins hadn't persisted enough to get their attention, they dog would have died in the canal. The dog had fallen over the edge of a concrete wall down into the water far enough that it had no chance of getting back up by itself. The dog was exhausted from being in the cold water for hours, and most likely suffering from hypothermia.

Dolphins have been known to sometimes help stranded or injured people as well. In 2007, a pod of dolphins formed a ring around a surfer who was injured and bleeding after being bitten by a Great White shark. The surfer survived because they prevented further bites. No one knows exactly why dolphins have intervened in such emergency situations, and helped save the lives of other species. Suffice to say they are capable of empathy and heroic actions.

Doggie Facts

I love reading about dogs! I came across some interesting info today on our four legged friends and wanted to share it!

Did you know that dogs and humans have been together for about 15,000 years? "They've had a lot longer to train us than I thought!" 

Cooper did a great job of training us!

If you have cancer, are diabetic or have epilepsy, your dog might be the first to know. Studies have shown that dogs can be trained to sniff out cancer of the lungs, breast, skin, bladder and prostrate. "I wondered if they are referred to as Dr. Fluffy, instead of just Fluffy"?

Max thought he should be referred to as DOCTOR MAX.

Dogs have the intellect of a two year old according to research presented in 2009. Border Collies are the smartest followed by Poodles, (yeah Shuga Bear!,) German Shepard's, Golden Retrievers, and Dobermans. They can learn as many as 250 words. "I'm not sure I know that many words!"

No one is as cute as you, Mac!

A dog wags his tail in three very different moods, and only one is happy. When it's high and stiff, the dog is agitated and ready to protect his turf. A low tail wagged quickly shows a scared and submissive dog. A happy dog (this is the one we like) wags his tail in it natural, mid-level position and his ears, mouth, and body look relaxed. "Now I know why people have gotten bitten thinking as long as the tail is wagging they must be friendly. We know now that isn't true."

Mmmm, both those tails are suspicious looking to me!

Canine researchers says dogs see blue, violet, and magenta, and more shades of gray than humans. They also see better in low light and can pick up the slightest movements. They probably don't see red, orange, yellow, or green, based on examination of the color sensitive cone cells in their retinas. "So, when I say, Shuga Bear go get your RED baby, (and she does), is she thinking I'll go get the medium light grey baby for Mom?"

I guess those are grey bows in Shuga's hair?

This is my favorite, since I'm a romantic!!

Can two dogs develop a loving relationship? Or do they just hook up with anyone at the dog park? "Is that like looking for love in all the wrong places dogie style?" Anthropologist Elizabeth Marshall Thomas says dogs can fall in love and she documents a remarkable story between "Sunday" and "Bean" in her book, "The Social Lives of Dogs." "Gotta get that book!"

Looks like love to me!

Don't you love 'em even more now??????

Can You Tell Whose Guilty?

Enjoy the 35 second clip!

http://www.maniacworld.com/which-is-the-guilty-dog.html

All you need is love.....and a new puppy!

Shuga Bear 7/4/2012

It's so hard to believe that we haven't posted to our blog since we lost the, "Big Guy," Raven. And too, we lost Max three months later. We have spent a lot of time grieving. Cooper was affected the most;  Raven became his big brother when Cooper was ten weeks old. The void of our lose cannot be filled, as too many of you well know.

We thought long and hard about a new addition to our family and finally decided that we all needed some new puppy love.

We want you all to meet Shuga Bear. She is sweet, smart, and full of herself! We have had male dogs for quite a while, so bringing in such a "princess" has been a new experience. She is training us to her specifications, you can be sure.

Shuga Bear is a Florida girl. She was born in Melbourne, Florida and was bred by Artistic Poodles. We  call her breeder mom, Grandma Judy. Her name is Judy Billings and she is awesome! She raises her poodles with so much love that it oozes out of them! Shuga Bear is our third Standard and has been such a delight in our home. Well, most of the time she is a delight and the rest of the time she is a total diva, expecting whatever she wants, she is to get! She takes toys away from Cooper and if we attempt to show too much affection to our Cooper boy, she butts in to take the spotlight away from him.

We thought it would be interesting ( of course, she is our very own) to share her very animated life with you. To be sure there is never a dull moment!

The photo is the first time we met each other at Grandma Judy's. She's already stolen my heart with her puppy kisses!

Her first day home with her new family.

She is her Daddy's girl!

Hard to say who is happier!

Shuga's first hair cut.

Shuga resting with Cooper. It was her first attempt at jumping on the bed and making it!

She loves her big brother, Cooper! 

Shuga loves to pose for the camera!

She's growing up fast!

Shuga was six months old yesterday. She has gained a lot of confidence over the last few months, but is still shy with strangers. She warms up quickly though and then becomes their new best friend. 

She has been good for Cooper and taken him to a new place........exhaustion! She is the energizer bunny and never seems to whine down for long. 

Watch out, our girl will grab at your heart too!

Those Big Brown Eyes- Raven, March 26, 2001-March 29, 2012

In the 1950's, I read an article in The Readers Digest, titled "A Warm Heart and A Cold Nose". What could this be about? I thought. Well, to any of us dog lovers, we now know exactly; "Man's Best Friend",of course, woman's too. There has never been a time in my life without a dog or two, mostly small cause of the kids. My ego promised that someday I would have a big dog, a "Man's Dog". My wish came true in 2009, when I married Harley, my daughter's mother-in-law, another great story. Harley owned two standard Poodles, Raven & Cooper. Raven was the biggest a standard could be, while Cooper was on the smaller side of standard. When Raven and I first looked eyeball to eyeball, I knew who owned who. I was going to be happy to serve him. Take him outside to walk and pee, call him to dinner, sneak him a human cookie from my secret stash, when Mother was not around. He had to lick my plate, even before I was done my meal. Throwing balls or toys around for Raven to fetch was his favorite past-time; my arm got so sore. You know the list. I enjoyed the most was "Man Time"; we sat and talked to each other as I gently rubbed his ears with the heel of my hand or scratched his chest, that place no dog can get to. We were eyeball to eyeball, sharing love and respect and just being guys. The best of friends we were. We even fought wars together and had celebrations to our victories. Victory was to allude us all in this last great battle. Our spirits and our hearts were no match for the dreaded desease. Shortly after 1PM on March 29th, Harley, Cooper, Max and I allowed our vet to gently release Raven's great heart, his great spirit and close "Those Big Brown Eyes" - forever. The sting is too great; the emptiness is too vast and the loneliness is too horrific. And we are too aware that way too many of you have had or will have this same great loss. God please help us...