Meet My Friend, Stone Kitty

Hello!  I'd like you to meet my good friend, Stone Kitty


He helps us with the gardening.  I have to watch him though, sometimes he tries to eat the veggies!


Do you have any friends like Stone Kitty?  Leave us a comment and tell us about it, we LOVE hearing from you!

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Are You Noseblind? Practice Proper #Petiquette With Febreze

Did you know that a recent survey showed 49% of Americans say they dread visiting homes with pets because of pet odors?!  In fact, 24% think pet smells are among the most offensive odors in a home, even more offensive than the smell of smoke, and second only to the scent of garbage!  Are you as shocked by these facts as I am?!

It's easy to become Noseblind to pet odors in the home
 This post is sponsored by Febreze ™ and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network.  I am being compensated for helping spread the word about #Petiquette but Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers.  Febreze is not responsible for the content of this article.

Our pets are family and we don't think our homes smell of pet odors, but over time we can become NOSEBLIND to the odors of our furry family members!  We think our home smells fresh and clean, but because we smell our pets' odors all the time we become so accustomed to it we no longer notice the smell.  But when guests come over, they do notice pet odors!  Most of us pet owners would hate it if our guests thought our homes smelled of pet odors.  How embarrassing!

I learned the hard way about being NOSEBLIND!  I have to let Phoebe tell you about it because I can't, it's just too painful.  All I'll say is, don't let this happen to you!  OK Phoebe, go ahead....

PHOEBE: Well, Mommy had the Aunties over for coffee one night and everyone was having a perfectly lovely time!  Until.....

We become so accustomed to our pet's odors that we can be Noseblind

Mom got NOSEBLINDED by the Aunties!!  They told her that my Husky sister and I had been stinking up the place, and it was high time for Mom to Do Something about the smell!  There was total silence, I mean you could have heard a pin drop.  Mom's jaw certainly dropped, she was so mortified! 



Don't be Noseblinded by pet odors!
Mommy, are they saying that WE are stinking up the house??

Talk about AWKWARD!!

The next morning, we were still reeling from the shock of it all.  We told Mommy that we were not getting up until she did something to take away the odors that have offended our guests and humiliated us.

Pet odors can be offensive to guests in your home.  Febreze can help!

Thanks for telling folks about my Noseblind incident Phoebe. Don't worry girls, Febreze ™can help us keep the entire house guest ready with products that truly eliminate odors, not just mask them!

Febreze products actually eliminate odors, they don't just mask them!



Febreze Air Effects instantly removes odor anywhere in the house, especially in the bathroom, kitchen, and wherever our pets' favorite hangout spots are.




Use Febreze Air Effects to instantly remove odors in the home




Febreze Fabric Refresher instantly removes odors from fabrics, especially those that get a lot of traffic and smells like dog beds, couches, and chairs.



Febreze Fabric Refresher does a great job eliminating odors from upholstered furniture



Picking guests up at the airport or taking them for a night out on the town?  A Febreze Car Vent Clip will keep your car continually smelling fresh and clean.




Do your pets stink up the car? Febreze car vent clips easily attach to any air vent in the car

After that awkward Noseblind experience, I had to  step things up a bit.  I turned to Febreze for help on how to exercise proper Petiquette.  With tips from the Febreze School of Petiquette, our home will be guest ready all the time!


Check out these helpful hints from the Febreze School of Petiquette

Let me share just 2 of my favorite Petiquette tips from the Febreze School of Petiquette:

Cozy Couch
Some of us have a hard time keeping pets off the hard-to-wash upholstered furniture… So if your German shepherd thinks he’s a lap dog and likes to cuddle up next to you, keep Febreze Fabric Refresher handy to instantly remove his dog smell from the couch fabric and pillows. With the odor gone and a light, fresh scent remaining, your couch-sitting guests will have no idea they have just stolen Fido’s secret sleep spot.  My dogs love snuggling up on the soft comfy couch so I'm using Febreze Fabric Refresher to keep the couch smelling fresh!

Carpooling Kennel Dogs love car rides. But while they are propping their head out the window, enjoying the rush of wind through their fur, they may also be ensuring your otherwise tidy car smells like a kennel. Keep your ride fresh for your carpool pals by attaching a Febreze Car Vent Clip to your air vent for continuous odor removal. For an extra dose of freshness, break out the Febreze Fabric Refresher and use it on your fabric seats.  We love taking our dogs on outdoor adventures but along with those adventures come odors!  Our dogs hike through mud and swim in stinky creeks, bringing those smells into the car.  I installed a Febreze Car Vent Clip to help keep my car smelling fresh for the next 30 days!  It easily clips on to any air vent in the car and has an intensity dial to control the level of scent released.

Check out the full Febreze Petiquette Curriculum for tips on keeping your home and car fresh 
Check Out The Febreze Petiquette curriculum

Febreze is a pet owner's other best friend! Get social with Febreze:
Febreze on Facebook
Febreze on YouTube
Febreze on Twitter

My Husky Is Missing her Dad

Not too much mischief going on today, we are just enjoying Fall slowly creeping up on us.  

It's kind of a big deal to be in the Northeast during Fall this year.  We live primarily in Phoenix, AZ where it's still over 100 degrees every day!  We usually only spend Summers in NY, but this year we've had to stay longer for family reasons.

My husband has been at our Phoenix home all week and we miss him terribly.  My Husky, Isis, keeps looking for him as you can see in this (super short) video.  It's so sad! 


Don't worry sweetie, Daddy will be home soon!



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How to Convince Your Partner to Get a Dog

So you’ve got a spouse or significant other who doesn't agree that adding a dog to the household is a good idea.  It’s not that they hate dogs or anything, you’d never want to be with someone who hated dogs, right?!  It’s just that they dislike the smell, the shedding, the chewing, the walking, the feeding and all the other chores that go along with having a dog in the home.  

My husband was one of those people.  I desperately wanted a dog and he most definitely didn’t!  Well, here we are years later with two fantastic dogs that he loves as much as I do!

How did I convince my reluctant husband to get a dog?  Here's how!

How did I convince my husband to go from vehemently refusing to let me bring a dog into our home, to loving hikes with our two dogs and happily giving belly rubs 50 times a day?  Here’s how….

When I was young I was a sales rep for a computer company.  In sales they teach you how to overcome every objection the customer comes up with to make the sale.  To be honest, I wasn’t very good at sales.  Now I wanted a dog.  Desperately.  It was time to get tough, time to break out the big guns and sell the idea of getting a dog to my reluctant husband, John. 
 
A reluctant partner may be reluctant to get a pet because they're only thinking of the chores involved, not the FUN stuff!
Not everyone likes the daily chores associated with having a pet.

When someone is vehemently opposed to getting a pet it’s often because they’re thinking only of the chores and responsibility of pet ownership, not the unconditional love or the FUN stuff.  There may also be another underlying reason why they don’t want the dog or other pet, like maybe they were bitten by a dog as a child or perhaps their neighbor’s cat was mean & nasty. 

My husband grew up with 3 brothers, all close in age.  Can you imagine a home with 3 high energy, mischievous boys running around the house and no dog!?  If ever there was a household that needed a dog, their’s was it!  They did have a neighbor with a nice dog, a Collie named Major, which could be a plus in helping me make the “sale”.

During our many conversations, which basically consisted of me begging  (no pun intended!) to get a dog.  I knew that one of the key reasons my husband didn’t want a dog was because he had encountered so many “bad” dogs.  As an insurance rep, he often visited auto body shops in New York.  Many body shops keep guard dogs on the premises to help prevent theft.  Sadly, they train these dogs to be territorial and aggressive toward strangers.  These experiences affected John, his perception of dogs was that most of them were unfriendly. 
 
I was lucky to have grown up with an amazing dog as my best friend.  Although he had cats, my husband had never known the joy of taking your dog for walks and hikes, playing in the yard together, cuddling up on the floor to watch TV together, or a furiously wagging tail and licks on your face as soon as you get home.


Having a dog isn't only about chores and responsibilities.  There are so many fun activities you can do with your dog and places you can take them.
There are so many fun things to do with a dog, hiking is just one of them!

Not only am I an extreme animal lover, but I also volunteered at our county animal shelter in Phoenix, AZ.  Can you imagine volunteering day after day, surrounded by so many amazing dogs but never being able to take one home!?  Let me tell you, it was pure torture.  I just had to convince my husband to get a dog!  I began to formulate a plan.
 
Adorable dogs that were available for adoption at the shelter

Knowing that my husband's main objection was thinking most dogs were mean, I endeavored to show him how loving and wonderful dogs can be!  I also had to let him know that I would happily handle most of the chores like feeding, training, and walking the dog. 
 
🐶 I started off by dragging him to every dog adoption and dog friendly event I could find.  I would point out all the well socialized dogs and how sweet and well behaved they were.  I would stop by all the dogs available for adoption and try to get him to interact with them.
 
🐶 I found excuses to bring him to the shelter I volunteer at, where I would point out this or that dog, how sweet and friendly they were and talk about their breed characteristics.  “This breed of dog doesn’t shed at all!” I’d say, or  “That breed of dog would be a great hiking companion!” 
 
🐶 Every time we went to the mall I’d even drag him into the puppy store pointing out all the different breeds of dog and talk about their breed traits to see if any particular breed caught his interest.  
 
Getting a pet is a big decision.  All members of the household should be in agreement on deciding if a pet is right for the family
Getting a dog is a big decision, you and your partner should both agree that getting a dog is the right decision

🐶 I watched lots of shows on Animal Planet, especially Victoria Stillwell’s It’s Me Or The Dog.  OK, so maybe that was just for me!  At first he couldn’t stand my non-stop Dog TV, but after awhile he started to watch some of the shows with me and we’d have discussions about the family and the dog in the show.  It opened up a lot of great conversations about dogs between us.

Instead of talking about how much I wanted a dog, we were talking about dogs in general.  He was slowly learning a lot about dogs, dog behavior, and how to properly train a dog.  I thought that if he could just be around more “good” dogs and learn more about dog behavior and training he would start to trust dogs and agree to get one. 
 
Months later we had gone to our local PetSmart for cat food and litter.  As with most weekends, they had a dog adoption event in the store.  There was an adorable little Rat Terrier named Malcolm for adoption.  The lady asked if we’d like to take Malcolm for a walk.  I said “Sure!”.  

Malcolm was super sweet and friendly, and so cute trotting along beside us, walking beautifully on leash.  I asked John if he wanted to hold the leash, fully expecting him to say no, but he said “OK” and began walking Malcolm!  It was the first time I had ever seen my husband walking a dog, and it was a wonderful sight.  We both really liked Malcolm a lot but my husband still wasn’t quite ready to adopt a dog.  I felt we had made great progress though, and I was encouraged.

This isn't Malcolm, but this little guy looks a lot like him

Slowly but surely John became more knowledgeable about dogs and more comfortable around them.  He started petting and saying positive things about dogs we encountered and really started to enjoy them!  It took over a year for John to agree to get a dog and when he did I was thrilled - finally! 

Getting a dog is a big decision!  Convincing a partner who doesn't want a dog takes time and patience.  You have to respect and consider the other person!
The time had finally come for us to get our first dog together!  Here she is, our sweet girl, Icy!


The strong bond between my husband and our dog is unmistakable!
This is one of my favorite photos of John and Icy.  The look of love is unmistakable.

It took a lot of time and patience on my part, but being on the same page about getting a dog and bringing home a dog that John and I both wanted was worth the wait!  Our Siberian Husky, Icy, is our first dog together.  It was shocking to see that the guy who did NOT want a dog has so much love in his heart for her! I don't think either of us can imagine life without her now. 

Two years after Icy came into our lives, I adopted Phoebe from the shelter I volunteer at and our little family grew by one more!



We adopted our second dog Phoebe about 2 years after adopting Isis and our little family grew by one more
Our darling girl Phoebe posting in our front yard.  She is such a joyful soul!

Have you had to work to convince another member of the household to get a pet?  Leave us a comment and share, we love hearing from you!

What will your pet be for Halloween?

I selected my dogs' Halloween costumes weeks ago!  This year I wanted to get them pairs costumes.  I thought about making them superheroes like Batman & Robin or Superman & Wonder Woman.  But I decided on Princess Elsa and Olaf instead!

I couldn't help picking out my dogs' Halloween costumes early, they just look so cute!

LET IT GOOOOOO!   LET IT GOOOOOOO!!

I think Elsa & her buddy Olaf make a great team!

HAVE YOU CHOSEN YOUR PET'S HALLOWEEN COSTUME YET?  LEAVE US A COMMENT & TELL US ABOUT IT, WE ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!

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SHOULD YOU LET YOUR NEW PUPPY CRY?

When you get a new puppy, there are so many things to learn.  Everyone has an opinion and everyone has “expert” advice to share, from friends and family to experienced dog trainers.  I read lots of books articles about puppy training before bringing Icy, our beautiful Siberian Husky puppy home, so I felt well prepared for Puppy Parenthood. 

Should You Let Your New Puppy Cry?  Puppy training tips, Dog training, Should I let my puppy cry in her crate at night? Puppies crying
Icy with my husband, at 12 weeks old.  She was such a little darling!


Little did I know that sometimes the "expert" puppy training advice you receive turns out not to be so smart. 

Keep Your Dog Safe With Style

You’ve no doubt bought your kids some new Back to School outfits, so why not start the season off right by getting your dog a stylish new dog tag that is not only beautiful but provides an extra level of safety if your dog ever gets lost?

PetHub pet tags help keep your pet safe!

I recently won a really cool contest on one of my favorite dog blogs, Fidose Of Reality.  I won a gift certificate to Pet Hub!  PetHub makes gorgeous pet tags in a large variety of styles that can help a lost dog or cat be reunited with their owner fast.   With my gift certificate, I chose these two beautiful tags for my dogs:

Not only are these dog tags beautiful but they provide a level of safety for your dog by including a lost pet service to help pets return home fast.

Black & White Sunday; Montauk Lighthouse

The historic Montauk Point lighthouse on Long Island is one of the oldest active lighthouses in the United States.

The Montauk Point Lighthouse in Long Island NY is said to be haunted

If interested, you can read more about the lighthouse and the dog friendly beaches that surround it here; 100 Places To See With Your Dog; Montauk, Long Island.

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Send The Dog Back To School Too

It’s that time of year again, time for leaves to fall and kids to head back to school.  Where did the Summer go!?  When the kids go back to school it creates lots of change and a bit of chaos in the household.  We humans aren’t the only ones who feel the change, our dogs feel it too!

Pets get lonely when the kids head back to school.  Why not send the dog back to school too?
 
So much is happening around the house leading up to that crazy time of year known as Back To School.  Pets can feel stressed and left out during this time, and once school starts the house can feel empty.  Your dog may get bored and lonely, which can lead to unwanted behaviors in an otherwise well behaved dog. So why not send your dog Back To School along with the kids? 

Wordless Wednesday: Bath Time Stinks!

BATH TIME STINKS!

I HATE BATH TIME!

NOTHING IS WORSE THAN BATH TIME!!


I DO LOOK AWFUL CUTE WHEN IT'S OVER THOUGH, DON'T I ?

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Wordless Wednesday: On The Long Island Sound

Looking out over the Long Island Sound in Eastern Long Island, NY on a beautiful Summer day.


 
 
 
 
 
THIS IS THE BLOGPAWS WORDLESS WEDNESDAY BLOG HOP!!
 
 
 

Doggie Belly Bomber

So my Uncle Tommy came in from Florida for the weekend and it was chaos, with old friends in and out of the house stopping by to say Hi to him.  There was so much yummy junk food and BBQ, I figured I'd see what I could scavenge from the floor and how much I could get the humans to surrender if I hit them with my very best puppy dog eyes!

Well I must have been successful 'cause the next two days I threw up a bunch of times and now I have a big bellyache.


Mom caught Auntie Janice sneaking me & Phoebe donuts and hot dog.  Boy did Auntie get a mouthful from Mom.  And I don't mean a mouthful of donut or hot dog!  Little Phoebe didn't get sick at all, I swear that dog has an iron belly!  Nothing makes her get sick in the belly.

Most people food is unhealthy for dogs and can make them sick
Come here, my pretties!  Let me give you this donut so you can puke all over Mommy's rug!

Mom says it's nothing but boiled chicken and rice for the next few days.  Apparently, our Veterinarian says that plain boiled chicken and plain rice can help calm a dog's upset tummy.  Not that I'm complaining, I kinda like plain chicken & rice!

Plain boiled chicken and rice can help alleviate a dog's upset tummy

When chicken and rice doesn't work though, it's off to the Vet we go.  Usually that means antibiotics and probably Probiotics, prescribed by the Vet.  Follow the Probiotics link to see how that went.

What do you do when your dog has a belly ache?  If you have any advice or remedies to share, please post them in the comments!  Mom always loves to hear from you!