And I Thought Marrow Bones Were Gross...

When I first started showing, I was told that shopping was half the fun of the dog shows.  I found this to be a true fact.  There are usually some vendors at each show & more likely than not, there will always be a vendor that has nearly any kind of supply you need for the show (grooming aids, bait bags, treats, toys, bowls, etc).

This vendor also has treats!  Some normal ones like Bill Jacks, liver, cheese...and some that I had never heard of before I went to dog shows.  Here are some photos of a few...these are real.

Windee Rings...you know Beef Trachea Tubes....EXACTLY who thought of this?

Just in case the small trachea tube is not enough...a 6" trachea tube...perfect!

Well thank goodness it was smoked!!!  I'm sure that makes a difference when gnawing on a beef lung!!!

These are just a sampling...let's not forget pigs ears (poor piggies), hoofs (so gross), bully sticks (you KNOW what those are right??) and the once disgusting marrow bones...which have now become one of the only "toys" we have in the house!

It's true, I have embraced the marrow bones...but any of the others...just can't do it.

Do any of you give any of these...ummm...delicacies to your bullies??  If so, how do they like them? 

The Learning Never Stops With a Bulldog

I've said it before & I'm saying it again...bulldogs are the educators of dogs.  I've learned so much from them in the past & now I have another learning opportunity to report & I think I also solved a mystery! 

Anyone know what this is a photo of?  a) Grain of rice?  b) Fake eyelash?  c) Feather?  d) Clump of fur that was stuck in Vivi's front teeth?  If you guessed d-you are correct.  Eeeew right?  But I'm not lying, it was there...stuck in the gums of her upper teeth...sticking out like they belonged there...lord only knows for how long.

I only caught it by chance when I had Vivi on her back clipping her nails & her jowls flipped back & I happened to look in her mouth at that exact time.  I was like...what the heck?!  So being a self-described picker I tried to take a look, but she wouldn't let me...I mean I did have to focus at the task at hand (her nails).

So the next time she sat on my lap, I took the opportunity to take a good look in her mouth & sure enough...clump of hair...in her teeth!  I remembered a friend of mine had to bring her bulldog in to get his teeth cleaned because of the hair that would get stuck after he groomed himself, but never gave it much thought...until I saw Vivi's that night.

I looked up "hair in dog's teeth" & it is more common than I thought.  Short hair or long hair...it doesn't matter, it can happen to any breed; but I would think if it's shorter hair it stands a better chance of just sticking out from the gum line vs being wrapped around the teeth.  Hair stuck in the gum can cause a plaque build up, bad breath & even gum disease. 

To get the hair out, I just kept grabbing at it with my fingers.  I did not use a tweezers because she's such a wiggle worm that I knew she'd get hurt.  It took awhile, but I eventually got that sucker out of her teeth!  Ha!  Mystery of the bad breath bully--CASE SOLVED!!!  Or at least I hope.  I've been trying to be better with the bullies' teeth cleaning to keep this at bay....some days I'm better at that than others.  Thankfully they all like getting their teeth cleaned because they love the taste of the toothpaste I use...silly bullies.

Any of you deal with this?  Any tips or tricks to keeping the hair out?  The boys' don't seem to have this same problem as Viv...weird.

Need I say more???

Thought you may enjoy this photo...I know I did!

Have a great weekend everybully!

Overdue Recap

Hello All!!  I know it seems I have been MIA lately but I do have a couple good excuses...read on my friends, read on!

About 6 months ago Steve & I decided it was time to re-do the dogs' room floor.  It was a white carpet--PERFECT for a dogs' room, right?  Hey, we didn't pick it out.  So we had the famous "buy 1 room & get 2 rooms free" company come out & we fell in LOVE with this beautiful laminate.  It was so pretty...but very outside our budget.  So we decided to put the project on hold..until 3 weeks ago.

Steve & I went to Menards, walked in & actually came out with all the supplies to do the floor!  Woo hoo!!  Best part, Steve was super excited to get started on his first real project.  That's right, his first real home project.  On his own.  This was major!  He's the first to admit I own more tools than he does (up until now that is).  He did all sorts of research (his favorite TV shows are ANYTHING on HGTV--Holmes on Homes is probably his fave) & even watched lots of You Tube videos over the last 6 months to get an idea of what to do!  He was ready!

So last weekend, we started by clearing out the dogs' room...please note how secure I am with our friendship...I mean, who else shares w/you the nastiness of a white carpeted room???

You notice the stains around the kennels & where the water & food dishes were...so gross.  (again, secure in our friendship here--no judging right??)  So you can see it was time to replace the flooring.

So once everything was out of the room...and put all over the house...including my super cute sewing room...(aaghhh...look at all that....Horders anyone??)

Steve went & cut up all the carpet & Howie & Vivi just didn't know what to think about being locked out of their room!

Once all the staples were picked out of the subfloor, the bullies got to go camping for the weekend.  They loved it!

(I spy Vivi!)

Doc didn't want to go camping, so he got to sleep in our bed all weekend.  Once he's asleep for the night, he's out & doesn't move.  He's too funny!  He kept my feet warm...but was known to steal some covers every now & again...

"Whatever momma...YOU stole my covers."

The next day Steve got started on the flooring & it started to look like a whole new room right away!

I got to help & his dad was here to help w/the cutting of the boards, but I have to say, we did a great job & learned a lot...especially when you read the directions...oops.  :0)  The bullies all helped during the project too! 

Howie made sure everything was measured correctly.

Doc was the project foreman...you could let him in the room & he'd just be right there watching.

Vivi...well, she decided my piles of towels & blankets were stacked too nicely & they needed some reorganizing...she's such a thoughtful girl.

But once the floor was all set, they all took credit in helping daddy!!

It truly looks great & I'm sooooo happy with how it turned out & I'm sooooo proud of Steve!  He did a great job!  He did such a great job that before the kennels were moved back into the room we said he should do the sewing room next!!  Yay!!

Here are the after photos!!  Looks awesome doesn't it??  Complete with new baseboards/trim! 

 Again, great job Steve!!  You should be proud!  Love you!!

Shelf is new to the room...takes the place of a dresser we had.

Was even able to hang up some of my favorite bulldog items too!  (Drool rag/dog leash/whatever  holder & a "vintage" original bulldog painting.)

The laminate is a lot lighter than we originally thought we liked, but I really LOVE how it turned out!

So that's what we were up to....oh that & the Royal Wedding...no lie!

Hope you're all having a great week!!

Happy Mother's Day!

**Yes, this is a repost from last year, but so many of you enjoyed it, I thought I'd blogcheat & post it again!  Happy Mother's Day!**

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I made and ate hot meals without being watched every second.

I had unstained, unfurred clothes.
I had quiet conversations on the phone,
even if the doorbell rang.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got to bed
or if I could get into my bed.

 Before I was a Dog Mom:
I never stepped on or tripped over body parts.
I didn’t know what a bully stick was and never touched an esophagus.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never been peed on
Pooped on
Drooled on
Chewed on
Or pinched by puppy teeth.

 Before I was a Dog Mom:
I slept all night without sharing
the covers or pillow.

 Before I was a Dog Mom:
I never looked into big, soulful eyes and cried.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn’t stop a hurt.
I never knew something so furry and four-legged
could affect my heart so deeply.

 

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never held a sleeping puppy
just because I couldn’t put it down.

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was well.
I didn’t know how warm it feels inside
to feed a hungry puppy.
I didn’t know that something so small
could make me feel so important.

 Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being
A Dog Mom

-Author Unknown