We're going on vacation again!

This is so pawsome! I hope my new family takes me on vacation EVERY YEAR!

We had a blast last year! We went places in the car everyday, some rides went on all day and I got to take turns snuggling with each of my humans, we walked through woods and shopping areas, I watched my Mom and little girl swim & float (!!!) in cold fast moving water (!!!), we went way up high in the air on mountains, saw sights & smelled smells, and lots of other cool things.

I kind of feel guilty; I mean, here I am traveling with our humans for a couple of weeks, and poor Marcus has to go the kennel! I get to watch them all the time and he's just going to have to lie around and wait for our return. Well I guess when the cat's away, the humans & dog are going to Par-Tay!

And I know he must be distraught. Even my little girl cried when he left, and I could tell that Mom wanted to. I'm sure he'll be ok; he can be very brave..., when it's important.
(Um, don't tell him I said that....)
Besides, they'll make it up to him when we come back, and spoil him for a few minutes.
If I were a more selfish doggie I'd get them to do this more often just for the attention...., but I don't think Marcus could bear it.

This year we're going to take a laptop computer with WiFi. I'm not sure yet if Pawpi will get it to work, but it looks promising.
If not, I'll certainly be thinking of evfurryone, and wishing you were here!

Happy snorty snorts & excited tail wags,
Amigo Dog



P.S. Before he left, Marcus asked me to mention to evfurryone that he left a vacation message in his diary too.

Danger - "cocoa mulch" - please read, advise others

I'm not sure to what degree of an emergency this may turn out to be, but it seemed like a good idea to pass on in case you use or live near someone who uses this stuff. The article on Snopes.com can be found at:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.as p

It verifies this story as "true" and is worth a quick read for details as there are apparently several brands of "cocoa mulch". Each has it's own standards and claims of safety, so you should at least know what questions to pose when evaluating products or in speaking with a chosen professional.

- Amigo


Following is a message I received from the group messaging of FOR THE LOVE OF LAUREL:

*** URGENT *** "Cocoa Mulch" !!!DANGER!!! Please read and crosspost

verified by Snopes.com


forwarded ...

Over the weekend one of our friends experienced a tragedy with one of their dogs and wanted me to pass a special message along to all of our dog loving friends and family. Please tell every dog owner you know.

Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dogCalypsodecided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way. The next day Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk. Half way through the walkshe had a seizure and died.

Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the labelupon further investigation on the company's websitethis product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats. Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey'sand thy claim that 'It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However98% of all dogs won't eat it.'

True information about the mulch can be found here - Snopes.com: Cocoa Mulch. This site gives the following information:
Cocoa Mulchwhich is sold by Home DepotForeman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply storescontains a lethal ingredient called 'Theobromine' . It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of cautioncheck what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in your gardens.

Theobromine is in all chocolateespecially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobrominea xanthinecompound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.

PLEASE GIVE THIS THE WIDEST DISTRIBUTION!!!
Amy Beichler
Executive DirectorPublic Animal Welfare Society(PAWS)
A Nonprofit Humane Society Serving the Animals & People of Greater
Cleveland and Cuyahoga County Since 1976

Happy 90th Birthday

Wow! My Geat Nana will be 90 years old tomorrow.
That's got to be at least 13 or 14 in dog years!
We're all meeting up in Keystone Heights tomorrow, but shhhhhh.... it's a surprise.

She's always maintained that she's strictly a cat-person, and has never really cared much for dogs. But I'm just so sweet and loving, Great Nana says she makes a special exception for ME.
In fact, she's often seen holding & petting me for hours at a time when I visit.
What an honor, I've got the "Great Nana Seal of Approval"!

I'm such a good boy, and truely a lucky dog.

Happy 90th Birthday, Great Nana, from all of us!

Woo hoo!

Mom finally found me some digital pictures to post! (From last year...)
I have a page!

Happy "snorty snorts" to efurryone!
- Amigo