therapy dogs

Mom was teaching us lots of stuff today she says she wants us to be therapy dogs. I tilted my head at her. So she explained we're already her therapy dogs, but she wants us to help other people too, and it will make us feel good as well. She said we can learn lots of things. We can learn how to turn lights on and off, pick up things for humans, and give nose nudges when a human needs it. But most of all, we already know how to be great therapy dogs and all we have to do is enjoy getting pet! Mom says we're very special. Aw Mom....

So today we had training sessions in the morning instead of our morning walk because it was cloudy outside and lightly raining. Mom worked on our "touch" cue. We're good at this, but confused when Mom tries to move it to the next level. She wants us to touch with force and calls it "push". We don't understand this. Mom had stopped trying for a bit, but now is working on it again. She says we will get it soon then get our jackpot reward. Later in the afternoon we went on a nice run in the woods. Then tonight we went to the fields to run around too.

Mom was playing with me on the bed and her glasses fell off. I was rolling around playing and accidentally broke Mom's glasses. Tomorrow she's taking us with her to the eye glass place to get them fixed. I love rolling around with Mom. She says she'll take her glasses off next time.

Mom has been doing this thing called "studying" alot...she is taking physics. It's nice being a dog and not caring about anything but my family, playing, food, playing, walks, playing, sniffing, playing, potty, and ..playing:)

blogger dog

My Mom made us a blog at jessie and henry.blogspot.com Mom says she still has to play around with making a nicer layout. It's supposed to be both an informative blog (for raw feeding mostly) and a fun blog about the us dogs' adventures. I hope Mom will find time to update it regularly.

It was finally a warmer day today. The temperature reached in the low 40F. This made us dogs happy and Henry and I ran around outside. It made Mom happy too because she really likes hot weather better than cold. Now that Henry has gotten better at recall, she can let both of us off leash again. The squirrels were out toady and we had a fun time chasing them!

hello 2010

Hello everyone. Mom hasn't given me time to update my diary. We were very busy this holiday and had lots of fun with family, dog pals, walks and of course food.

We're going out for a family New Year's party soon at Auntie's. Well really it's just playing cards and Twilight Zone marathon on tv. Me and my brother had a long run today in the snow and have eaten, so we're going to sleep until Mom walks us around Auntie's block for the first time in what Mom calls the "new year".

Mom says she always is bittersweet on New Year's Eve. Reflecting on all the people in her life, including those she no longer sees. Especially reflecting on us dogs and how blessed she feels to have us in her life.

Tonight we dined on 2 whole organic chickens and 1 free range lamb leg. The chickens weighed about 2-3 lbs, and the lamb leg weighed 6 lbs. We didn't eat it all of course! I let Mom know I like lamb much better than chicken and would not eat the chicken livers. Mom muttered she's sneaking liver in my Kong. I heard that Mom!

Well it's time to go celebrate the approaching New Year with family. I wish all my puppals the very best happiness and health in the New Year. Remember to cherish your loved ones each day (especially the dogs!)

busy getting ready for christmas

Yesterday Mom, Henry and I went to Auntie's house! Mom and Auntie and Mom's little cousin made Christmas cookies. Me and Henry wanted some but we weren't allowed:( Mom said something about we have to wait for Christmas to get our special goodies...

This morning we went on a long walk with our dog buddy Triumph. Mom has to finish her Christmas shopping today she says. I can't wait for Santa Dog to come! Tomorrow on Christmas eve, Mom has to go out for a long time to dinner and a family party afterwards where dogs are not invited, can you believe that?!?! But Mom says that will be our bully stick day. Also on Christmas eve Mom is taking us to a big house that's decorated very fancy and we can get our picture taken with Mrs. Clause Dog. Yay!

that was what it must be like to live in the country!

We got the snowstorm yesterday. Mom said it snowed from a little before 4pm to after 4am! I was sleeping because I had a great afternoon and evening!

Mom bundled me up in my snowsuit complete with hood. I tolerate this good, but I don't know why I must have it put on me. It makes me look like a wuss. I'm a girl, but I'm a strong girl and can do anything my big brother can. He doesn't need a coat at all. Mom says his fur was built for cold, and I'll shiver if I don't have my coat on.

After we were bundled up, we went outside and boy was it something! Even though the sun wasn't out, the whole world was white! There wasn't one car out on the roads anywhere to be seen. Mom pointed out a few snowplows though moving really slowly.

Mom said this snow was very light. She couldn't make us snowballs for us to chase and catch in our mouths because it was so light and wouldn't pack. But that's also a good thing because of it being light, Mom was able to walk in the snow easier.

All we could see for miles was undisturbed white blankets. We plodded to the fields. The fields are really the high schools sports fields. This high school has fields the size of well over 10 football fields Mom says, plus a woods lines all the fields on one side, and fences on the other sides.

We didn't need our leashes, in the snow, we just like to play together and there's no risk because no cars. We went to the deadend street, which leads to the high school field, and Mom let us off our leashes so we could say hi to our friend who was shoveling snow and his 3 yorkies. One yorkie doesn't like us very much but the other 2 are curious and playful.

Then we went in the field and zoomied around Mom. Mom found us a stick we could play with and when she threw it, it got lost in the snow, so I put my nose under the snow and sniffed away as I ran around trying to find it. My brother depends on his sense of sight a lot, so I won that game!

We had to go back home eventually though. But by then we had a great workout. Mom took us in and dried us off. The salt bothered our paws a little bit on the way home.

Then later we got to eat a really big meal! Mom ordered water buffalo RMBs (raw meaty bones) from prey4pets.com. Me and my brother each got one and it took us a long time to tear, chew, and rip all the meat off the bone. I got hyper after I ate!

mom still not feeling good

Mom is still not feeling good. Her wisdome tooth is really hurting now. Her gum is swollen up like cotton balls are in her mouth. Mom is hoping she can get through Christmas and New Year's then get it pulled. Mom says "I can't believe babies have to go through this when they teeth!" I don't know what that means, but I like babies.

Mom took me and my brother to Auntie's house today. Mom's 10 year old cousin came over too and played with us. Then the people played a board game with each other while my brother and I picked out good spots by the people for continuous belly rubbing!

Then Mom walked us around Auntie's block. We saw something really strange!!! Mom called it a polar bear and said it's a Christmas decoration and not real, but my brother and I we jumped away from it's face and sniffed it's rear end, and it didn't smell like any animal! We kept sniffing it's rear to try to figure it out. Very very curious. And I don't know why Mom was laughing....

Well now we are about to get our nightly kongs then it's bedtime.

BPA

Jessie's Mom here. I just learned about a chemical called bisphenol-A or BPA for short. It is in the lining of some plastic containers. The problem is that the chemicals get leaked into what the plastic container is holding, including food, and has been linked to hormonal disorders, growth development problems, and cancers including breast and prostate. Yet the FDA refuses to deem it unsafe.

I have been checking plastic products in my house since. If there is a triangle symbol on the product with the numbers 1, 2, 3, or 4 in the triangle or near, it is a BPA free container. If the numbers are 5, 6, or 7 however, it contains BPA. (see Avoiding BPA)

Some people believe BPA containers are safe as long as they are not heated or containg acidic foods such as dairy, however even water bottles are said to be causing cancer.

I had several products in our home containing BPA, including all our plastic tupperware, yogurt containers, and fruit cup containers. They were all either 5 or 6.

Most of the juice containers, vitamin bottles, and ketchup are safe with numbers 1 or 2.

I bought and fed my dogs Greek yogurt every day as a snack because it is supposed to be very healthy. And their yogurt containers contained BPA.

I don't know how the public is supposed to be made aware of this problem, because the only way I learned of it was a random thread in dogster's forums. The thread was not even about BPA, it was about which food we think is best.

There are many reasons why people and dogs get cancer, but we don't need one more like BPA in our lives.

Please sign this petition to ban BPA:
No more BPA PETITION

a sick day and random stuff

Mom is sick she calls it migraines and her wisdome tooth, so me and my brother are letting her lay down a lot today. We're tired anyway, we were outisde last night for four hours in the fields. I'm always ready to play though,I might be sleeping one minute but all someone needs to do is grab a ball or squeaker toy, and I'm ready to go!

Mom says she realized me and my brother "talk" to each other and I "talked" to her. I knew this, it took her long enough to figure it out! Me and my brother bark to each other in a very high pitched bark when we want to let the other one know where we are. When Mom called me last night, I was right in front of her but it was dark so she couldn't see, and I barked in the same high pitched bark to her as I came. Mom hugged me!

My brother Henry isn't allowed off leash yet because his recall is still being re-trained and needs to be proofed in places like the fields and woods, Mom says. She wishes we could all live out in the country but we are here so there are roads around and we can't just run where ever we want to. I am allowed off leash, but not allowed to go out of Mom's sight. This was easy for Mom because I naturally stay by her side. Henry doesn't like to though, he likes to run very fast and circle wide around us.

Mom says our 2nd prey4pets order is coming today, then she has to go food shopping for people food and pick us up some turkey wings to go with our organs tonight. We love prey4pets and are getting whole quail with FEATHERS on them! Mom said she's going to see how easy it is to get all the feathers off though. But she also likes how by eating fur and feathers, we get some cushion in our tummies.

Well time to cuddle with Mom and rest up for later!

dog coats

Mom shook her head at me and sighed when we got back from my walk. I need to wear warm clothes or I shake. Mom dressed me in my snowsuit and a scarf for our walk tonight and I tore a leg off my snowsuit and lost my scarf. Then earlier today I ripped another jacket. I can't help it, I like to run so fast! Mom thinks about the money lost, but then stops thinking about that and realizes that I am healthy and having fun and there's nothing worth more than that to her than us dogs and her cat being healthy and happy. We had fun on our walk, my brother Henry and Mom and I ran around chasing each other. We didn't let the cold bother us too much!

first snow of the season

The snow made me and my brother energetic yesterday!

We ran together and just wanted to romp through the snow.

Mom thought the snow was pretty. It hadn't melted off the tree branches yet, so everything was covered in white sparkly crystals! Pretty!