And The Pet Photo Contest Winners Are . . .

Ehem, allow me to start the announcement of this pet photo contest's winners, with the national anthem. I don't like to be repetitive, but the Soprano Chi is back by popular demand. Once again, our national pet contest anthem will be sung by Boomer, the teacup chihuahua. Everyone rise . . . Hit it buddy!

Thank you, Boomer. We may all be seated.

And now, I have the pleasure to announce the names of the three top derrieres in the animal blog-dom. Drum roll please!

The winners of the 2010 Furry Tails Contest are:

#1. Ms Ruby and her heart-shaped hiney

#2. Ms Mayzie who only wanted to play with her chipmunk

#3. Mr Benny who crossed his paws wishing for a piece of cheese

The winners will all be receiving the 2010 Golden Furry Tails Prize

 As always, there is a surprise guest ready to hand out the prizes. Ladies and tramps, without any further ado, I present to you 

The Hand 

(aka the hand-shaped dog leash, a unique approach to walking a dog).

The Golden Furry Tails Awards

Clean+Green by SeaYu

Congratulations to all the contestants. It takes courage and determination to bare one's hineys to the world. One last thing. Due to the nature of the prizes, all winners are entitled to at least one "accident" with no repercussions or scolding.

Twinkie

It's His Fault!

It was the puppy's fault I didn't get to post earlier today. He didn't let me sleep all night and then he kept me busy all day. Add to that a couple of long power outages and the seven cat-astrophes. . . It's already tomorrow in some countries.

I'd like to share more pictures of Junior not only for your viewing pleasure, but also for feedback. If any on you, have any clue as to the breed of this adorable monster, please leave us a comment. See, we thought he was a chihuahua, but then when a certain troublemaker, she knows who she is, insisted that the puppy is a dachshund, we started to doubt ourselves. Bottom line, we don't really know what he is. Not that we really care, but I for one am really curious. Is he a chihuahua like me, a chiweenie like my sissy, a miniature rhodesian ridgeback like my hiking buddies? I doubt he's a dalmatian like my older sissy though.

Until I find the truth, I'll keep referring to him as a chihuahua. Ready for some more chihuahua pictures?

 After keeping all of us up last night, he sleeps like a baby during the day,

and he sticks his tongue out at us!

 He also likes to eat my favorite giraffe.

 Don't be fooled by how cute he looks. 

"Little guy, you're a whole lotta trouble."

Of course, I'm going to be responsible for many of his behavior issues. I'm already teaching him how to respect his elder chis.

Pet Photo Contest Deadline Reminder

Excuse me!

 I don't mean to be rude,

butt,

even though I'm exhausted, after a day of playing with dozens of other dogs at the horse barn, 

and after a rather exciting and fun Howl-O-Ween Pet Costume Contest at Petco, 

I know that most of us could use a friendly reminder:

Last day to vote in our Furry Tails PET PHOTO CONTEST.

Have a great Sunday!

Twinkie

Dog Strollers | DoggyRide Review

My dogs are tough. They get almost daily exercise and lots of it. We go on long hikes mostly, and, if time or the weather does not allow it, we at least walk in our neighborhood. From the tiniest to the largest of my dogs, this has become a way of life and they all seem to thrive on it.
 I used to look at dog stroller owners as something unique and peculiar. What was wrong with their dog? Did they not want it to get its paws dirty? I was adamant about getting a dog stroller, even though sometimes I couldn't quite manage three dogs on two hands (the hand-shaped dog leash hadn't been invented yet). Having to deal with chronic back issues, I gave in, and three months ago, I purchased the DoggyRide Mini Stroller for my 4-pound teacup chihuahua, and my 10-pound chiweenie. Hallelujah!

I decided on the DoggyRide for the following reasons:

1. It didn't look like a baby stroller. Instead, it looked sporty and utilitarian.
2. Its handle was tall enough for . . . tall people, an invaluable feature.
3. The design was obviously very practical. It has shades, plastic covers, front and rear entry, top ventilation, a large pocket in the back, and large wheels.
4. The handle comes off and can be replaced with a bike kit that easily converts it into a mini trailer you can attach to your bike.
5. It was rather economic compared to other dog strollers.

I take my dogs to horse shows frequently. In the past, I'd have to carry large crates, find shade, if it rained, I also had to find sheltered areas. The DoggyRide took care of all those issues. It is easy to assemble and disassemble, for those who don't own SUVs. It is also light and easy to load in the car.
The dogs, the teacup chihuahua and the chiweenie, both rather spoiled, took to it immediately. I just presented it to them with all doors open and they were ready to explore. I closed the zippers after a few minutes and off we went. Both dogs looked around them suspiciously until we were out of the driveway. After that, they looked ahead taking in their surroundings happy for their moving shelter.
I use the DoggyRide at home too. When we have dog visitors that intimidate my dogs, I bring out the dog stroller. They both jump in and get comfortable, able to stay near the rest of us feeling safe.
After owning a dog stroller for three months, all my hesitations are dismissed. I now only wonder why I didn't invest in a dog stroller sooner.

M--

Dalmatian Senior Dog Celebrates Birthday

I was really moved yesterday to find out that it was our beloved Olivia's birthday. Olivia is a brown dalmatian. You may remember her from her entry in the "Show Us Your Tongue" Pet Photo Contest.

Olivia

Olivia is always smiling. She's one of the happiest dogs I have ever met, and there is good reason for it. She has a great life. I have often mentioned her owner, the dog obedience trainer Cyndy Wood, who also does public appearances sharing precious information for all dog lovers. She recently did a seminar on "How To Be A Better Senior Dog Parent," which I attended, since we too own a senior dalmatian mix. 

Olivia turned 14 years old yesterday!!! Quite an achievement for her breed, but what's even more impressive is this brown dalmatian's health. Olivia can't see well, something rather common for any dog her age. Cyndy has and still is taking measures inside her home to make it easier for Olivia to adopt to her reduced vision. Olivia is also a little stiff in the joints, also common, but overall, she's in superb health. There is no question in my mind, that this dalmatian is still enjoying every minute of her life. 

Cyndy has always kept her dalmatians on a great  diet. Her rule of thumb is: checking out the first five ingredients in the dog food and it it's fit for a human to eat, then buy it. Sometimes the "simple rules" are the ones that make the most sense and are easier to follow. Olivia's current health is a testament to that. Cyndy also put her girl on a good dog joint supplement with glucosamine and chondroitin. She's the one who stressed the importance of glucosamine for dogs and recommended the dog supplements that we use on our eleven year old dalmatian mix, and I'm grateful for that too. The positive effects on our dog were visible within days. 

Sure, Olivia does suffer some from dog arthritis, but what dog wouldn't at that age? Overall, this senior dog is healthier than most dogs are at age ten. She is friendly, happy, social and full of energy. Her only problem is that on her birthday "somebody" had the great idea to give her a grooming session. I think she would have preferred extra dog treats or her favorite peanut butter, and I'll be sure to remind Cyndy next year on Olivia's birthday.

The birthday girl

Happy birthday Olivia, 

Twinkie and family

Cats and Dogs

Outside, it's been raining cats and dogs. Inside, all seven cats and three dogs have been cooped up for about six days now. We are all suffering from cabin fever. The cats can't go out and enjoy their outdoor cat enclosure and we, the dogs, a senior dog suffering from arthritis, a dainty brindle chiweenie, and a fragile teacup chihuahua . . . can't go out in the cold wet weather, so we resorted to indoor games. Since none of us are famous for their great intellect, we decided to forego dog puzzles and go straight into action packed cat and dog games, like chasing the laser pointer.

I hope you enjoy my latest production:




The beautiful voice in the end was mine!

Countdown: three days left to vote in the pet photo contest.

Twinkie

Chihuahua Pictures | Junior's Back

Junior's back with his Rhodesian ridgeback siblings. Many of you asked if we're keeping him. That was the plan, but the Rhodesian ridgeback duo would have none of that. They are convinced that he'll grow up to be a rhodie someday.
In any case, as we're trying to put our home back in order, Junior's pictures will do. M only got a few hundred of them.

Today's edition of chihuahua pictures

Junior enjoying small dog treats

Junior getting ready for his trip to Hawaii

Junior hiding from me, the teacup chihuahua, behind the spotted dog

(like the plumbers, yesterday)

 What's this?

A brave chiweenie???

Junior passing my sniff test

I have a good idea of who is Junior's favorite from my pack.

It's the senior dog. Quick update: my older sissy is now on Rimadyl and she's comfortable

.

Awww, it's The Hand, another hand, not to be confused with the hand-shaped dog leash designed by Alice Wang!

I hope all of today's puppy cuteness didn't deter you from voting (tab up top: Furry Tails) in our latest pet photo contest (4 days left). I wonder who's going to win the pawesome prizes from Clean+Green by SeaYu!

Gotta mop!

Twinkie