Abuse! in the name of Christmas, whatever that is

Wrooo, everypuppy and kitty! I hope everyone had a good Howl-o-ween! I survived it; The Girl turned the tv up really loud, put on the white noise machine, turned on the space heater that she curses because the fan always runs, and we hid in the basement. It wasn't so bad.

You can see that I really enjoyed the dog friendly chocolate invented by Joe Stains, and delivered by Tanner and Scooter. Many of you have commented on how much the chocolate affected me; it sure did! I had a grrrrrreat time! Thanks, guys! (Hey, Joe, did anydoggy else have such a strong reaction? Just wonderin'.)

I am negotiating with The Girl about my access to my friends' bloggies. We don't seem to be making it around as much as we did at first. She says that we'll maybe get there twice a week, which I am protesting as UNFAIR. Just because she has the opposable thumbs, she thinks she's in charge.

Something else that happened last week was that I had to pose for Christmas pictures. The Girl isn't very creative, and she's pretty lazy, so she thought that the easiest thing to do would be to get some Christmas-themed material and pose me on it. For a variety of reasons, this did not work as she had planned.

First, I was NOT impressed. I'm working those Laser Eyes, but they have no effect against The Girl.

Note that the fabric has white and green (?) snowflakes on it. And I'm on the couch. Like I am in all of my indoor pics.

I don't know how she could keep going after this one:

She didn't know which fabric would work better, so she bought two patterns. I am pouting. Just look at how unhappy I am. If my lower lip would stick out like the human kids' do, that's what I'd be doing.

"Fear for your life, Girlie! I won't take this abuse forever!"

I am desperately sad, and close to giving up.

Aha! That sad look was just a diversion, to make you sad, Girlie, so I could make my escape. I'm SO leaving!

These are the best of the bunch. The Girl has been defeated! The Christmas pics are no more!

Happy (actual) Howl-o-ween!

OMDog, Tanner and Scooter brought me some of that chocolate that's safe for dogs! Thanks, guys, for the pawesome delivery! And thanks to Joe, for inventing it! It is soooooo yummy!


Here's me with my Howl-o-ween goodness:





I couldn't wait to try it, and this is how I look now:





Note the interesting side effect: not only am I drunk on the chocolately goodness, but I also have Laser Beam Eyes. Did anydoggy else have that side-effect, too???


I'm pretty much out of it, having downed the whole bottle all at once. This will hopefully help with my firework anxiety; stupid kids are already setting them off! It's not even 1 pm, and it certainly isn't dark! The Girl has to go out for a bit, but she's going to hurry home.


Speaking of The Girl, she wanted to confess to everydoggy and kitty that she didn't actually carve the pumpkin shown in our Penelope's Ball post. So many of you commented on how great it was, and she's feeling guilty. Let me tell you all, she's not patient enough to be that creative! Wroo!


I'm going to sleep it off. Happy Howl-o-ween!

Happy Halloween!

Wrooo, it's Dannan! Today is Halloween, which is awful. I hate Halloween, and it's not cuz The Girl dresses me up (she doesn't). It's the fireworks! Where we live, any human with the money can buy them, and they are completely unregulated. So Canada Day and Halloween are really terrible times.


I am scared by fireworks. The bangs they make are scary, and I get very worried. Fortunately, The Girl seems to feel the same way about them, because on Halloween, we go into the basement, turn the tv up loud, and turn on the white noise machine. Oh, and I get some magic potion, which makes me a bit less worried. (The Girl: Translation - Rescue Remedy. Vital to all fireworky occasions.)


We don't let trick-or-treaters into our yard on Halloween either. The Min Pins bark enough with them just passing on the street. So we lock the gate into our yard (you have to go through the gate to get to our door), turn off the lights, and eat the candy ourselves. Well, The Girl and The Roomie eat the candy. None of us furbabies are allowed candy.


But I am allowed to have yogurt! I wuff yogurt! Today, I give to you Part 2 in the NOM! series (Part 1 - Peanut Butter Noms is here):






















Here I have to break out the Laser Beam Eyes, because I sense the yogurt is running out!




Be safe today and tonight, everypup and kitty. I know it can be scary, but stay at home with your people! Don't go running, even if you are scared or startled by what's happening. And just say NO to costumes! BOL!

Halloween Safety Tips

From the BCSPCA.


Halloween Can Spook Animals

Some tips to protect animals over the Halloween Season

While Halloween is fun for trick or treaters, it can be a scary and dangerous time for pets and farm animals. "Loud noises can cause animals to panic putting both pets and children in danger," says Lorie Chortyk, Director of Community Relations for the BC SPCA. Farm animals are at risk too. Dogs or cats could dart into traffic or jump through windows, while frightened farm animals could run into barbed-wire fences or other obstructions. Dogs can also act out of character at the sight of strangers in costumes coming to your door.

Keep Your Pet Inside

Prevent your pets from escaping or confronting trick or treaters by keeping them in a quiet room. You may consider disabling your doorbell for the night if your dog is the type that gets excited whenever it rings. Now is also a good time to make sure your pet has identification - a tag and a tattoo or microchip - in case your pet gets lost. Cats need identification too -- indoor cats too -- in case they bolt from fright.

Don't Feed Candy and Chocolate to Pets

"Any sudden diet change will cause stomach upset in your animal," says Dr. Jamie Lawson, BC SPCA Director of Animal Health. "Feeding animals candy can lead to health problems such as diabetes or obesity," says Lawson, "and chocolate is especially dangerous because it naturally contains theobromine, an ingredient which is toxic to cats and dogs."

Loud Bangs Panic Some Animals

Because exploding fireworks can affect pets in varying degrees be sure to spend time consoling your pets whenever there are loud noises. Some dogs will howl, while others might cower and whine. "I've seen cases where a dog has bolted in fear right through a screen door. The dog was gone for days just because of a loud bang," says Dr. Dave Sedgman, veterinarian with Thompson Rivers University, in Kamloops. "In extreme cases animals will try to dig into a hardwood floor or even jump through a plate glass window in fear."

On Halloween night, leave your dog at home while trick or treating; bring dogs and cats indoors; and set off legal fireworks in areas away from pets and farm animals. By thinking about the animals, Halloween will be a safer and stress-free occasion, as well as fun for kids.

Exciting day!!!

The Girl here. Just a quick post for now....

I am incredibly pleased to be attending a press conference this afternoon, announcing that Kamloops is getting a low cost spay/neuter clinic. The BCSPCA bigwigs are coming up, schmoozing will happen. We’ve been lobbying for a long time for this clinic, and it is going to make a huge difference in our community. I would do backward handsprings, but I’d hurt myself. So I’m settling for an enormous grin, and 13 Reasons to Spay/Neuter Your Pet. (Dannan is very pleased, too!)

1. By having your pets spayed and neutered, you will help to reduce the terrible overpopulation of companion animals. In just seven years, one unspayed cat and her offspring can produce over 450,000 cats! (Average litter of three, twice a year). In seven years, one dog and her offspring can produce over 4,000 dogs! (Average litter of four, once a year.)

2. Your female dog or cat will live a longer, healthier life. Spaying helps prevent pyometra (pus-filled uterus) and breast cancer, and eliminates the risk for ovarian and uterine cancer. Spaying before your animal enters her first heat offers the best protection.

3. Your spayed female won’t go into heat. (I don’t know why anyone would want to go through a heat season, personally!) In trying to attract a mate, the female cat will yowl and urinate more frequently (all over the house!). The female dog will often have a week of bloody discharge, and she is fertile for approximately a week afterward. While dogs generally come into heat twice a year, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season.

4. Your male dog or cat benefits from neutering, too! If he is neutered before six months of age, he will be protected from testicular cancer and less likely to develop prostate enlargement or prostate cancer.

5. Your male dog will be less likely to try to escape to go and find a mate. An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate, and once he’s free, he can be hit by a car or get into fights with other males.

6. Your male dog will likely be much better behaved, as well! Neutered cats and dogs are better able to focus their attention on their human families, because they are free from sexual anxiety. If a cat or dog is unneutered, they may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Also, when indoors, male dogs may mount furniture and human legs when stimulated. And importantly, many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering (preferably before six months of age).

7. It is a MYTH that neutered dogs won’t be good protectors of your home. A neutered dog protects his home and family just as well as unneutered dog.

8. It is also a MYTH that fixing your animal will make him/her fat. Lack of exercise and overfeeding make pets fat, not spaying or neutering.

9. Spaying and neutering is cost-effective. The cost of spay or neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It is also less than the cost of treatment when your unneutered male escapes and gets into fights, or the cost of cleaning the carpet that your unspayed female keeps mistaking for her litter box, or the cost of cleaning bloody discharge from your carpet.

10. Your pet doesn’t need to have a litter for your children to witness the miracle of birth. Letting your pet produce offspring you have no intention of keeping teaches your children irresponsibility. Anyone who has seen an animal euthanized for lack of a home knows that this is a dangerous MYTH. There are many fabulous books and videos available to teach your children about birth in a responsible manner.

11. A female pet does NOT benefit from having one litter before she is spayed. Allowing your female cat or dog to have a litter does NOT provide any benefits. There are health risks to the mother during pregnancy and when giving birth.

12. If you have more than one companion animal, they are more likely to get along better if they are spayed and neutered.

13. Even rabbits should be spayed and neutered! Check out why here.

Bonus: You will be a responsible pet guardian if you have your pet spayed or neutered!

Thanks to the BCSPCA and the ASPCA for these lists.

Dannan will post either later today, or tomorrow!

Wordless Wednesday

(Thanks, PhotoFunia!)

Penelope's Ball - The Dust Bunny cometh!

Wrooooo, every pup and kitty cat! Dannan here, and I'm overjoyed to be blogging today! The Girl has been groaning and moaning about how sickie she is, but she did admit that she is feeling better than yesterday. And I said, hot doggie! Let's get blogging!


The Girl did indeed go to Penelope's Ball on Friday night, which is the local SPCA's last major event for the calendar year. I told her that she had to get a picture of herself in her costume so I could post it on the bloggy. (She puts any and every kind of picture of me on here, it's only fair.) I obviously wasn't clear enough in my instructions. She waited until near the end to get someone to take her picture, and by then, the costume looked quite the worse for wear!











The Girl is the one in the grey blobby costume. She went as a dust bunny. At the start of the evening, she was pretty well covered by grey and white fluffy stuff. Through the evening, she apparently "lost" a lot of her fluffs... she says, what else can you expect of a dust bunny? (The Girl here. I hadn't realized how much I'd lost until after I saw this picture! I really should have had the picture taken earlier!)


The Girl tells me that a good time was had by all. I don't know how that could be, since there were no doggies allowed, no kitties, no pets at all. I don't have any idea how they passed the time! The Girl says there was really tasty food - build your own tacos and then build your own sundaes for dessert, and then they had cha cha cha lessons. Then the one-man band played, and everybody danced and had a good time.


Dancing is one thing The Girl does like, I have to say. I am always telling her that I do not dance, and no, I will not dance with her. I'm glad she had a place to go do that, maybe she won't ask me for a while.


There was some talk of changing the event from a fundraiser to a staff and volunteer appreciation event. The Girl says that it really is more a place for everyone to have fun and celebrate all their hard work, rather than a big money-maker. They probably made $600 or $700 at the end of the day, after all the expenses were paid. The Girl thinks that's pretty good, and that the local fundraiser did a great job!


There might be a picture out there from earlier in the evening that might show The Girl's dust-bunny-ness better. I'll put it up if we find one.


(The Girl wants to thank the Mango Man for his wonderful comment on the first Penelope's Ball post. He said, "I know the peoples can be camera shy. I don't know why. They all love doggies which makes them just sparkle in my eyes." She said it made it easier for her to put these pictures up, and really touched her heart. So thanks, Mango Man!)


Now, on to ME! After all, it is my bloggy. Not hers, she has her own. Girlie, go post there!


We had planned to do a posting on Saturday about Pit Bull Awareness Day. But The Girl had too much wine on Friday night (The Girl - Hey! I've been sick!), and she didn't take dictation for me. So even though it's late, we're still going to do a post about pit bulls soon.


In other Dannan-related news, my friend Bolo (who is famous for his Nose Reports) is doing a November Nose Expose! He will post a nose picture, and we get to guess what breed's nose it is, and we get extra points if we know whose nose it is! So I have asked The Girl to take some pictures of my nose.





Um, a little blurry, Girlie. We'll have to work on it. At least this one was better than this one!






How's THAT for blurry! I bet we're making somedoggy motion sick just looking at it! The Girl doesn't take close ups very often, BOL! We'll keep trying, though.


And here is a picture of me, just because you need to see at least one decent photo!





The Girl is holding a treat for me. Can you tell by the craning of my neck? Wrooooo!