Well this has been LONG overdue. It has only been a few months since my last post but I hadn't been able to decide what I was going to do about this blog. Alas, with the recent passing of the momentous milestone of Miss Precious' first birthday and the coming of a 2nd little princess, I have decided it is indeed a good time to say goodbye to the days of blogging about the Bernerbuddy et al. I will surely miss the days of recording our furkids' antics but rest assured that we will never be antic-free in our household. Please think of us fondly (at least think of me with two dogs, two cats, and two babies 16 months apart) and send me a prayer...cuz I'll need it! And perhaps one day not too far into the future, I may resurface to blog again.
Thank you all (my 2 regular readers and the occasional visiting stranger) for
reading these past few years. I am not going to take the blog down but will leave it for those to reference. Particularly of our days in TPLO rehab, raw food mayhem, and mountainous adventures.
Au-Revoir and Happy Holidays to All.
Peace and Love,
Angela
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Case of the Midnight Strawberry Snatcher and Other Mysteries
As as young girl, I loved Nancy Drew. She had it all-good looks, great friends, and the smarts to solve any mystery, no-matter where she went. Recently (as of last night) we had a mystery in our house and I wish I had Nancy Drew to help me solve it.
I visited our local farmer's market yesterday with Miss Precious in her carriage. Since it is strawberry season, I was hoping to find a strawberry pie that someone slaved hours over so that I could enjoy the delicious treat without having to do any work. No strawberry pies. Just fresh strawberries, by the pint and the quart. They were gorgeous strawberries. Ripe ripe red and if you just stood next to the stand you could smell their sweet scent. I bought two quarts for $10. Organic and no pesticides. I was thrilled. And I added two blueberry turnovers to my bag too. Yum.
I didn't get to sample any strawberries or my turnovers because the Dogfather and I had a date night planned for ourselves. The PeaceCorp Nanny was coming over and we were going out. Yay! We came home late and all I noticed was that a few strawberries were missing and a corner chewed off of a turnover. I figured PeaceCorp Nanny couldn't resist the fresh strawberries so she sampled a few and I knew the turnover job was done by Little Li. No nanny would eat through plastic wrap. My Nancy Drew sleuthing was on-full force.
This morning I came down the stairs to find one quart of strawberries in the middle of the kitchen floor. All but 4 strawberries have been eaten. The container was not upside down or tipped over but looked almost as if someone actually placed the container on the floor. Dogs eat strawberries?! I guess, why not?
I gasped and I asked aloud, "Somebody ate MY strawberries?!"
The Dogfather answered, "And her name begins with an 'S'."
WHAT?!?! She eats strawberries?!
I looked up on the counter for the other quart and notice that several strawberries have been eaten off the top of that container too. But it was not tipped over either. Do cats eat strawberries?!
I checked four muzzles this morning for red staining. Nothing. I checked two canine mouths for strawberry seeds. Apparently only humans get seeds stuck between their teeth while eating strawberries. Now I think it could be ANYBODY-except I highly doubt MeiMei bothered to eat strawberries. And I highly doubt Riley decided to stray from his deep carnivorous roots. That leaves one cat and one dog. And I really don't know.
Sabrina's been know to eat anything-tomatos, green peppers, cantalope, bread. You name it.
Little Li eats odd things too-turnovers, olives, mushrooms. Why not strawberries?
Nancy Drew?
I visited our local farmer's market yesterday with Miss Precious in her carriage. Since it is strawberry season, I was hoping to find a strawberry pie that someone slaved hours over so that I could enjoy the delicious treat without having to do any work. No strawberry pies. Just fresh strawberries, by the pint and the quart. They were gorgeous strawberries. Ripe ripe red and if you just stood next to the stand you could smell their sweet scent. I bought two quarts for $10. Organic and no pesticides. I was thrilled. And I added two blueberry turnovers to my bag too. Yum.
I didn't get to sample any strawberries or my turnovers because the Dogfather and I had a date night planned for ourselves. The PeaceCorp Nanny was coming over and we were going out. Yay! We came home late and all I noticed was that a few strawberries were missing and a corner chewed off of a turnover. I figured PeaceCorp Nanny couldn't resist the fresh strawberries so she sampled a few and I knew the turnover job was done by Little Li. No nanny would eat through plastic wrap. My Nancy Drew sleuthing was on-full force.
This morning I came down the stairs to find one quart of strawberries in the middle of the kitchen floor. All but 4 strawberries have been eaten. The container was not upside down or tipped over but looked almost as if someone actually placed the container on the floor. Dogs eat strawberries?! I guess, why not?
I gasped and I asked aloud, "Somebody ate MY strawberries?!"
The Dogfather answered, "And her name begins with an 'S'."
WHAT?!?! She eats strawberries?!
I looked up on the counter for the other quart and notice that several strawberries have been eaten off the top of that container too. But it was not tipped over either. Do cats eat strawberries?!
I checked four muzzles this morning for red staining. Nothing. I checked two canine mouths for strawberry seeds. Apparently only humans get seeds stuck between their teeth while eating strawberries. Now I think it could be ANYBODY-except I highly doubt MeiMei bothered to eat strawberries. And I highly doubt Riley decided to stray from his deep carnivorous roots. That leaves one cat and one dog. And I really don't know.
Sabrina's been know to eat anything-tomatos, green peppers, cantalope, bread. You name it.
Little Li eats odd things too-turnovers, olives, mushrooms. Why not strawberries?
Nancy Drew?
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Return to Bloggerville
OK, so we sorta took a little blogging vacation. Things got busy OK? Basically, life happened, but hey, the important thing to remember is....WE'RE BACK! (And I mean "we" because I couldn't write this blog without the everyday antics of Riley, Sabrina, MeiMei, Little Li, and of course our Miss Precious.)
Let's see, since my last post a few months ago a few things have happened:
Riley had his 5th birthday
Sabrina had her 2nd birthday
MeiMei had her 7th birthday
Miss Precious is now 7 months old
The furkids and Miss Precious have a new nanny whom they all love
The whole BPA free movement is well on it's way
And, Summer is here!!!
Let's see, since my last post a few months ago a few things have happened:
Riley had his 5th birthday
Sabrina had her 2nd birthday
MeiMei had her 7th birthday
Miss Precious is now 7 months old
The furkids and Miss Precious have a new nanny whom they all love
The whole BPA free movement is well on it's way
And, Summer is here!!!
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Please Take Your Phthalates
This has been bugging me for over a week now. And how can it not be? It has been featured in the news, in the paper, in Time magazine, in Newsweek, in the Boston magazine, and now in the Whole Dog Journal too. The dangers of plastic.
Suddenly our world has realized that this simple, pliable, and convenient substance that we live with everyday is leaching toxins into our body. Just think about how many things you come into contact with on a daily basis that uses plastic. Do you drink out of a water bottle? Do you use a plastic coffee mug? Did you lunch come packaged in plastic? Oh, and does your dog have plastic toys? Perhaps you have vinyl floors?
Aaaaah. This is why I am writing about this on my blog. The reason WHY we know that plastic is bad for us is because it is tested on animals. The reason WHY we know that plastic is leaching phthalates into our bodies in toxic levels is because of our animals. We now know that phthalates mimick hormones in our bodies and disrupts our development. WHAT?!?!
So now the question is, if the public is getting the word about the dangers of plastic to humans, are they also getting the word out to pet owners?
Apparently vinyl is just about the worse type of plastic there is. I have now chucked every piece of soft, floppy, vinyl toy out of Miss Precious' room, right into the trash. I turn every piece of plastic I can find over to check the little number inside the recycling triangle to see if it is a 4 or 5 (the safest kind of plastic). If it's not, good-bye. None of her food touches plastic.
But what about my other furchildren? Granted most of their toys are plush. But occasionally someone may give them a plastic chew toy and did you know that some of those ingestible bones they sell have plastic in them!?! Does everyone know that? Do you use glass, stainless steel, or earthenware for your pets' food bowls? Does you kibble bag come lined in plastic?
I could go on and on (you know I could) but I think you get the point.
Suddenly our world has realized that this simple, pliable, and convenient substance that we live with everyday is leaching toxins into our body. Just think about how many things you come into contact with on a daily basis that uses plastic. Do you drink out of a water bottle? Do you use a plastic coffee mug? Did you lunch come packaged in plastic? Oh, and does your dog have plastic toys? Perhaps you have vinyl floors?
Aaaaah. This is why I am writing about this on my blog. The reason WHY we know that plastic is bad for us is because it is tested on animals. The reason WHY we know that plastic is leaching phthalates into our bodies in toxic levels is because of our animals. We now know that phthalates mimick hormones in our bodies and disrupts our development. WHAT?!?!
So now the question is, if the public is getting the word about the dangers of plastic to humans, are they also getting the word out to pet owners?
Apparently vinyl is just about the worse type of plastic there is. I have now chucked every piece of soft, floppy, vinyl toy out of Miss Precious' room, right into the trash. I turn every piece of plastic I can find over to check the little number inside the recycling triangle to see if it is a 4 or 5 (the safest kind of plastic). If it's not, good-bye. None of her food touches plastic.
But what about my other furchildren? Granted most of their toys are plush. But occasionally someone may give them a plastic chew toy and did you know that some of those ingestible bones they sell have plastic in them!?! Does everyone know that? Do you use glass, stainless steel, or earthenware for your pets' food bowls? Does you kibble bag come lined in plastic?
I could go on and on (you know I could) but I think you get the point.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Big Bites
We're out of raw food again. Bah.
I went back to the pet store yesterday but this time I had the Whole Dog Journal's 2008 Approved Grain-Free Dry Dog Food list in my hand. Every February, the Whole Dog Journal puts out an approved list of dry dog foods. This year, they included the grain-free dog food list in their March issue. It's fabulous. All the information I need in the palm of my hand.
In order for the dog food to make the list, they have to meet certain criteria, such as:
- All foods must contain high quality animal proteins. The first one or two ingredients must be an animal protein.
- No foods can contain meat by-products or poultry by-products. Yuck.
- No foods can contain fat or protein that is not identified by species. That means no road kill!
- All foods must contain whole food ingredients.
- No foods can contain artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Vit E, C, and Rosemary extract are all natural preservatives.
- No foods can contain added sweeteners. They don't need those nutritionally empty calories
In light of the recent mass pet food recalls, the Whole Dog Journal has also done a lot of the leg work in asking pet food companies to provide full disclosure on their products. That means they called all the companies and asked them to disclose their food's manufacturer. And if they were unwilling to disclose or didn't bother to respond, they were highlighted in the "Won't Disclose Origin of Manufacture" list. Haha. There's no hiding guys. What was even more suspect to me was some companies wouldn't disclose the manufacturing location. Makes you kinda wonder why huh?
So here's the grain-free list:
Artemis "Maximal Dog"
Champion "Orijen"
Dick Van Patten's "Potato & Duck"
Solid Gold "Barking at the Moon"
Petcurean "Now!" and "Go!"
Canine Caviar "Venison & Split Pea"
Diamond "Taste of the Wild"
Natura "Evo"
Nature's Variety "Instinct"
Taplow Feeds "FirstMate Potato & Fish"
Honest Kitchen "Force" and "Embark"
Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard "CORE"
I first looked at Songbird's recommendation of Wellness CORE. We wanted to see what Miss Molly has been eating. We liked the high protein and liked even more that they were local (Tewksbury!). But the original variety is mostly poultry and I don't care to smell the fishy Ocean formula so unfortunately we had to pass on CORE this time. The Bernerbuddy gets goopy eyes with poultry. So we looked for something with more red meat. And we found it.
Evo's Red Meat Big Bites. And the prices at the pet store were practically the same as what I found wholesale on the internet. In addition, Evo gets two more thumbs up for being the very first pet food company, in 2005, to manufacture and market a grain-free kibble, as well as providing a complete nutrient analysis for each of its foods on their website. Now that's thorough!
So we went with a 13 pound bag. The Whole Dog Journal also highly recommends switching foods regularly. Since several dog foods can all be considered "nutritionally balanced" no two dog foods are alike. Some foods are low in some nutrients but high in others. And other foods are vice versa.
"Imagine that a dog is given a lifetime diet that is a bit low in some nutrients and a bit high in others. Over time, fed a diet solely comprised of that food, the dog's body will become a figurative model of those nutrient levels, for better or worse. This is exactly why humans are told to eat a variety of healthy foods - to prevent this very scenario!"
-From the Whole Dog Journal, March 2008
For now, Sabrina and Riley will get Big Bites, courtesy of Evo.
I went back to the pet store yesterday but this time I had the Whole Dog Journal's 2008 Approved Grain-Free Dry Dog Food list in my hand. Every February, the Whole Dog Journal puts out an approved list of dry dog foods. This year, they included the grain-free dog food list in their March issue. It's fabulous. All the information I need in the palm of my hand.
In order for the dog food to make the list, they have to meet certain criteria, such as:
- All foods must contain high quality animal proteins. The first one or two ingredients must be an animal protein.
- No foods can contain meat by-products or poultry by-products. Yuck.
- No foods can contain fat or protein that is not identified by species. That means no road kill!
- All foods must contain whole food ingredients.
- No foods can contain artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Vit E, C, and Rosemary extract are all natural preservatives.
- No foods can contain added sweeteners. They don't need those nutritionally empty calories
In light of the recent mass pet food recalls, the Whole Dog Journal has also done a lot of the leg work in asking pet food companies to provide full disclosure on their products. That means they called all the companies and asked them to disclose their food's manufacturer. And if they were unwilling to disclose or didn't bother to respond, they were highlighted in the "Won't Disclose Origin of Manufacture" list. Haha. There's no hiding guys. What was even more suspect to me was some companies wouldn't disclose the manufacturing location. Makes you kinda wonder why huh?
So here's the grain-free list:
Artemis "Maximal Dog"
Champion "Orijen"
Dick Van Patten's "Potato & Duck"
Solid Gold "Barking at the Moon"
Petcurean "Now!" and "Go!"
Canine Caviar "Venison & Split Pea"
Diamond "Taste of the Wild"
Natura "Evo"
Nature's Variety "Instinct"
Taplow Feeds "FirstMate Potato & Fish"
Honest Kitchen "Force" and "Embark"
Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard "CORE"
I first looked at Songbird's recommendation of Wellness CORE. We wanted to see what Miss Molly has been eating. We liked the high protein and liked even more that they were local (Tewksbury!). But the original variety is mostly poultry and I don't care to smell the fishy Ocean formula so unfortunately we had to pass on CORE this time. The Bernerbuddy gets goopy eyes with poultry. So we looked for something with more red meat. And we found it.
Evo's Red Meat Big Bites. And the prices at the pet store were practically the same as what I found wholesale on the internet. In addition, Evo gets two more thumbs up for being the very first pet food company, in 2005, to manufacture and market a grain-free kibble, as well as providing a complete nutrient analysis for each of its foods on their website. Now that's thorough!
So we went with a 13 pound bag. The Whole Dog Journal also highly recommends switching foods regularly. Since several dog foods can all be considered "nutritionally balanced" no two dog foods are alike. Some foods are low in some nutrients but high in others. And other foods are vice versa.
"Imagine that a dog is given a lifetime diet that is a bit low in some nutrients and a bit high in others. Over time, fed a diet solely comprised of that food, the dog's body will become a figurative model of those nutrient levels, for better or worse. This is exactly why humans are told to eat a variety of healthy foods - to prevent this very scenario!"
-From the Whole Dog Journal, March 2008
For now, Sabrina and Riley will get Big Bites, courtesy of Evo.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
How Fair is Fair?
Before the arrival of Miss Precious, I attended a dog training workshop called Barks and Babies. One of the many important lessons I learned from the workshop was to teach my dogs that life isn't fair. Especially after a baby arrives.
After a baby arrives, the daily schedule that your dogs have grown to learn and expect, goes haywire. Meals don't arrive on time. Bathroom breaks are irregular. Walks are less predictable. And nothing is fair. This new little being gets to sit by the dining table and stare at the food. This new little being gets to lay on our laps and bellies. This new little being always gets to go in the car and go wherever we go. Now, all of our coos and smiles aren't just for the dogs and it's hard for them to understand.
So the presenter at this workshop told us to go home and teach our dogs that sometimes life just isn't fair. Sometimes give one dog a treat and not the other. Sometime call one dog over for snuggles but not the other. At the time, I thought this made sense. Then the dogs won't think that they were entitled to something and anticipating their fair share when the baby came home.
But the more I think about it, do dogs really understand the concept of fairness? Do they remember that- Hey, last time Sabrina got the extra treat. How come she always gets the extra treat? Do they really understand - One for me, one for her...ah, ah, ah...you gave her an extra one! I mean, come on. I think it's really one more way we humanize our dog's behaviors into emotions. Wouldn't dogs have to have the ability to understand the concept of "one" or perhaps even be able to count to really know that fair is fair? Now, my dogs are pretty bright, but I can't say they can count.
After a baby arrives, the daily schedule that your dogs have grown to learn and expect, goes haywire. Meals don't arrive on time. Bathroom breaks are irregular. Walks are less predictable. And nothing is fair. This new little being gets to sit by the dining table and stare at the food. This new little being gets to lay on our laps and bellies. This new little being always gets to go in the car and go wherever we go. Now, all of our coos and smiles aren't just for the dogs and it's hard for them to understand.
So the presenter at this workshop told us to go home and teach our dogs that sometimes life just isn't fair. Sometimes give one dog a treat and not the other. Sometime call one dog over for snuggles but not the other. At the time, I thought this made sense. Then the dogs won't think that they were entitled to something and anticipating their fair share when the baby came home.
But the more I think about it, do dogs really understand the concept of fairness? Do they remember that- Hey, last time Sabrina got the extra treat. How come she always gets the extra treat? Do they really understand - One for me, one for her...ah, ah, ah...you gave her an extra one! I mean, come on. I think it's really one more way we humanize our dog's behaviors into emotions. Wouldn't dogs have to have the ability to understand the concept of "one" or perhaps even be able to count to really know that fair is fair? Now, my dogs are pretty bright, but I can't say they can count.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Hey Hounds, Mama's Back!
I kept wanting to write a post of my recent magnificent accomplishment but it wasn't really Bernerbuddy related. It was more about Miss Precious and I really wanted to keep this blog focused on my furkids. And then this morning it hit me. This absolutely has to do with the furkids!!
My recent magnificent accomplishment is.....(Thunder Drum roll please.......) Miss Precious is sleeping in her crib!
YA-Hoo.
Double YA-Hoo. I had to do it. The alternative was just killing me (and ruining my back). Just for background information on why this is such a monumental event...Miss Precious is going to be 4 months next week and since her birth, Mommy has been her food, her pacifier, and her bed. That means out of a 24 hours day, I had about one hour to myself. URGH.
So we have "Ferberized" her. Something I never thought I would ever do to my child. It was a simple behavior modification technique similar to what I might have used on my furkids. And it took two days. I'm sure we will continue to have new challenges ahead, but for now, my hands are free to hug, wrestle, and scratch my dear furchildren. I indulged each of them yesterday just to try and make up for lost time-if that were possible. They're the best. No hard feelings, no resentment. Just glad Mama's back!
My recent magnificent accomplishment is.....(Thunder Drum roll please.......) Miss Precious is sleeping in her crib!
YA-Hoo.
Double YA-Hoo. I had to do it. The alternative was just killing me (and ruining my back). Just for background information on why this is such a monumental event...Miss Precious is going to be 4 months next week and since her birth, Mommy has been her food, her pacifier, and her bed. That means out of a 24 hours day, I had about one hour to myself. URGH.
So we have "Ferberized" her. Something I never thought I would ever do to my child. It was a simple behavior modification technique similar to what I might have used on my furkids. And it took two days. I'm sure we will continue to have new challenges ahead, but for now, my hands are free to hug, wrestle, and scratch my dear furchildren. I indulged each of them yesterday just to try and make up for lost time-if that were possible. They're the best. No hard feelings, no resentment. Just glad Mama's back!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Our Home is Their Home
This past weekend found the Dogfather and I busy with home (decor) improvement projects. I have always envisioned my home to reflect the type of person I am: colorful, refreshing, relaxed, and warm. I want people to feel like they can come over and enjoy our home with us.
We have lived here 5 years now and we are still decorating. It's expensive! Considering it took the Dogfather two years before he agreed to put some paint on the walls, I can only accept that this will be an ongoing process. Over the weekend we put delicate periwrinkle print drapes up in Miss Precious' room, printed out photos to replace our photo collage frames, and the Dogfather put in non-skid mats on the two hardwood floor staircases.
Mats, you say? Yes. Nice, sturdy, rubber-backing, mats. Up the back stairs and up the main staircase. They are not the most decorative pieces we have ever put in our home but one of the most necessary. These mats are for our Riley-Roo. He has fur that grows out from between the toes of his paws. It gets long and is very slippery on the hardwood floors. Especially when there is a race to get down the stairs while the black fury (aka Sabrina) is tumbling behind you.
We have considered time and time again how we should dress the stairs but every option just didn't seem right. Long runners up and down the stairs seemed too formal. Separate carpet squares only came in ugly colors and seemed too permanent as they required nailing. The mats we got are just charcoal. Simple, thin, and CHEAP! The Dogfather simply took each mat (they are sold as doormats) and took an Exacto knife down the middle of each one. Whoala. It took a little coaxing and special treats to teach Riley to actually walk on them (he actually tried to walk around them) but now he gets it. Ah! They did this for me!
Yes, my dear Bernerboy, this is your home too.
We have lived here 5 years now and we are still decorating. It's expensive! Considering it took the Dogfather two years before he agreed to put some paint on the walls, I can only accept that this will be an ongoing process. Over the weekend we put delicate periwrinkle print drapes up in Miss Precious' room, printed out photos to replace our photo collage frames, and the Dogfather put in non-skid mats on the two hardwood floor staircases.
Mats, you say? Yes. Nice, sturdy, rubber-backing, mats. Up the back stairs and up the main staircase. They are not the most decorative pieces we have ever put in our home but one of the most necessary. These mats are for our Riley-Roo. He has fur that grows out from between the toes of his paws. It gets long and is very slippery on the hardwood floors. Especially when there is a race to get down the stairs while the black fury (aka Sabrina) is tumbling behind you.
We have considered time and time again how we should dress the stairs but every option just didn't seem right. Long runners up and down the stairs seemed too formal. Separate carpet squares only came in ugly colors and seemed too permanent as they required nailing. The mats we got are just charcoal. Simple, thin, and CHEAP! The Dogfather simply took each mat (they are sold as doormats) and took an Exacto knife down the middle of each one. Whoala. It took a little coaxing and special treats to teach Riley to actually walk on them (he actually tried to walk around them) but now he gets it. Ah! They did this for me!
Yes, my dear Bernerboy, this is your home too.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
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