Friday, July 27, 2012

Cats and Dogs

Maggie, Duke, Ozzy, The Dude and Cocoa

I never really understood the saying "they fight like cats and dogs," as we always had cats and dogs while growing up and never had any problems. Maggie occasionally tries to get the cats to run so she can chase them, but the tiger boys seem to think it's fun. Cocoa will give her a death stare and then the paw, while Serena bunny hops away and then ignores the dogs for the rest of the day. Both dogs think it would be really fun to chase the neighbors' outdoor cats, which is why they're never allowed off leash, even though they do listen when told "No."



Mixie, a 5-year-old female DSH doesn't seem to have heard the term either. She lived with a mellow dog and children over five, and they all got along well.

This sweet kitty was intimidated by the other cat in her house, so she is looking for a new home where she can be the only cat. Mixie is a lap cat that likes to cuddle and also loves to play with cat toys.

 If you're interested in adding an all around great cat to your family, Mixie is available at Buddy Dog Humane Society in Sudbury, MA. There are lots of other great cats there, including Penny, another cat who gets along with dogs and cats!




 I couldn't resist this face!  Jack is a 5 year old male Australian Cattle Dog mix. He is housebroken, knows several commands and loves to go for walks. He also loves hikes in the woods and stuffed toys, though he likes to chew them up, just like Maggie and Duke. If you want hilarious pictures of shredded toys he's your dog!


 Buddy Dog recommends a home with kids ages teens and up as Jack seems nervous around small children. He's fairly new to the shelter, so please call or visit for more information about him. I'm not sure if he's good with cats, but the shelter will "cat test" him if you're interested. It's great that they will check, as one of the dogs we were interested in before Maggie was supposedly good with cats, but completely freaked out when we let him meet a nice cat at the shelter. We were glad we found out before we brought him home!



Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Beware of Doug

Doug in his Pyrex pie plate



 We've had Doug for over 12 years, long before the cats and dogs. A drummer friend had his cage in her basement practice space; Doug used to come over to the side of the cage, stand on his hind legs and wave his front feet whenever we had band practice. I'd never seen such a friendly lizard, and the minute she mentioned finding him a new home we took him!

Mr. Cute Face on his old jungle gym
 Doug is a Solomon Island Skink, we have no idea how old he is, or even if he is really a he or a she. The vet said that the only way to tell is if you put a known male or female in with him and they fight, they're the same sex, and if they start "making out", they're the opposite. Or the vet could perform an autopsy, but we like Doug alive and don't care what sex he/she is. Skinks tend to be very long lived, there are some skinks in the New York City Zoo that have been there since the 1970's!

Doug hanging out.
Luckily he's a vegetarian, his favorite food is defrosted frozen french string beans from Trader Joe's, followed by romaine lettuce. It's too bad that we can't let him wander around the house anymore since the cats and dogs are a little too interested in him, but his 96 gallon aquarium will have to do for now. Though we'll probably upgrade his pie plate to a lasagna pan...

Not really sure why I named him Doug, he kind of reminded me of Douglas Adams, the author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Shelters and Rescues Rock!

Cocoa and the Tiger Tail Boys
 Years ago a new tech at our vets' office was surprised that we got Cocoa, our snowshoe Siamese on the left, and Ozzy, the flame point Siamese in the middle, at a shelter. It seems like there are quite a few people who think that shelters only have mixed breed mutts, alley cats or animals that have something wrong with them. It's far from the truth, as many shelters have purebred dogs and cats of many different breeds, and there are breed rescues for almost any type of animal you could want. If anyone is looking for a specific breed of dog or cat, have them check the local shelter, Google the breed and the word rescue or check Petfinder.com. If a vet tech didn't realize that "fancy cats" and dogs are at shelters, it's not surprising that a large percentage of the general population doesn't know that, and isn't aware of breed rescues either.



 Thea is a 6 year old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier currently at Buddy Dog Humane Society. Who would have expected to find such a specific breed at a shelter?

 Thea is friendly, loves to run and play and is great with dogs her size and larger, not so much with smaller dogs and cats. She gets along with kids 8 and older, and would love a fenced yard to run in.

Sometimes shelters might make a dog sound like they might be a lot of work by stating the above, but they just want to make sure the new home will be a good fit for the dog and the family. It's very stressful for animals to be adopted, go to an unfamiliar environment and then be returned to the shelter if it doesn't work out. Unlike pet stores that sell puppies for profit, shelters will take their time to make sure it's a good match.



Roscoe is a 9-month-old male Treeing Walker Coonhound at Buddy Dog. Once again, would you have expected to find a young dog of this breed at a Massachusetts shelter?

Many shelters in the Northeast are able to take in dogs from overcrowded shelters in other parts of the country due to more active spaying and neutering programs in the Northeast. Shelters also make sure that animals are spayed or neutered and are healthy and up to date on vaccinations.

Rosco is very sweet, friendly and active, and would do best in a home with someone familiar with hounds. Hounds were bred for hunting, and are predisposed to follow a scent for long distances, so a fenced-in yard would be the best way to keep him safe. He seems to be good with other dogs, but cats are not recommended.



According to the Humane Society of the United States, “Nationwide, only about 20 percent of dogs in homes come from shelters—the rest come from other sources. It would only take a relatively small increase in the adoption rate along with a modest reduction in the birth rate to go a long way toward solving the problem of euthanizing healthy and treatable dogs in many communities.” There are so many great dogs of almost any breed available at shelters and rescues that have been vet checked and temperament tested, that it just doesn't make sense to take the risk of getting an unsocialized, unhealthy puppy mill dog at a pet store or from an online ad. Read more on the risks of buying dogs online at the ASPCA website.

 Smokey is an 11 year old male domestic short hair. This handsome cat came to Buddy Dog when his family was no longer able to care for him. He's looking for a quiet home with a family who will give him plenty of attention.

 There are lot of great older animals in shelters through no fault of their own, especially in the current economy. I personally like older animals, as what you see is what you get. There is no guessing about how big they're going to be, and the people at the shelter usually have a good idea of their temperament and if they'll get along with other animals. Shelters usually have kittens and puppies available too; Buddy Dog often doesn't get a chance to post them on their site because they get adopted so quickly.


Ozzy, aka The Goon
We adopted Cocoa and Ozzy when they were 7 years old, after their owner went into a nursing home and no family members could take them due to allergies. We've had them for 5 years, and they are the friendliest, goofiest cats in our house. Even people who normally don't like cats like Ozzy and Cocoa, because they run to greet everyone and hang out with them while they're here. People say that our cats are more like dogs, and our dogs are more like cats, as the cats love everyone and the dogs are shy around new people. We knew what their temperaments were when we got them, and we wouldn't trade our fancy old cats or shy mutts for anything!
 

P.S. Of course, I realized that mentioning our shy mutts reinforces the shelter stereotype, aaaggh! To be fair, I'm the weirdo who picked the shyest dogs at the shelter, completely passing over all of the normal dogs. (The Mr. does say that I like projects.)

Currently Buddy Dog also has a purebred Rottweiler, 2 Silky Terriers, a Schnauzer mix, Lab Shepherd mixes, Hounds, Roxy(the coolest lab ever!) and Basil, the 6 month old Dachshund Beagle mix pictured at left.

Seriously, how is he not on someone's couch already?


Thursday, July 19, 2012

Bath time

Oh great, a pile of towels. This is not going to be fun.

Maggie wants Duke to go first. Duke doesn't care.

Maggie loves towels.

Duke: Are you serious? Boys don't wear head towels.

Glad that's over.

Maggie's Super Sato vision senses that Duke is still annoyed, even with the half wag going.

Have fun picking up towels, we're staying over here.

Ooh, you have chicken?

I'm thankful that they each only weigh about 50 pounds, and that they hopped into the tub this time instead of having to be lifted in. Also thankful that they didn't hop out while still soapy, no way could I get tub pics! Maybe with more chicken or cheese next time....there will be a next time, they've had 3 baths in 2 weeks.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Stinky Dogs



Duke: Ooh, you're going to need a bath.
Maggie: Oh, crap...
Duke: Yeah, that's what you rolled in... 

Do you think my cartoon dog face will get me out of a bath?

Nope, I think the lady wants me to have a bath too.
Chasing wild turkeys was fun.

Rolling in their poop was extra fun.



Saturday, July 14, 2012

Super Satos!

Susie and Sasha
 Sasha and Susie are 1 year old medium size mixed breed sisters. They're the perfect size, not too big to get into the tub for a bath, not so small that they'll need a booster seat in the car. They have short, low maintenance fur, keep each other entertained and are looking for a home together.
 They were originally strays from Puerto Rico, aka Satos, like our Maggie and Duke. They tend to be shy with strangers, but are very sweet and cuddly once they get to know you. You won't have to worry about them jumping up and putting their paws on visitors!  Buddy Dog is hoping to find them a home that has experience with shy dogs.

Willie!
Willie is also a Sato from Puerto Rico, where he lived with a foster family before coming to Buddy Dog.
He is a very happy and playful 1 year old Boxer mix, definitely not as low key as Susie and Sasha!  Willie gets along with some other dogs, mostly female, but is not a fan of cats. Buddy Dog recommends a home for Willie with kids ages 8 and up, as he is pretty energetic.

Willie - Mr. Romance
Willie isn't just a fun goofball, he does have a thoughtful side too. Wouldn't you like to see this cute face looking at you? For more information on Willie or Sasha and Susie please click on the Buddy Dog link or stop by the shelter on Route 20 in Sudbury, MA.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

No Privacy

The Dude surveys his domain.

Duke and Maggie are waiting patiently. Not sure why they can't do this in the other room.

Maggie doesn't want to miss anything.

Duke is bored. (Heavy sigh)

Good thing I was only filing my nails.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Liebster Blog and 2 Cool Dogs!


Thanks to Oh Melvin, Loving a Rescue Dog, for the Award!


The official rules are:
1. Thank the giver(s) and link back to the blogger who gave it to you. Please see above :)
 Just had to add: I love Tracy's writing at Oh Melvin, her sense of humor really comes through.
Also love her pictures of the big cutie!

2. Reveal your five picks (with less than 200 readers) and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog. In alphabetical order:

  • Damn Dog House - Sue's writing is honest and emotional, and the videos are hilarious.Walking 10 dogs and The Art of Body Slamming are my favorites so far.
  • It All Started with a Pit Bull - Emily's writing and pictures of Hades, Braylon and 2 fosters (!!) really show how great pit bulls can be, plus they're all gorgeous.
  • Life by Pets  - Erin most likely has more than 200 readers already, but her writing, blog links and pictures are great. Larry, Junebug & foster Howie are adorable.
  • Mild Mannered Vertigo by Day... - Vertigo is so darn cute, the amount of work and training that Jacinta puts in is inspiring and the writing completely sounds like a hyper cattle dog!
  • Pauley James Former Foster Baby - They take beautiful pictures of Pauley James, plus they have more animals than we do, with 3 fosters (!!!), 2 other resident dogs and 5 cats!
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog. I copied this format from Oh Melvin, thanks again!


4. Hope that the people you’ve sent the award to forward it to their five favorite up-and-coming bloggers and keep it going! No pressure, I know how hard it is to find just five who don't already have it!

Now for the 2 cool dogs; they're super cool because they get along with cats!


Chip is a five year old male Yorkshire Terrier. He's a sweet dog who is sometimes shy with new people, but he warms up quickly.

He is good with other dogs and lived with another dog in his previous home, plus he is good with cats!  Chip would do well with a canine or feline friend in his new home.

Chip is looking for a family who has a lot of time to spend with him. He is crate-trained but he needs someone who can work on housebreaking him.

A cute small terrier who is good with cats and dogs, what are the odds?

Call or stop by Buddy Dog Humane Society to meet Chip. They have a few other small terriers, but none as good with cats.

Bandit is a 4.5-year-old male Terrier mix. He is a big, happy, active boy who loves to go for walks and knows many commands.

Bandit is friendly and loves people! Due to his size and activity level, they recommend a home with older kids. He'll make a great companion for an active family.
 
He seems to be good with cats and other dogs. His fur is the perfect combination of smooth with a little scruff.

If you like big dogs with terrier smarts, come meet Bandit at Buddy Dog!


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy Independence Day!



Sgt. Clow is currently serving in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army.