Wordless Wednesday Woofs

Ahhhhh....I found a nice sunny spot in the yard to get my daily dose of Vit D. 
Happy Wednesday!

Woofs!

Holy HOTlanta!

I love being outside, but phew...it's hot in this city! So far we've had a pretty mild summer, but temps are ramping up and I am not happy about it! So, I thought I'd share one of my favorite things that Mom does to help keep me cool....she calls it a Cooling Canine Spritzer! 

Easy enough right? Mom says Peppermint essential oil is safe to use on us dogs (she also said that peppermint oil works so well because it contains menthol which has a cooling effect when applied to the skin. She always has to be so technical BOL). Take it from me, just a few drops of the spritzer feels oh-so-refreshing on a hot day! I give it the Briscoe Bullmastiff Big Drool Approval! 

Woofs!

Stay & Play with an in-betweenie-weenie!

This weekend I had a friend stay over. Mom sometimes lets dogs that she's working with come to stay at our house! This weekend, it was Bentley. Bentley is an in-betweenie-weenie (he's a mix between a standard and a mini Dachshund). 

Bentley and I had never played together so we took a few minutes to get to know each other. Mom says that we used loads of Canine Calming Signals. Mom has fancy words for everything, I swear! BOL But, once we got to know each other's play styles, we had a lot of fun romping around!

(Mom says please excuse her over-the-top puppy voice! Since it was our first time playing together, mom wanted to make sure we were getting lots of good feedback! And if you think it's annoying, now you know what I live with everyday!! BOL Sorry Mom!) 

Turns out, having another doggy friend around can be helpful. Bentley was on an herbal detox while he was here, and wasn't so sure about taking it. So, I showed him that if you swallow it fast, it's not that bad! And, guess what? He showed me how much fun toys can be!
I'm sad that Bentley only got to stay for a few days, but I love having different doggy visitors at my house! Especially because, if they're obnoxious, I can have Mom send them back home!

Woofs!

Wordless Wednesday Woofs!

Flinging drool is risky business...and sometimes, well, accidents happen!

Woofs!

Make way for the KING!

Well...the King of the Forest anyway!! And I'm sure I'm the King, because the trails are really small, and everyone quickly got outta my way when they saw me coming...you know, to let the King through!!

Mom & I went to Morningside Nature Preserve...wow, that's a long name. There are tons of trails, which makes it *really* hard to decide which one to take. Sometimes I made Mom go down one trail a few feet, then turn around and go back to a different trail...just so we didn't miss anything! I saw lots of squirrels, some birds and even a bunny! I barked and pounced at the bunny, like, SEE Bunny?? I like to bounce too! Bunny ran away. Rude.

But, the coolest part of the whole forest? A big swing over the river. Mom says is a "suspension bridge", yah Mom, whatever. You get on and it MOVES. How cool is that?? Mom says I'm crazy because I'm so scared of everything else but a giant bridge that moves over the water doesn't scare me. Mom, seriously? KINGS cannot be scared of swings. BOL

Here's me on the giant swing!

Woofs!

What you mean, just for girls?

So, Mom is busy answering emails and I decide that I will entertain myself. I mean, It's the least I can do, ya know?


But, hmm...what to do? I wandered into the bathroom and found a box. It was a fun, bright box and when I opened it, it was FULL of chews!! At least...I think they were chews; they were wrapped in paper and I thought maybe you had to pull the paper off. So, I took one back to my blanket to work on it. It made really fun noises! Mom heard the noises and came to see what I was chewing, so I showed her...

See Mom! It's a crinkly-paper chew that I got from the bathroom! 

Whoa...what? It's just for girls??

Oh No! I am sooooo embarrassed! 

Why didn't anybody TELL me about this stuff when I came to live with a GIRL!! Crazy girls and all their girly stuff!! BOL


Woofs!

I'm a LONE Ranger!

I like to make decisions on my own and generally, just like to be on my own. I'm like a cowboy...a Lone Ranger...running loose and figuring stuff out as I go. It's easier that way, or at least, it was. Now I'm in a home, with a Mom who doesn't want me to run away, but wants me to be happy enough to stay here and participate in things with her. She wants me to trust her.

Trust, it's big, and you humans expect a lot of it.
You leave us everyday and expect us to trust that you will return...
You hook us to leashes and we have to trust that every situation you walk us into will be safe...
You make all the decisions about our food and care and we have to trust that it's safe, and good...
You decide how to train us and help us learn and we have to trust that you will be fair...

Everyday you expect us to trust you...without any conditions. If your dog trusts you, thank him for it. Offer an extra cookie, or a longer bellyrub...It's a big deal for us.

As for me? Mom and I are working on it. I may just be hanging up my hat as the Lone Ranger... but I think I'll keep the bandanna, I just look too handsome in it!

Woofs!

Wordless Wednesday Woofs!

I learned something new...magical SIT gets you stuffs!

Woofs!

Learning to like RAW

Did you know dogs are carnivores? It true..our biological makeup is that of a true carnivore and supports our classification under the order carnivora in the animal kingdom (my Mom, the canine nutritionist, told me that)!

Mom says it's important for all animals to eat a balanced, healthy, fresh diet that is species appropriate. For me that means raw meat, bones & organs. And mom says that I should eat a prey model, which means big pieces and sometimes whole prey. But...all I've ever eaten was "dog food".. so the idea of RAW..whoa!

Mom put it in my bowl for a few days and it really freaked me out. So, we took a break from trying it and I ate a pre-made raw that didn't look so "different".  I mean, the prey model stuff really smelled good, but it doesn't look like the stuff that I normally get in my bowl.

Today, Mom and I decided we should give it another try. Mom offered me a turkey neck after some ground raw. I licked it for awhile to determine it was safe, then..chomp, chomp, gulp! Hey - that was easier than I thought!! I think I might like this RAW stuff after all!! BOL!

Woofs!