Turkey for Your Little Turkeys

On this day of Thanksgiving, I'm sure we'll all be stuffing ourselves full of wonderful turkey and side dishes, but what about our pets? I've heard conflicting stories about whether or not it's okay to feed turkey to dogs, and, to tell you the truth, after researching the subject on the Internet, I'm still not totally sure one way or the other. On one hand, I've seen and fed my dogs brand-name foods with turkey as the main ingredient. Surely Mighty Dogs wouldn't be full of canned poison. But then again, I've heard many people say that you shouldn't give your dog turkey. So, what to believe? The only interesting tidbit of possibly reliable information that I came across was to not feed your dog the fatty portions of the turkey because it may cause pancreatitis. So, it's definitely possible that dog-food companies select the safest and best parts of the turkey to use in their foods, and that we shouldn't consider feeding a dog table scraps the same as feeding them regular dog food. That being said, it's probably best to talk to your vet about whether or not your dog should have turkey as a part of his diet. And if the answer is yes, here's a link to a recipe for turkey dog treats!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Sh*t List

Maybe I'm overcompensating for lack of posting, but I thought I would tell you about the woes of housetraining Lola. It could be that she's stubborn. It could be that we're inattentive parents. Maybe it's a combination of both. Whatever the case, this 3-month old puppy just does not want to wait till she gets outside to go potty. When we physically take her outside, she goes just fine, and we always make sure to praise her, but when she's inside, she doesn't get that she should go to the door because it's not okay to just go wherever she happens to be standing at the time. We do keep her in a crate while we're out and while she's sleeping, and I don't think she's had an accident in there for a while, so I'm pretty sure she can hold it...it's just a matter of whether or not she wants to.

Here is an abbreviated list of the places in our house where Lola has peed and/or pooped:
-Under our bed
-On our bed
-In Lily's crate
-On every inch of carpeted surface we have
-On the hardwood floor in the living room
-On the couch

and everywhere in between.

When we got Lily, as you know, she was four months old, and she took a few months to get used to going outside, so I'm hoping Lola will just grow out of it, but does anyone have any tips on how to get her to actually go to the door when she has to go?

Thanks, as always!

Fairview Park - Land of the Free

I was recently introduced to the wonder that is Fairview Park in South Fayette. We took Lily and my neighbor's goldendoodle, Winnie, on a field trip to the park one day, and they had a grand old time. If you haven't visited Fairview, I would highly recommend it, especially if you crave some off-leash time for your dog. The park is located right off of Boyce Road in South Fayette, and it basically consists of acres of fields with paths carved out through them. And this isn't some underground dog park where you have to fear being caught letting your puppy run free. In fact, the whole fielded area is know as the "free range zone" (or maybe it's free run?), and you'll most likely run into other owners and their dogs enjoying the park just the way you are. Guy and I took Lily and Lola back twice before the weather outside turned frightful, and it was well worth the 20-minute drive. Lily absolutely loves exploring on her own, and it gives us a chance to practice her recalls. It also gives Lola a chance to socialize with other dogs we meet along the way, and she can follow after her big sister.

If the weather clears up sometime in the near future, or even if it doesn't -- if you're brave enough to face the cold -- definitely take your dog(s) to Fairview Park. It's fun and, best of all, free!

Calling All Saps

I've been slacking lately. I know it. You know it. Jerod knows it. Let's build a bridge and get over it. Frankly, it's MUCH harder than I thought it would be to have two dogs. Lola is quite the yapper, and since we live in a townhouse, I can't let her get too out of hand or we'll have at least three angry neighbors.

Anyway, the purpose of this particular post is to bring your attention to a new movie being released in December that is based on the book "Marley and Me." The movie by the same name stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. I haven't read the book because I can't handle the sad ending, but I might be talked into seeing the movie. I just don't know if I can stand Owen Wilson's odd voice narrating the entire thing. And there's still that whole sad-ending thing. I'm hoping that since the trailer is playing the movie off as a happy-go-lucky dog flick, they'll just summarize the end of Marley's life with a nice little paragraph at the end...nothing too drawn out.

If you haven't see a trailer yet, here you go...
Trailer