Hurricane Warning?

OK, so maybe not...but either way, I am not evacuating without my pooch! The shelters around here are not "pet friendly"...and I can understand that, who wants to hunker down in a high school gym, with a bunch of nervous sweaty strangers, AND their animals? There are places you can take your pets, pet-friendly hotels and some animal shelters will take them..but there is also a certain amount of risk involved with leaving your pet there. As for me and my boy...we have hunkered down for every storm at our house. Luckily he does not freak out during storms...nor do I, after 32 years in Florida, I have only evacuated once (Hurricane Elena -late 80's), and only then because I was young, out on my own for the first time, and it was my first "official" hurricane. If there were a major storm headed right at us, I would evacuate...to a friend or family member's home, someone who was not in the storms path, ....and I only if I knew I could bring my dog with me. Mama's not going anywhere without her boy!

Seperation Anxiety

Snoopy is "crate trained"...he has a huge cage in the corner of my living room, big enough for him to stand up, turn around, even walk a few steps. He has 2 water cups and a food cup, a nice fluffy pillow...all very comfy. So WHY, at least once a week, so I have to come home and it looks like he had a party in there? Water dumped, kibbles everywhere, pillow in shreds with stuffing everywhere! Apparently, either the phone rings, or he hears something outside the door....and he gets aggitated about being confined and his small doggy mind decides that tearing up the joint may help his situation. It does not, when he is done, he is still in the cage, and now he has to sit in his mess until Mommy gets home to clean it up! I have tried, in the past, to leave him loose in the house...when I got home from work he had eaten my couch...he was back in the cage the next day! By the way, lucky I am a thrifty shopper, I usually stock up on pillows at thrift stores or yard sales....I always need a spare with that boy around!

Mommy went to Disney and all I got was..

...a Lei?? Yes, that's right! I spent the weekend at Disney with my cousins, so Snoopy went to "Camp" at my friends (Joe & Pete's) house. I don't like to leave him in a kennel, and he loves Joe & Pete (who doesn't?). They have a house with a big fenced in yard for him to run around in...he's always tired when he gets home from a weekend with them! When I arrived at Disney's Polynesian Hotel to meet my cousins on Friday night , Hallie & Heather (Hi girls, miss you!) gave me thier lei's from the luau they just attended...here is Snoopy modeling it for them! I had a great time hanging out with Pam, Hallie & Heather this weekend, and I know Snoopy had a good time because he slept from the time I got him home, until this morning!

Dog Mom

I am a Dog Mom, and quite proud of it. I even have a T shirt proclaiming my "Dog Mom" status. Early 40's (proud of that too..but I'll save that for later), never married, so never had any kids. Some people think my life is not complete because I had no children, I do not feel slighted for not having children, it just wasn't in God' plan for me...I'm okay with that, I have a very good life, my Sisters each have 3 kids and my cousin's kids all call me "Aunt" ...so my life is full of children to love. The fact that I do not have any of my own to support just leaves more time and money to spoil theirs!! Being a Dog Mom is fun, it's like having a 4 legged furry kid...but one you don't have to send to daycare (although they do have that for dogs!), and doesn't talk back! I take him to the park and play, we watch TV , football, and movies together, we take an annual Christmas card picture......I love my dog, and he loves back unconditionally.

Here's my boy....

A Ba-who-ji?

Ever since I got my precious pooch six years ago, people ask me what kind of dog he is...when I reply "Basenji" they look at me as if I have suddenly sprouted a third eye! I can always tell a true "dog person"..as they know what a Basenji is. A Basenji is an African barkless hound. Yes. I said Barkless. They cannot bark. They "yodel". Each Basenji makes their own unique yodeling sound...mine yodels when we are playing, and/or I have something that he wants. Sometimes he does it when company comes over and they are not giving him any attention. Basenji's were bred in Africa for hunting, they are fast runners, and very good in the hot weather. My Basenji loves to sit in the sun..he actually seeks it out...and will crawl across the floor in his attempt to lay in "his sunbeam". Extremely smart, but also stubborn and aloof, it takes a special family to train a Basenji. They are much like a cat in thier grooming habits, give off no "dog" odor and do not drool. Hmmm....no barking, no odor, no drool....now THAT is the perfect dog!

First!

Well, I am going to give this blogging stuff a try...everyone else is doing it, why not me?