Mission Possible

This is the cutest video of a Swedish Vallhund ever! I happened upon it yesterday while looking for some dog herding videos. Would you believe that this Swedish Vallhund is Timber's great grandfather?! Well it is.  Of course neither of my dogs are as well trained as little Ymer here.  

Paw it Forward

One of our most beloved toys in the house used to be the Pink Dragon (can you tell I'm real creative with names?). Pink Dragon was loved by all but has now gone into retirement. Notice the missing nostril. Oh how the pups loved to chew his nostril!

Here, you will notice where Pink Dragon had to undergo an untimely amputation of one of his rear legs.

Pink Dragon has been stored in the pet cupboard for some time now. I just don't have the heart to throw him away (and don't ask me why Pink Dragon is a him. It just feels right). 

Today, Hazel and Timber received their Paw it Forward package from Solo and Mugen over at Everything Counts!  Along with some yummy chicken food and treats was Pink Dragon's younger sister, Green Dragon! Everyone was excited to see her and welcomed her into the family by dragging her around the house.  

And now it is our turn to "paw it forward". To the next two people who post a comment on this post, I will send a little pet care package (dog or cat) to your furry friend. Please make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you! All I ask in return is that you Paw it Forward!

Summer Fun

I'm not very good at servicing two blogs. Some days I can barely manage one. But we're here and we've been out doing summer things. 

On Fourth of July weekend we made our yearly trek to Bow Wow Beach, a dog park located around a large pond. Hazel has always thought she was part Lab and loves to play in the water. Despite her love for water, I don't really like to go to Bow Wow Beach. For starters, the dogs get really filthy when we're there. But besides that, there are always the dirty dogs (Hazel) that feel like the first thing they should do upon arrival is poop in the water. Then dogs like Timber, who don't really like to get wet or really know what they should do with around a pond, come around and drink the water. The last time I took both of them to Bow Wow Beach was probably in October of 2008. Timber threw up on the way home in the backseat of my car. It smelled like old fish.

Timber still drank the water on this trip but there was no throwing up later (yay!). He even ventured into the water this year. He has never actually swam in water, and last time we were at Bow Wow Beach he barely put a toe in. This year he at least got wet up to his chest. As you can see, for Hazel, it's a fully body event.

After about an hour of water play, Hazel called it a day by hanging out in the shade. 

Perhaps we'll make another trip this year. 

Training Update

Honest to goodness, I swear we've been training. It has been decided that I will walk with Timber for Bark in the Park. Hazel is a good walker, but a bit hesitant around strange dogs. While Timber pulls very hard for such a short dog, he's the better natured of the two. The last few weekends Adam and I have taken the dogs out to the metro park to "train". Training mostly involves me learning to walk with the dogs and get Timber used to his new gentle leader. We actually did really well this weekend (that was after the video). I was able to get him to walk on a loose leash for a bit. Progress!

Spring Training

Training for the Bark in the Park walk has officially begun. I'll only be walking with one dog and I haven't decided if it will be Timber or Hazel yet. To be honest with you, I rarely walk my dogs. And when I say rarely, I mean a couple times a year. I leave the daily dog walking up to my husband. They pull when he walks them too, only he's bigger and stronger than I am. 

Timber, despite his small stature, pulls on his leash very hard. Harder than Hazel for sure. Yesterday I purchased a gentle leader for Timber. My goal is to be able to walk him (not for him to walk me). So far so good. He's still pulling, but I'm able to maintain control. 

Hazel panting after a walk.

Spring Season = Mud Season

At least that's how it goes here in NorthEast Ohio. Unfortunately our back yard isn't landscaped (there is grass though) and Hazel used to have a tendancy to dig under the deck. One spring evening, I think she must have stepped in one of her holes that had turned into a mud pit while playing outside with Timber. So when I found muddy prints all around the house and said "Who did this!?" there really wasn't a need for a response.

And yes, it was just this one foot.

Spring is Coming

Since we had a lot of sunshine today (yay!) and it's finally starting to feel a little warmer, I thought I would post a spring picture of my favorite girl.

It was like a miracle when we got our backyard fenced. Hazel was so much happier being free to run and play (and poo) without the hassle of us having to leash her up and take her out. She was very difficult to house train. We got her in July and it wasn't until the fence was complete in March that she finally started to consistently potty outside.  So yay for spring, fences, and the men who put ours up in a March snow storm!

Why Support the Humane Society?

In case you've been wondering why you should support the humane society (which I'm sure some have) here are a few reasons.

Nearly 2000 homeless animals come through the doors of the Greater Akron Humane Society every year.

$15 can provide a routine veterinary exam for one homeless animal

$30 can provide parasite protection (fleas, ticks, heartworm, etc) for a dog for three months.

$72 provides life saving kitten formula to a new born kitten.

$156 provides food, shelter, and medical care for a cat for two months.

$262 provides food shelter and medical care for a dog for two months.


Thank you again for your continued support!

"A Real Tale to Tell....

... and a real tail to tell it with" -Lawrence Ferlinghetti

When Hazel was about six months old, we had her spayed. She went in to our local veterinarian's office and returned home after her surgery that night. All was looking well the week following. The vet had used regular stitches and we would have to return to have them removed. This is where the trouble started. 

When we arrived at the vet's office on Stitch Removal day, there was a bit of a wait. I had Hazel on a leash and went to sit on a bench in the waiting area. When they called our name, I stood up. With that movement, a plank of wood fell off the bench and landed on the tip of Hazel's tail. I didn't realize it had hit her as she didn't cry or really act startled. It wasn't until I noticed blood spraying from the tip of her tail that I realized she was injured. 

The vet had to shave her tail and because it was at the very tip, could not put in stitches. Hazel had a bandage and plastic thingy wrapped around her tail to let the wound dry up and heal on its own. Well, if you had met Hazel back in her early days you would know she's not one to follow rules. That night, she ripped the bandage off and had her tail bleeding again. The vet gave us an enormous E-collar for her to wear. And she had to wear it all the time. 

This happened at the beginning of November 2007. Hazel had to wear the E-collar and keep her tail bandaged for two months. That was the entire holiday season. It was frustrating for her (and us) at first because she would run into things and she was still intent on getting that bandage off.  We would try to keep her E-collar off while we were home and could supervise her. But even then, she would sneak off behind the couch to go after her tail. 

The funniest part of this injury (if there is one) is that Hazel managed to amuse herself with the E-collar. She would scoop up snow with it and toss it into the air! To pick up treats on the ground she would use the edge of the collar to keep it still. 

When I think back on all that happened to Hazel within the first year of her life, I'm surprised that we ever got a second dog.

The Beginning

When I first arrived in Akron in July 2007, I couldn't believe how quiet my house was. I had never lived in home that didn't belong to a pet. It only took me a day to convince my husband that we needed a dog and within the week we found a beautiful mixed breed pup at our local shelter.

It was love at first bark. Hazel was in a litter of about 6 other abandoned pups. Why did I choose her? Well, because she had brown, white, and black markings with speckled legs of course. We took her home and gave her the standard bath that I've given all animals that enter my home. I went out that day and made a trip to the pet store to stock up on all new puppy necessities. Word to the wise: this is something you should do before you bring a new puppy home.

The first day.

The first week was great. She was only about six weeks old. Since I had just moved and had yet to become employed, Hazel and I spent all day together practicing new commands and getting to know each other. That Thursday however, an unexpected situation arose. During the afternoon, Hazel began vomiting and could not keep down food or water. This increased in frequency and by Thursday night she was at a local pet hospital. Afraid that she had Parvo, the vet kept her overnight. On Friday, they called to tell us that she had eaten and was able to keep the food down so we brought her home. Saturday morning, we woke up to find loose stool and vomit in Hazel's crate. The vomit and diarrhea continued throughout the morning and by noon she was at the Green Animal Hospital.

At the hospital, Hazel was ultimately diagnosed with a form of the Parvo virus and we were told that we would just have to wait and see if she would live. Every day for the following week, we visited Hazel in the hospital both afternoon and evening. My girl is a fighter though. By the end of the week, after being in the hospital for six days, Hazel was released. She has a will to live.

After those first two weeks of our lives together, I felt as though we had been across years. I truly felt that as soon as we adopted her, she was ours. This meant that it was our responsibility to see that she had every benefit possible, including health care. I understand that not all families have the funds necessary for a week long hospital stay for their pets, but I am thankful that at the time, we did.

In the past two and a half years, Hazel has proven to be a faithful companion and protector of our home.

Stay tuned for more stories of Hazel.

Hazel at four months. We've never been able to keep her still.