Shameless Brag

Everyday when we come home from our walk, we walk inside and I remove my shoes/coat while Marley waits for me to remove her leash. I always think, I should buy an area rug and teach Marley to wait on the rug. I figure this will make it easier to clean her feet or dry her off, this thought vanishes the minute I walk away from the door.

Today I had a slight emergency and I rushed inside and dropped the leash. I figured she would run around and was slightly worried about her leash getting caught on something. However, when I came back to remove her leash, Marley was sitting in the spot by the door. She was a bit curious about our change in routine, however she was sitting quietly. She is constantly amazing.

Nap Time

Everybody looks so adorable when they sleep. You will notice Marley is enjoying a nap on her old raggedy bed, she still shuns the new bed Santa delivered.

Its always nice when Bob stays out of trouble, this only happens when he sleeps. I think he is plotting his next bad act.

He pleads innocence and he doesn't look happy at my insinuations.

Unlike Marley, Mahone discovered the bed Santa brought him and he loves it.

Finding a new sport

It was a beautiful morning for the park today. Marley had a lot fun and learned some lessons from the older wiser dogs. Joey shared the joy of chasing the ball with Marley. She is still not impressed with this whole fetching thing.

Maggie(BC) shared the joys of herding. Lulu (basset hound) was slightly disgusted with this whole herding business, the only real sport is finding stuff with your nose and barking when you find it.

Marley began by using lessons learned from the cats...

She tried her paw at herding her new friend Teage (corgi). Teage has worked with sheep and felt insulted this little black dog would attempt herding. This activity quickly devolved into a wrestling match.

All of this sporty fun led to a bath in the afternoon. Marley was not impressed.

Tax for Vet services

In California we have had a pretty bad budget deficit. There has been talk we will be receiving IOU's for our state taxes. While trying to find solutions to balance the budget there has been talk about either raising taxes or cutting services. One of the taxes being proposed by the governor is a tax on services such as Veterinary care. This affects ALL pet owners, it will make if difficult for people to provide medical care for their pets.

The California Veterinary Medical Association is asking us to:
Register your opinion with Governor Schwarzenegger to remove the Veterinary Services Tax from the budget proposal. It’s simple and effective. Just call the Governor’s office at 916-445-2841. When you call, please select your language choice, then press 5 to leave your opinion on a current issue, press 1 to select the issue of extending the sales tax to veterinary services, and then press 2 to oppose this proposal.

I would also recommend contacting your California State Legislature representatives and letting them know how you feel about being taxed for Veterinary Care. If you do not know your representatives there is a section on their website that will provide you with their name and contact information.

Sunday Fun

Marley had a great playdate with her friends (and I remembered the camera).

This is handsome guy is Marley's boyfriend, Henry.

Henry's brother Tank is more interested in fetching.


Sadie is not impressed with the small dog shenanigans. She feels the terriers are just Trouble.

Since Marley believes fetching is beneath her, she tried her paw at basketball.

Henry showed off his moves and provided instruction.

Make sure you dribble the ball and keep it away from the other team.

Tank feels basketball highlights his lack of stature, all the cool dogs fetch!

Hey, dude pass the ball already.

Belly Shots

Ummm...should I pounce?

What?!

Marley's Tally

One of the things I've always wondered about was how much does it cost to own a dog? If you check on the internet there are many websites that will provide you with an estimated amount. I'm quite skeptical when I see the numbers, I always want to know where did they come from?

For example when the cost of food is taken into account are they looking at grocery store prices, premium food or pet store prices. I guess they want us to believe those costs are averaged. However, when I first started to keep track I noticed I spend a fortune and my numbers just did not match any of the projected costs.

This is a project I started last year and I resolve to complete by the end of 2009.

In January so far I've spent:
$21.46 - Zukes treats
$6.00 - Primal Raw starter kit
$3.00 - Pig ears
$2.85 - Evo Duck canned food
$8.94 - Cat food
$42.25 - Total spent in 2 weeks

I hope by the end of 2009 I'll have a pretty good picture how much money is spent keeping Marley spoiled and happy.

The sites I've reviewed are:
Drs Foster and Smith
ASPCA
Raising Spot dot com

Crazy cat tale

Is this the face of a dog that would misbehave?

Does she look like a dog that would spend time secretly watching wrestling during the day? Let me tell you a tale and you may decide.

In our little multi-species household, Bob feels it is his job to keep order. If you walk by without paying attention he will smack you (no claws just his paws). Every once in a while he feels the need to let Marley know he is done playing by smacking her a few times. Marley usually retreats and hides behind Mahone.

Yesterday, Bob smacked Marley as she walked by...she stopped and looked at Bob. Her tail starts to wag and her ears perk up as she takes off running towards Bob. She body slams him and he lands about 3 feet away. Bob is confused, this has never happened before and he is not quite sure how to react. Marley trots away with a silly grin on her face.

I don't know where she learned this response to crazy cat behavior. Has she been watching wrestling?

Puppy mills

I was very surprised to learn that people still go to pet stores to buy puppies. I was horrified to discover that there is a local pet store that purchases puppies from puppy mills. There is a local meet up group hosting protests and you are more than welcome to join and educate potential customers. There is also a national rally on January 10, 2009 from 1-3 p.m.

If you would like to make a difference please visit the site and contact an organizer within your State.