October is Coming!!!

For those of you who don't know it already... there's less than 3 weeks left until OCTOBER!!! Woohoo! For me, October is the true beginning of Fall. A time where boots, sweaters, and chowder are regular daily occurrences. And that is AWESOME!

Luna's First Fall

But what is also awesome about October is... Walk N Wag! Yes that's right, I'm using this blog post to try to squeeze that cow's utter and see if any milk drops into my bucket of charity fundraising. 

I know it probably sounds desperate, and that I'm trying way way WAY too hard, but please, just join my team! I understand times are difficult and you really can't donate a penny, but you can still JOIN the team for FREE. What does this do? This makes you able to raise money yourself! 

Now you can send your link out to family and friends (probably those who like animals) and ask them to donate. They can donate in YOUR name towards our team! So even if you can't donate your own money, maybe you can fundraise, and have the money donated in your name, and your effort.

So this time I'm not asking you to donate (though you can if you'd like), I'm just asking you to take 5 min out of your day to JOIN my team (for free) and send out a mass email to family and friends to donate to the Humane Society.

It truly is a good cause. 

P.S. I know there's about 6 people who read my posts...So I am expecting to get 6 new team mates out of this...No pressure, I'm watching you... 

Here's the link: 

http://hssv.convio.net/goto/CrazyDogCrazyLady

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Volunteering Feels Good!

This weekend was very exhausting, but in a good way. The kind of way where you get back from a really tough work out at the gym, and every muscle in your body is throbbing but you know it was worth it. Well, I don't go to gyms, so I wasn't exhausted in a successful workout kind of way. But it was still a very rewarding outcome.

Friday afternoon, I got an email from the Volunteer Coordinator from Maddie's Fund saying that she needed one extra volunteer to help out at "Dog Dynasty's Charity Dog Wash" on Saturday. I emailed her back saying I would be able to help out, and if I could bring Luna along (since she needed a bath anyways). She said of course!

So saturday, Luna and I went to go help out at the Charity Dog Wash, and try to get people to sign up to volunteer or become foster parents to animals in need. Unfortunately, we didn't have to many people interested. A lot said that they are too busy (if you remember I HATE this excuse), and that maybe when they retire. I'm sorry, do I look a retired woman? Well I hope not! I'm a 23 year old woman who puts in a couple hours here and a couple hours there to give back to my community, and to dogs in need! Volunteering does not involve you spending hours on end with animals. I really don't get how "being busy" is an excuse not to volunteer...but what ever. 

Besides dealing with lazy people—okay maybe I'm being too harsh here—Luna and I had a grand ole time. She got a bath, she played with some dogs, people thought she was "Maddie" (the dog Maddie's Fund was founded upon), people thought she was up for adoption (hell no she's not!), she got to spend time with mommy, and on and on. Luna was so well behaved, the coordinator there said Luna could probably come to more events like this since she is so mellow. This makes me happy because one of the reasons I don't volunteer as much as I can is because I like to spend time with my baby girl. I feel bad leaving her to go spend time with other dogs...I'm cheating on her. And she knows it when I come home smelling like Mocha the Pit Bull, or Heath the Chi Mix. 

As much as I "cheat" on Luna, I know what I am doing is for a good cause and that it is to get other dogs to be in the same loving environment as Luna. So hopefully she understands ;)

Sunday, Luna was not able to come with me when I went to volunteer at Stand Down. This event is amazing. When I first went to my volunteer orientation, I remember them explaining this event, and I knew right away that I wanted to get involved somehow. Stand Down is an event that is held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds every year since 1998 (a man told me today). The community comes together to provide homeless veterans a second chance (or a third, or a fourth). At Stand Down, veterans are able to get medical attention, legal help, showers, haircuts, dental help, drivers license registrations, AA meetings, etc. Anything you can think of. The reason they do this is so the veterans can leave with a better chance of getting on their feet and finding a job and being able to provide for themselves.

Well, since this event is at the Fairgrounds, there are no animals allowed. A lot of these vets have pet dogs, so most are not interested in showing up to this event if their dogs can't join too! (I mean who could blame them! Would you be able to abandon your dog for 4 days to seek personal help?) But that's where Maddie's Fund come in to help. We work with Dog Dynasty to board these vets dogs and give them baths, medical attention, food, dental care, spay and neuter, etc. These dogs are in good hands. 

Stand Down is a 4 day event, Thursday through Sunday. The animals and the owners are apart for FOUR DAYS! Can you believe that? If you were away from your companion who you are with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, would you be able to survive 4 days with out them? It definitely wouldn't be easy. Sunday, the owners and their dogs were reunited. And I was able to experience this. And it was AMAZING! I haven't seen dogs so happy to see their owners, and vice versa. There were grins ear to ear, tails wagging and tongues out all over the place! You could see that even though these dogs may not have houses to stay in, they had homes with their companions who loved them. They were not loved any less by these men and women who served our country. 

This was such a rewarding experience for me. I am still elated (6 hours after the fact) just remembering the happiness and greatness of this event. It makes me really remember why I decided to become a volunteer. THIS is why I became a volunteer.

Here are some photos I took from this event:

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Walk 'n Wag: Human Society

I'm taking a chance! After my last new experience, I wasn't really up for trying new things with Luna. I don't want to have to tell people to control their dog, and I really don't like having to leave early after paying a full day of parking. But I have decided to take a chance! To get out there again! (Wow, I sound like a hermit). 

I have stumbled upon "Wag 'n Walk" that the Humane Society of Silicon Valley puts on. It is a 5K run/walk with activities for dogs (and people) to enjoy afterwards. It looks super fun! People dress up along with their dogs, and it's all for a good cause! Why wouldn't I want to do this? (Oh, maybe because there might be another ignorant dog owner there). But you know what? I'm not going into hiding because people can't control their dogs. I was in the right, and she was in the wrong. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, feel free to read the post that I'm referring to here.

I've already acknowledged that I'm a crazy dog lady, and this event is practically SCREAMING my and Luna's name! So I have signed up and created a team. If you would like to donate or join my team, click here.

I am excited for this event and its great cause. I always tell Drew that one day, we will buy a house with a HUGE backyard (acres and acres) with a barn. And we will adopt and foster all the animals that our house and land can fit! I know I can't save them all, but I can at least dream, right? And I can definitely help by volunteering and donating and more!

Now! Time to think of a great costume for the 2 of us :) Any ideas?

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Healthy Dog Treats: Good and Bad Foods

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Be smart about what you are feeding your dog. I don't know about your dog, but Luna gets a lot of table scraps. And this list can be very helpful to know what is and isn't good to feed your dog.

Here's a list of more foods that are good and bad:

DO feed your dog:

• Peanut Butter (DUH)
• Cooked Chicken
• Cheese (except I know Luna can only have a little because it makes her really gassy)
• Baby Carrots
• Yogurt (with NO artificial sweetners, so like plain yogurt)
• Salmon
• Pumpkin
• Eggs (scrambled or hard boiled)
• Green Beans (Luna LOVES these)
• Apple slices (no pit or seeds for dogs)
• Oatmeal
• Flaxseed
• Sweet Potatoes
• Brewer's Yeast
• Rice (white rice is good for when they have diarrhea, brown rice on the other hand softens their poop)
• Squash
• Popcorn
• Lean Meat
• Liver
• Pineapple
• Cottage Cheese
• Parsley
• Peas

DO NOT feed your dog:

• Avocado
• Bread Dough
• Chocolate (DUH)
• Grapes
• Raisins
• Hops
• Macadamia Nuts
• Moldy Food (how about just don't feed your dog things you wouldn't eat yourself)
• Onions
• Garlic
• Xylitol
• Caffeine 
• Any Fruits with Pits 
• Gum
• Milk/Dairy (can cause diarrhea)

Of course you should always talk to your Vet, to make sure these are okay. And when you do give your dog these food items, make sure you pay attention to their behaviors and bodily functions. I know for a fact that Luna does not do well with cottage cheese or other dairy products, and also pumpkin has a bad reaction to her system. Just take notes and be aware of what your dog is eating.

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Furminator: Product Review

It's summer, the season of shedding. Oh what a great season it is. If your dog is an inside dog like mine, the shedding seems a lot worse. Fur becomes part of your everyday life. Part of your outfit of the day, part of your bedding and blankets, part of your dinner, part of your shampoo, etc. I mean where ISN'T there dog fur? It got to the point where I needed to figure this thing out. Let's start where the problem occurs: Luna. Well, I'm not getting rid of her, so lets just shave her? No, not realistic. 

I heard about this "Furminator" brush that sounds very intimidating, when I was at Pet Food Express. They even let me try it out for a test ride. A couple brushes down Luna's back and the thing was filled with fur. And when you gave her a pet on the back your hand was not filled with fur! What a concept! So what's the catch? The price. It's retail price is about $40-$70 on their website. And with my tight budget, I couldn't bring myself to pay for a $55 brush. What did I do? Ebay! It's a poor girl's best friend in times like these. I went home and found a Furminator for about $15-20 bucks. Still pricey for a brush but WAY more reasonable than $50. So I bought it, and waited what seemed like forever for it (since it was shipping from China, I'm sure they still had to build it!)

Finally, it arrived! And the first time I used it on Luna, it looked like a small animal exploded in my trash can. I kid you not, I could've made a stuffed pillow with the amount of fluff that came off Luna. Luna turned a complete lighter shade after I finished Furminating her, and probably at least 5lbs lighter. I gave her a bath right after and it seemed to be less work because I didn't have to scrub as much fur. It was similar to when your get your hair cut a lot shorter and you take a shower for the first time and realize you don't have to use a huge glob of shampoo because you hardly have any hair anymore. As I was scrubbing, I did notice a couple bumps on Luna's skin. I had also just switch shampoos on her, so it could've been that or possibly the intense Furminating that occurred 15 minutes prior, or a combination of both. I just kept my eye on it, and within an hour or so it was gone. Whatever it was, it wasn't life threatening. 

A couple months have passed since we first used the Furminator. I use it once a week (or at least try to) and the outcomes are not as crazy as the first time. Not as much fur comes off, which makes me aware that it's doing its job. But the shedding doesn't stop. A couple hours after I use the brush, Luna starts shedding again. Maybe it's because it's been really hot and she's just shedding like crazy. It's still a good investment and it's the only brush I use on her now. I don't regret that purchase at all (especially since I got a great deal on it).

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Photo Friday! Happy 4th!

Again (if you didn't actually read my last post), here is a visual of exactly what I wrote. Happy 4th! Stay safe :)

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My Birthday Weekend

This last weekend was my birthday weekend—woohoo— and my mom came from Southern California to visit me. This was the first time my mom had met Luna, and I was a little worried how Luna was going to first react to her grandma (usually Luna likes to bark at anyone she doesn't know who enters our apartment—a good guard dog if you ask me). My mom arrives and knocks on our door, Luna starts barking like crazy. I shush her, and let my mom in (which is when Luna usually gets even more crazy), but instead Luna shuts up and just starts smelling her, similar to how she greets Drew and I when we get home. Very peculiar, but I assume that somehow Luna knew who she was, either by smell or some kind of dog telepathy. Luna falls in love with my mom (and I'm pretty sure vice versa, even though my mom kept calling her a "he"). 

On Friday, Drew, Mom and I brought Luna to the Dog Lake (Lake Borris), where she swam for days. Luna will jump in any body of water that she possibly can, so a huge lake full of ducks is easily her favorite past time. Unfortunately, in this California drought, the lake water was SO low that we didn't stay too long, which worked out well because we had a BBQ to go to at Drew's family's house for my birthday. When we got to his parents' house Luna got to play with Teddy (Drew's parents' 4lb Teddy Bear Pomeranian). Luna is 15 times the size of Teddy, so we tend to get a little nervous when the two play. Let's just say that when they met for the first time we were scared Luna would think Teddy was her squeaky squirrel toy. But now they play great together, and by "play together" I mean "tease each other."

When we got home Friday night Luna passed out; she was overly exhausted from swimming at the lake and playing with Teddy. The next day, Luna was still tired from the day before so Mom and I decided to go shopping. 

Sunday Mom, Luna and I walked to the dog park (Robertson Park, my favorite one in Livermore). Luna played with a McNab Border Collie mix that was super fast and playful. The two would tackle each other and "play bite" which freaked my mom out. She isn't a huge dog person and so she doesn't really know how they play and what is considered play and what is considered fighting. I totally understand this, I too get a little nervous especially when the owner isn't nearby and I can't ask them if their dog likes to play rough or not. The McNab mix seemed to have been enjoying himself, so I let it be, while Mom is OOOO-AHHH-EEEEK-ing next to me freaking out that Luna is going to Mike Tyson the other dog's ear. 

Overall, a successful time, so we left and lazed around at home the rest of the day, while Luna cuddled with Mom, and then Drew when he came home from work. I had a great weekend with my mom, and was so happy that she was able to come visit. It was the greatest birthday present of all.

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First Thing's First

Well I guess I should introduce myself; my name is Britt and I decided to create a blog to post cute photos of my dog, ask questions, post reviews, and just explain to the world about my everyday life with my pup.

So how did it all start?

Well I would say that I've always loved animals, but I've always been a HUGE fan of dogs. I grew up with a Siberian Husky (named Sydney) who was the sweetest and most friendly dog you could ever imagine... she was also pretty lazy. She never ever wanted to play fetch, and as a kid, that's basically the only reason you want a dog, so she could play with you! Sydney got older and my family ended up having to put her down because she was in a lot of pain.

It wasn't until 7 or 8 years later until my family got another dog. (This was all my doing). Ever since Sydney passed, I wanted another dog, but Mom says "NO! You won't take care of it! The last time you said you would take care of the dog, I ended up having to do everything for it"—notice she uses "it," not "her"—she was probably right though, my brothers and I were not very responsible at the time. But one year (2012 I think), I was working at the community pool and a stray dog wandered into our front office. This is my chance! I thought. I took the dog home, hoping that Mom wouldn't be too upset when she saw me and this adorable pup. I ring the doorbell when I get home and tell my mom "Don't be mad..." and show her the adorable little guy that I'm holding in my arms. Long story short, she wasn't happy at first but moms will be moms and when something grows on them they can't seem to let them go. They kept the puppy, and named him Luke (after Cool Hand Luke, because he escaped 3 or 4 times when they first had him.)

Now I am out of the house and living with my boyfriend, and we had been talking about getting a dog, but I was always hesitant. Then one day in September 2013, my cousin posts 2 pictures of these insanely cute puppies that his girlfriend's dog gave birth to, and they were looking for homes. They were adorable Yellow Labrador Retriever and Siberian Husky mixes (basically the best dog breed out there). After some thought (it didn't take much convincing), we drove up and picked up the cutest little pup you'd ever see. We named her Luna, and now she is my pride and joy. She is my childog, my fur-baby, my princess. (She is very spoiled.) A week from today she will be a year old, she's definitely growing up fast.

Luna Vino (Vino is her middle name), taught us so much. I feel like getting a puppy is one of the best things a couple can do for each other. I could imagine that it is very similar to having a child. You have to potty train her, train her right from wrong, feed her, take her to the doctors, and more. There have been many obstacles that we have had to deal with (like the time she DESTROYED our carpet) but we wouldn't change it for the world. She is our little girl and love her completely.

So that's my story...well some of it...
More stories and adventures to come!
Thanks for reading,
Britt

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