Do you brush your teeth | GBGV
Me getting ready for bed
Dog dental health is a serious subject. I know so many of my friends do not get their teeth brushed and I feel bad for them. How would your human feel if they did not brush their teeth? Ok, many say it is too much work or my dog does not want to and fights it but these are all just poor excuses.
Katie and I have our nightly routine with mom. We started pretty much when we were 9 weeks old and first came to live with mom. Mom also brushed Trine’s teeth, but since Trine was about 16 months old she got started on that later in life and it was never a problem.
At bed time the first thing we do is to “get naked”. Mom takes our collars off and gives us a neck massage – this is to die for I tell ya!
I sleep upstairs by mom so I head on up and get my “ear pony” as we call it put in and slip into my jammies. Mom uses one of her scrunchies to put up my ears so they get some fresh air. My long
Mom brushing my chompers
floppys hang down all day and tend to get infections if they are not cleaned and aired out. I don’t mind at all as it is not painful and mom says I look cute with them up.
Next mom brushes our teeth. We use a special toothpaste for dogs from Drs. Foster and Smith – it prevents tartar and tastes great. When we were puppies and just learning to brush mom used a finger brush to get us used to the feel and taste. After a few weeks we graduated to a real toothbrush. Mom has a system for the toothbrush, she has hers and when she gets
Our teeth brushing supplies
a new one we take her old one which is fine for us. Katie and I both love it and actually line up when mom says time for teeth brushing. Mom’s dog Trine also loved having her teeth brushed and would sit in the bathroom and wait for her turn. Brushing our teeth takes only maybe 5 minutes of time in the evening so it is not really a big deal for mom. Katie will be 10 next month and has never had to have her teeth cleaned and I am five and have great teeth according to our vet. We also have healthy chews and dog food but the brushing does make a difference.
It is much better for us if we never have to have to be put under to have our teeth cleaned and it is less expensive for mom too – more money to buy us snacks and toys and stuff!
Lesson is – make sure your parents brush your teeth once a day! You will not mind it and will actually like it once you get used to it and if you do it at the same time daily it will be part of your routine.
A Blast From The Past | GBGV
Pawing through mom’s old photo albums
The other day I asked mom about why she likes to do so many “photo shoots” with me. She dug out some old photo albums and we went through lots of old pictures from when she was growing up. She got her first camera when she was around 7, a hand me down from Grandma. She always loved to take photos of her pets but back then they had to get the photos printed and put them in albums. Her albums are full of photos of her cat Fluffy, the dog Alfred, her rabbit Sniffer and countless gerbils. As I pawed through the albums I noticed that she was even doing pet staging as a little girl! Her work has
Fluffy dressed as a baby
improved, but obviously she has always had a love for doing that! I thought it would be fun to scan in some of her better attempts and put them on my blog.
The first one is poor Fluffy. Seems like from the albums that she was dressed up the most and seemed to do quite well with it but maybe she was just unable to move! Here she is dressed up as a baby. Gotta love the wallpaper in the background, it definitely makes the photo!
Next up is poor old Alfred – the family adopted him when he was a year old. Word on the street
Alfred the cool Husky with shades
is that he ruled the family and did whatever he wanted to do, ran away from home all the time and caused lots of trouble. Nevertheless, it seems that mom did get him to do some posing for her photos. First as the cool dude with the shades and then as a worn out baseball player – looks more like a dead wolf on the bed but mom insists it was Alfred. How does a dog get the name Alfred – I am sure many are wondering that! I guess mom’s brother was reading a book about someone named Alfred in school and thought it was a great name. Same reason fluffless Fluffy got her name. Man am I glad
Alfred the baseball player
mom was not a kid anymore when she named me!
The last photo I chose to scan is mom’s rabbit Sniffer. Why is that guy not around anymore? I would sure love to live with a wabbit! Mom adopted him from the Humane Society. He had a cage but was a house wabbit most of the time. She put clothes on him too, but I like this photo of him in her doll high chair the best. I guess he pretty much ate through all the electrical cords in the house so once he passed there was a lot of work to get everything put back together.
Sniffer in the high chair
Amazingly, the dude was not electricuted!
So, there you have it – mom has been practicing photographing us pets since she was little and she seems to have a talent for getting us to pose. Too bad she is not better at the photography part but she is working on it all the time.
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Happy Mother’s Day, Mom | GBGV
I have to get way down in the pot to the roots
Today is Mother’s Day. I am not able to be with my dog mom but I have my human mom that has taken care of me since I turned 9 weeks old and has given me a pretty awesome life for a dog! I wanted to do something for mom but what could I do for her? It seems from what I hear that flowers are the way to go for Mother’s Day. Mom will be using the car most of the weekend so I can’t sneak it out and get to a store really and walking is a bit too far carrying flowers. Oh I have a brilliant idea! I am going to just dig up some pretty flowers for mom. She
Ok, now they are loose so I can grab them
will appreciate those even more knowing all the work I put into getting them for her.
I was so excited to get started digging! I love to dig and get all dirty and full of dirt – this is such a perfect idea – fun for me and she will be so happy!We don’t have a garden, mom doesn’t like all that so we have flowering bushes, shrubs and trees and some potted flowers in the summer. Since we both like bright colors I decided to dig up some pretty ones from a pot on the deck. Mom leaves us out there while she
Oh, hi mom, no, not up to anything special, why?
works and she can’t see us from her desk so it is perfect! I was digging away, the weather was glorious and I was coming along so well when mom appeared and then I heard it loud and clear “Emmaaaaaa what are you doing!!!” “Nothing mom, I said, why do you ask???” She was not real impressed with my work and muddy beard but since my heart was in the right place I did not get in trouble. I guess I will skip the flowers and just spend time snuggling with her instead today!
I love you mom! Thank you so much for all you do for me and for letting me have so much fun in life and so many great experiences. Thank you for keeping me healthy even thought I don’t like the vet and groomer. Thank you for not leaving me locked in a kennel or chained up somewhere. Thank you for a wonderful home filled with cuddly places to snooze, food to eat, plenty of healthy snacks and chew items and other pet siblings. I hope you have a perfect day, Love Emma!
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Rabbit Hide and Seek | GBGV
Sniff out just the right pine tree
Anyone that knows me or follows me knows that I am a wabbit nut! Wabbits make me absolutely crazy! Nothing better in the world than finding and getting wabbits, thus Rabbit Hide and Seek. I even sleep with my stuffed wabbit named Bunny every night and I wrote a post on him a few months ago. I love squirrels too but they are almost impossible to catch since they can climb, so the wabbits are what really interest me.
Wabbit hunting is a fine art which I feel I have perfected. My mom is amazed almost every day
Nose under the tree, front paw pointing
at how I always seem to manage to find a wabbit somewhere! I know where they like to hang out or hide and I am super speedy and can do those zig zag curves pretty well too so I can catch them fairly easily. GBGV’s were actually bred to help hunt critters like hares and wabbits.
We have one favorite walk that mom calls the bunny trail. It is a nice hour or so walk where we are practically guaranteed wabbits. My record so far is finding 11 on one walk but this time of year 4-5 are pretty much guaranteed!
Scared Wabbit runs out the other side of the tree
To catch those wiley wabbits you need to know where they hang out. I have determined over the years that the most likely spot to find them is under a pine tree. Now, it can be a big one or one that barely offers any cover but they love hanging out under pine trees. Then I need my sniffin’ scent hound nose to sniff out if they are really there or not. Once I determine they are home I jump right in under the tree and they race out the other side. As they try to race away, my sister Katie usually starts the chase for me until I get back out from under the tree. Once I am in the chase I simply catch up to
Even this tree might have a wabbit
them grab them and that is it. I find wabbits under pine trees at all times, even at high noon I manage to shag a wabbit out from under a pine tree somewhere.
The thrill of the finding and chase are what really motivates me. Once I get them the fun is over so I bring them to my sister Katie or to mom. Neither of them seem to be real appreciative of my work. Katie just wants to chase them forever and mom feels so bad. She says I can’t help myself because it is an instinct but it does not mean she has to like it. I have
After a good hunt cuddle at home with Bunny
caught well over 20 wabbits in my yard in the past 4 years. One real dumb bunny even had her babies under a tree in my yard, needless to say, they did not last long. Not sure why they keep coming in our yard but I guess they are not real good at learning!
Happy wabbit hunting to everyone!
Cinco de Mayo | GBGV
Getting that Cinco de Mayo feeling
Hola friends! I want to wish all my readers a big fiesta on this Cinco de Mayo 2012! I figure I will hit the bar and down a few cold bowls of water with friends. Dogs don’t and should not drink alcohol, so no beer, margaritas or tequila for you dogs out there!
I don’t know much about Mexico or speaking Spanish. I can say: Me llamo Emma or comó estas or gracias but that is about it. I know also that dog is el Perro. I guess with all the Spanish being spoken in the US I should try to learn more. With that thought in mind I got Katie
Come on Katie, let’s learn Spanish together
and tried to have her learn some basic Spanish from my beginner book with me but she was really not interested. I let her wear my sombrero to try and get her in the mood but that only made her mad. She said it looked ridiculous and she prefers to look elegant so forget that idea. We are great sisters and friends, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes we are very different. Hard to believe but she doesn’t like to get dirty either and that is one of my favorite things to do. She prefers to stay all white and smell pretty, yuck! I am a much more carefree, have a good time, go with the flow dog, she is more the uptight and perfectionistic dog.
Gramma loaned me a Curious George book in Spanish – for some reason she said that suited me, not sure what she means by that comment??? Wish I could understand it, but it is pretty tough to read using my dictionary for every word.
I wish everyone a muy divertido Cinco de Mayo!!! ¡guau!
(I think that means have a very fun 5th of May, woof)
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Baking with Emma | GBGV
Getting ready to bake
We’ve had some bad weather recently which makes it an ideal time to get into the kitchen and do some baking. Now some humans out there think that dogs can’t or shouldn’t bake – nonsense! We are great bakers, just give us the chance, and best of all we love to clean up the mess we make in the kitchen!
Today I am going to be making Bacon Bone Cookies, yummy, just love anything having to do with bacon! The first step in good baking is getting yourself ready. Make sure you clean
Always read your recipe before getting started
your paws. You don’t want mud or grass flavor mixing in with the taste of your cookies. Then you need an apron to keep the mess off your belly and a hat. Well, I guess a hat is not necessary but it makes you look good! Once you are ready you need to get out your recipe, ingredients and supplies.
Always start baking by reading your recipe. I have my favorite cookbook out on the counter because it stands up and is easier to read that way. In the back there were blank pages to add
Cut out the cookies carefully
more recipes so I added this one to my book.
This Bacon Bone Cookie recipe has been passed down over the dog generations in my family, a well loved recipe for sure. Remember you might get some of your cookie ingredients or dough on your recipe but VERY IMPORTANT, do not eat the recipe because it tastes good! If you eat it then it is gone and you can’t make the cookies anymore which would be sad! One other important tip – if you are one of those big dogs that drools a lot, you may want to cover your mouth so you don’t get too much liquid in your dough.
Once you have everything mixed up just right you need to stamp the dough out with your paws or roll it out to about 1/2 thick. A 1/2 inch is slightly less than the height of a normal paw. This is the hardest part because you will need to fight your natural instincts to just eat up all the dough and be done. Mom says
Check your oven timer
eating raw dough is not good for you, so resist temptation and wait until your cookies are baked. Using your front paws, press
the bone shaped cookie cutter into the dough and cut out your bones. Place them ever so gently with your mouth on the cookie sheet and repeat until the dough has all been used up.
Next you need to bake the cookies in the oven. Be very careful and maybe have your mom help you out here – you don’t want to burn your paws on a hot oven. Set the timer and when they are done, let them cool off.
Now for the best part – eat them! Another tip – they always seem to taste better when you share them with family members or friends and they will love you for it too!
Bon Appetite!
Click here for a downloadable and printable copy of my family
Yummy! Enjoy with family and friends!
recipe for Bacon Bone Cookies
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The Window War | GBGV
Bert & Sophie wanting the window spot
I think it was 3 years ago now that Gramma brought out a bird feeder for Bert. She thought we could put it outside to get birds for the cats to watch. Mom decided to put it in front of her office window. We had birds right away, but only Katie is really tall enough to just look out the window so mom decided to put a box with a cat bed there to see if the cats would be interested, and sure enough both Bert and Sophie were jockeying for the bed spot!
Mom decided this was going to be great for the cats so she went out and bought a wicker trunk
Bert & Sophie enjoying the spacious window seat
to put under the window and a matching cat bed. This was great, both cats fit although only one had the bed, it was just what mom wanted. Then Katie and I realized that there was something to see out the window, so we started hanging out there too. I slowly started nudging my way onto the trunk shoving Bert to the side. He was not happy about it but hey, I am a dog and I do as I please with stuff in MY house, he is just a cat!
Well, leaning on a trunk was really not all that comfortable so one day I decided to just hop up
Me starting to shove cat Bro Bert off the trunk
on the trunk and take over the cat bed. Sure, it was a bit small, but no problem, I did not mind. Now I had the view all to myself. After spending time in my new found window seat I realized that there were rabbits and squirrels showing up to eat the bird food as well. I could care less about the birds but the critters were fascinating!
Bert is a stand your ground kind of guy so he did not just give up his seat in the window. Sometimes I had to jump up and sit on him to get him to move, he would hit me and get all
Me after taking over the cat bed seat
mad but I was bigger. Mom was not happy since the original intent was for the cats to watch birds so she decided we needed a larger window seat to fit more pets.
Finally this past winter she got a new bench that holds my cuddle bed and Bert’s cat bed so we can both sit there and watch birds and critters and I carry out my neighborhood watch program from this seat as well.
Sure there is plenty of space for me and actually both cats but many times I like to hang over and
Bert unhappily sharing the new bench with me
use the cat bed for my head or feet. The cats and I will never stop fighting over this seat I guess. Sometimes even Sophie tries to ward me off. She likes to sit in my cuddle bed when I go outside. When I come back in she refuses to move so I end up back in the cat bed.
I guess the main thing is that we have a nice window spot and between watching for birds, squirrels and rabbits we stay busy arguing over the seating arrangement!
Here is a short clip of Sophie and I sorting out who gets which spot on the bench.
The Story of Cousin Bowie
Cousin Bowie looking all regal
Mom’s family is a serious cat family – hardly anyone in the family has or has had a dog, but everyone seems to have cats and all of those cats are adopted cats which is a good thing. Gramma was never a big fan of animals until mom was born. Mom was into animals from the beginning and poor Gramma had to put up with a cat, gerbils, rabbits and even a dog while mom was growing up. Gramma loves her granddogs but she is really much more of a cat person. Mom wanted a cat so bad as a little girl and finally her dad gave in when she was about 7, and she adopted Fluffy, a kitten that lived to be 19 years old! Fluffy stayed with Gramma after mom left home but when Fluffy passed on, Gramma did not get another cat. When we all moved back from Germany we stayed with Gramma for 4 months so she got used to living with pets again. After we all left it was rather quiet at home so Gramma got to thinking about getting a cat. That summer the Humane Society had a program called Mission Meowwhich Gramma thought might be ideal for
Me trying to pester cousin Bowie
her and a cat.
Here in the Northland most kittens are born in the spring and summer, the animal shelters are full of kittens and cats but most people that come in only want the kittens so there is an overage of adult cats. Mission Meow is a program that matches adult cats with temporary 6 month homes. The Humane Society pays the food and veterinary bills for the cat that is being fostered as well. At the end of the 6 months you can either adopt the cat or return it. Of course, most people adopt the cat after becoming attached to the cat after the 6 months, so it is a win win situation for most people and cats. Gramma was paired up with Bowie and the rest is history. He has been living the good life with Gramma for almost 4 years now and they are both very happy.
Bowie is a very mellow guy. His hobbies are eating his cat
Bowie with a toy mouse mom hung on him
food, limited sharing of human food with Gramma and snuggling with humans, especially Gramma! He is not a real fan of dogs but he stands his ground in his own house. I don’t think he is too thrilled when Katie and I come to visit but he does not let us boss him around at all. I try to pester him but he is really good at just ignoring me until I go away. He is not scared of us at all. When Gramma goes away, Bowie goes to Lena’s house. Poor Bowie! Lena loves him and licks him to death, reports have it that sometimes Bowie is just soaking wet from all the licking and Lena actually got a hairball from it all last fall when Bowie was at her house for a whole month!
Point of all this…if you want a cat, adopt! Even adult cats make great companions and they will be forever thankful!
My Neighborhood Watch Program | GBGV
So a lot of you humans take one look at me and don’t take me seriously at all – well, wake up and smell the coffee – I have set up my own neighborhood watch program! If any of you remember watching some of thos old tv shows, I would be a combination of Gladys Kravitz the nosey neighbor on Bewitched, and Barney Fife in Mayberry, just a bit cuter and definitely meaner than both!
My security watch post
My sister Katie, a Kuvasz, is actually a guard dog breed so most of what I know about home/neighborhood security I learned from her. Actually, come to think of it, now that I know how to guard, she lets me do most of the work and just acts as my backup. We make a good team as I alert her about possible danger and she chimes right in helping to scare off any impending trouble. I have my post in my cuddle bed right in the front window. I can see up and down the street, the driveway, the front walkway, everything I need to guard our home and neighborhood. I sit in my spot a lot during
My view of my kingdom/neighborhood from my post
the day but when mom leaves I head to my post and remain there until she returns. See how sneaky I am too, you hardly even notice my little face peering out the front window…like a crocodile lying in wait. Katie sleeps on the other side of the house watching over the back entrances so we have the place covered but my post gets the most action. If we dogs are out usually my cat Bert fills in for me sitting at my post on his bed.
When I see danger on the way such as kids
Cat Bro Bert keeping watch in my absence
playing or dogs being walked I sound my fog horn (that’s what mom calls it, I just say I howl). I continue with my fog horn which calls Katie to action. She then joins me in another window with her deep bark. It works so well as those dogs being walked don’t approach our house at all, neither do the kids out playing, everyone just keeps going down the street. It is quite obvious that they are scared to death of Emma the GBGV!
The neighbors all know that I am in the window keeping watch most of the time as if I am not in the window they ask mom where is Emma? The good thing is that even if I doze off while on duty, I am immediately awakened if anyone comes to the door or if the garage door opens and I can reach those locations in about 1 second. I am Johnny on the Spot to see what is going on and to keep crime at bay.
Mom says she feels so safe with me protecting our home. She says that if anyone breaks in they will die of laughter – not sure why she thinks that as I am a mean and viscious guard dog but she likes to tell people that. I know my big sis Katie would have my furry backside if the need would arise and she could eat people no problem if she had to. But we feel confident that we are safe since when my fog horn sounds, people, animals and vehicles continue down the road rather than stopping at our place and I know it is out of terror that they keep going!
Be safe and maybe start your own neighborhood watch program…
My Try At Fame And Fortune | GBGV
My professional photo
As my facebook and twitter pals know, mom had a big surprise for me March 24th! The unfortunate part was that I had to get myself all cleaned up and groomed. I prefer the comfy old, dirty, shaggy look but for mom I got cleaned up. I had no idea where we were going but it was just the two of us, Katie had to stay home which made me a bit skeptical – usually means groomer to get my ears pulled or the vet. We drove out to Woodbury to All Breed Obedience And Behavioral School For Dogs which I found odd since, of course, I am perfectly behaved and was top in my puppy class. We went inside and it was a big open hall with a couple dogs and a few people. I was pretty frightened I must say…shaking in my fur. I could not see anything fun about this place and then my worst fear came true – mom had to use the restroom. How could she leave me with some woman that claimed to work there that I have never met before and just disappear? Here I was in Wood bury all by myself, scared to death. I know for a fact that all bathrooms have secret escape doors that only humans know about and I was sure mom was gone. Whew, lucky for me she was back in a flash but it seemed like an eternity.
Got my phones, waiting for the call
Mom took a seat and wanted me to just sit down but I was too nervous – what were they doing in this place, why did mom bring me here and she seemed so happy about it. Some dogs came, some left, all seemed to be just fine but I was scared. The people loved me and were asking all about me since they had never seen a GBGV before. Aside from the chit chat it was quiet in the place. Then it happened, a dog bigger than me came to the door. I had to save us all so I let out some of my biggest howls from deep down inside my belly to warn everyone of the danger about to enter the building. Everyone first jumped and then they all just laughed at me – I was really loud, my howls echoed in the big empty space. Mom told me to stop it, no one realized the danger of this dog but me. I stopped but still had saved a growl or two just in case.
Then it happened, they called my name, Emma. Oh no, what are they going to do with me? This is where I found out that I was here for my try at fame and fortune! I was at a photo shooting audition for a Target ad with Barbara O’Brien Photography. Ok, I can stop shaking now and just be my silly self but mom said emphatically that I had to listen to her directions. Then she pulled out the deal of the day, my liver treats – ok, for these I will do it all. The photographer, Barbara herself, came over to meet me and introduce herself, a very nice and friendly lady. Then we started taking photos of me – yes, it was all about me at that time and I love to be the center of attention so this was a good thing. I did really well I think for my first attempt. I am not sure about how the photo turned out. It does not really seem to capture my personality, I look so serious, like someone said vet or something! I was hoping for a more goofy look and more of my body to show off my spots and stuff but it is me so that is fine I guess.
Me in my secret hiding spot
The other day mom told me that Target did not choose me for their ad. I spent 2 weeks sitting with my phones waiting for a call that never came. I think they are crazy because I am so darn cute and nice and something different but I gave it my best and that is all a pup can do. I was pretty broken up about it so I took my box of tissues and went to my secret hiding spot to cry an sulk for a bit. Now I realize it is not a secret since mom found me and took my picture and it is getting posted online but I still feel like I am hiding when I am behind the big plant. I will now have a portfolio with Barbara O’Brien Photography which means if other jobs that I would fit come up I will have a shot at those. She has some big name clients besides Target that I could see posing for like Purina (we eat Pro Plan at home) or really any pet food since I love to eat. What does have me a bit worried is that 3M is a big client…hmmm…how would that photo shoot go??? I see myselft bound with scotch tape and covered in post it notes, not really what I was looking for!
Whether or not I ever get in an ad, it was a fun experience and at least I tried and put my best paw forward (that is my front right one). The other great part of the day was I got to spend the rest of the day with just me and mom, driving, visiting gramma and going for a walk, I never get much mommy and me time so that was fun but I was sure glad to get home that night and see my sis Katie and tell her about my day! Mom said that if I ever do get a job I might get some human money but I would have to give some of it to Uncle Sam. I am wondering about that as I did not even know I had an uncle Sam and why would I need to share anything of mine with him? I always share with my sister and that seems like enough sharing to me. Regardless, it would be my money so I am busy making my list of all the things I want to buy like chix strips, bully stix, peanut butter cookies…
Here is a link to all my photos – click here
