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DIY Dog Wash @PetValu

September 3, 2014 by

Some of you might follow me on Instagram and Facebook. If so you’ll see that one of our family members rejoined us. Sam the dog left us 2 years ago and circumstances arose that brought him back. We had a little adjustment period but he slid right back into his spot in our home.

Not much has changed. He loves running, balls, chasing cats and rabbits and cuddling like he’s a lap dog. Unfortunately something happened while he was gone and I don’t feel 100% comfortable with him around strangers. The day after he came home we took him for a check up and he snapped at the Vet and the Assistant. This also meant he’s labeled as an aggressive dog. That makes me sad. He’s far from aggressive. I’m thinking it was more of a trust issue and a lot of changes in a 24-hour period.

This also means taking him to the groomers for a bath heightens my anxiety.  We haven’t done it yet but that’s ok because we found a neighborhood pet store, Pet Valu that has the greatest dog wash station in the back of their store.DIY Dog Wash @PetValu

DIY Dog Wash @PetValu

I consider Pet Valu more of a boutique pet store. You won’t find animals for sale for one thing. Stay out of those places. BUT ours did have cats from the local no-kill animal shelter that were up for adoption. The cats didn’t like Sam.

Pet Valu seems to have a different approach to pets. They seem that as part of the family not just animals we’ve brought into the home. The selection of toys, food, care items and toys are a higher quality than what I find in other stores.

The dog wash center was amazing. We found 3 clean, large, tiled tubs with sprayers, towels and toiletries are available to whoever wants to bathe their own dogs. Sam is a 70lb lab mix. Bathing him in our home isn’t fun.  These tubs were off the ground so the process was so easy.  He was relaxed and let Rob do the washing, rinsing and drying with no problems.  All of this for just $10. They provide the water, shampoo, towels and dryers. You have to supply your own comb or brush. We even borrowed a rubber apron to keep kinda dry.DIY Dog Wash @PetValu

DIY Dog Wash @PetValu

Imagine taking your dogs to the local park and they jump into the pond. They smell terrible afterwards. Take your dog directly to Pet Valu for a bath.

Check out your own Pet Valu to see if this service is available to you.




All I Needed Was a Bath #WW

April 3, 2012 by

Here we go again. Only last week we showed off our new dog Rocky but we are back this week to show you our new new dog Coco (not really a boy’s name). He’s a rescue, about 4 years old and very very playful. When I picked him up he smelled horrible and was matted down. It’s amazing what a bath and haircut will do for a dog’s appearance and personality.

matted dog, max
shaggy dog, dog needs a bath
dog after a bath and haircut, all cleaned up




The Truth Comes Out

March 30, 2012 by

Last Saturday Rob spent hours talking to Rocky’s previous owner about his past and life and the care that she provided him.  She made mention that he isn’t fond of men but Rob figured he would spoil the dog rotten and all would be good over time.  Over the next couple days as we requested vet records and witnessed Rocky growling at everything that moved we realized his apprehension of men was a lot more serious.

Rocky is wanting to get in our bed

We decided to take Rocky to the vet, get him up to date on his shots, get tested for virus and worms and immediately start his preventative medications.  We bought him a new bed, new food, new leash, new snacks and invested in a Thundershirt to help with his fears and anxiety.  Here we are almost a week later, he’s not much better with Rob but he’s  still working to gain his trust. Rocky on the other hand has taken a liking to Shae and is using her as his personal pillow.

Rocky napping with Shae

Last night we get a message from his previous owner fessing up about Rocky’s past.  He was physically and emotionally abused, she only had him for 2 months and didn’t provide any medical care.  She lied to us because she thought we wouldn’t take him. DUH!!!!!  Had we known how damaged he was we wouldn’t have done it.  Call us selfish but after dealing with Sam and his extreme anxiety and various medical conditions we were completely drained just after 3 months.  The choice to rehoming him was the best decision but I couldn’t deal with letting go of another dog.

dealing with an abused dog, gaining a dog's trust

Rocky showing a little personality as he plays with a toy

The shocker here is the lady said she wants Rocky back!   No way in freaking hell is she getting her hands on him.  We’ve committed to working with Rocky and making him understand that not all men are going to hurt him.  While it bums Rob up when Rocky won’t sit with him Rob knows it’s going to take some time.

 




Instant Doggy Door Tutorial

November 10, 2011 by

I’m crafty!  Today I’m going to show you how to make your own doggy door. It’s really quite simple and just takes a couple minutes and some needed supplies.

  • 1 Standard Screen Door
  • 1 Hyper Active, Jumptastic, Super Excited Dog

Instructions
Let the dog outside. Close the screen door. Let an infrequent visitor; in our case my mother, walk into the house. Be sure the dog gets a glimpse of her and let him plow right through the screen. Viola, instant doggy door.

instant doggy door

dog ripping though screen door
Easy Peasy







I Disclose




He’s not a little boy

November 8, 2011 by

When Sam came home on August 22nd he was little. I mean he’s a big dog but in comparison to his size today he was just a little thing. In less than 3 months he’s gained about 20lbs.

He thinks he’s little though. Rob gets down to his level and calls him over and Sam literally jumps in his lap and wraps his paws around his neck. It’s like they are long lost lovers and need to get in the last fleeting moments of affection. When I call him over to scratch his head he slowly slides his entire body onto the sofa and what was supposed to be a quick cuddle turns into a wrestling match so he doesn’t overtake the entire piece of furniture.

His young age is quite deceiving to us; especially me. When we take him anywhere in my minivan he has to sit all the way in the back, sort of the truck. But he’s still on the short side; too short to jump higher than the bumper to get in the car. Each time we go anywhere I have to lift him to get in the car; it amazes me how heavy he is. It’s an awkward and sloppy maneuver but we do it. Rob tries to weigh him on the scale but he’s too clumsy to stand on all fours in such a small spot. Soon we’re going to need to find one of those floor scales for sale just so I can keep track of his rapid weight gain.

The vet isn’t too sure how big he’s gonna get but it doesn’t matter; Sam thinks he’s a lap dog.

I Disclose




I Have a Shadow

November 3, 2011 by

good boy Sam

I have a shadow. You may have met him already or even noticed his picture above. His name is Sam and he’s our lab/boxer mix puppy. He doesn’t leave my side. I walk room to room and he’s right behind me. I sit and he’s at my feet or his head is resting on my lap. He literally follows me “like a puppy dog”. It’s been a hard road the last couple months with him though. We’ve had countless conversations about the time involved taking care of him, the cost of taking care of him, splitting up the duties to care for him and the everything in between. There have also been some discussions about getting rid of him. Some days he was just TOO MUCH to handle along with the kids, our schedules and everyday life.

The other day was the last straw. The kids weren’t helping, the dog wasn’t listening and I had enough. We told the kids that he was leaving; we had found a family that was going to give him a good home. They were bummed and said they would help. The next morning I was doing the dishes and Shae was bringing her dishes over; I asked her to hand me her plate she said, “No I’ll do it myself”. She proceeded to put it in the dishwasher then said, “I helped you mom, can we keep Sam now”. My heart broke. Shae wakes up each morning and greats Sam with a face rub and a, “my little buddy”.

spoiled brat surrounded by toys


Sam has some separation anxiety we have to deal with and some puppy behaviors that hopefully he’ll outgrow but the decision has been made. We love him, he loves us and he’s part of the family, for good.