Mornings at My House

So here's how I spend my mornings

4:40 a.m. - alarm goes off. Mom lays in bed for 10 minutes then kicks us all out of the house to the back yard.
5:10 a.m. - mom's done with the shower, but she waits for dad to finish his and won't let us in. We not so patiently wait at the back door.
5:30 a.m. - Finally mom let's us back in and we race to the bed to see her and get some much needed petting and loving
5:35 a.m. - Mom is still ignoring us as she thinks it is FAR more important to play Mafia Wars and she says we are interferring with her computer. Move to Dad, who is busy reading email on his Iphone.
5:40 a.m. - MAYBE, if we are lucky, they will finally pet us. In the meantime, we have had to entertain ourselves on the bed with toys and each other.
5:45 a.m. - frantic dressing by the parents as they get ready for work.
6:00 a.m. - woohoo - chicken jerky time! Finally something good for the day!
6:15 a.m. - like lambs being led to slaughter, mom tells us boys it's time to head to the bathroom for the day. Something about leg lifting. We race to the bathroom like fools because, like all boys, we think with our stomachs and there are some really cool chicken wraps in there for us.
6:20 a.m. - Chicken wraps eaten. Now we settle in for 10 hours in the bathroom until they come home. What WERE we thinking when we raced to the bathroom for that 5 minutes of pure bliss? Ho hum.

Next week we will talk about the evenings in our house!

Dog Slings
Dog Tutus
Dog Greeting Cards
Children’s Tutus
Children's Personalized T-Shirts
Dog Car Seats
Dog Carriers
Dog Accessories
Dog Bike Carriers
Dog Life Jackets
Personalized Dog Bowls
Dog Gifts
Breed Specific Gifts
Dog Beds
Swarovski Crystal Dog Collars

Lolliepop, the Japanese Chin (aka Ninja Warrier)

Why is it that a 3 lb. little Japanese Chin runt can kick everyone's butt! Bogie (the Boston Terrier) is a non-stop play machine, but even he wears out before this little ball of fire does! So we have nicknamed her Ninja. I swear she uses Ninja techniques on us when playing with us. Just this morning, as I was patiently trying to wait for my chicken jerky, she starts grabbing my ear and trying to haul me around the house. Something about my ears being defective (they don't stand like most chihuahua's ears do). So I not so politely pointed out to her that she is an ear reject as well since one of her ears has white on it. The horror of it all! Geez. For that, she grabbed me by my back leg and started dragging me across the bed. Some girls are just so touchy! You would think I told her she had a big butt or something!

Well that's it for my today. See you all next week!

Dog Slings
Dog Tutus
Dog Greeting Cards
Children’s Tutus
Dog Lover Pendants
Dog Car Seats
Dog Carriers
Dog Accessories
Dog Bike Carriers
Dog Life Jackets
Personalized Dog Bowls
Dog Gifts
Breed Specific Gifts
Dog Beds
Swarovski Crystal Dog Collars

BRRRRRR. It was COLD in Texas

So we just got back from a weekend dog show. Selling lots of cool things for Milo's store, but it was soooooo cold in Glen Rose, Texas. In an agricultural facility there, that had a roof but that was about it. Mom was wearing 3 pairs of socks, 2 coats, a sweatshirt, gloves, etc. etc. and still freezing. We bunkered down in a stroller with coats and were still so cold. Texas isn't supposed to be like this! Silly weather!

Hope everyone is having a great new year!


Dog Slings
Dog Tutus
Dog Greeting Cards
Children’s Tutus
Dog Lover Pendants
Dog Car Seats
Dog Carriers
Dog Accessories
Dog Bike Carriers
Dog Life Jackets
Personalized Dog Bowls
Dog Gifts
Breed Specific Gifts
Dog Beds
Swarovski Crystal Dog Collars

It has been way too long!

since we have posted here. So much has happened to us. We have new brothers and sisters. Well, one of each actually. A Japanese Chin who thinks she is a Ninja Warrior. You should see her in action! She is one tough cookie. Crazy. Then there's this Boston Terrier, Bogie, who fancies himself as a ladies' man. Problem is that the Ninja Warrier, who is onlyl 3 lbs., kicks his ass. It's the funniest thing you ever saw. This little spitfire taking on the 15 lb. Boston and winning virtually every time. But come to think of it, she kicks Milo's ass too. Seriously, do all Japanese Chins get Ninja training when they are born? They must.

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. We promise to be back here more often now that the new year has started!

Dog Slings
Dog Tutus
Dog Greeting Cards
Children’s Tutus
Dog Lover Pendants
Dog Car Seats
Dog Carriers
Dog Accessories
Dog Bike Carriers
Dog Life Jackets
Personalized Dog Bowls
Dog Gifts
Breed Specific Gifts
Dog Beds
Swarovski Crystal Dog Collars

Dog Quotes

I think I'm going to start a new "feature" on this blog - dog quotes. I mean what is more important than a dog anyway? We are cooler than cool, you know.

• He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever - in case I need him. And I expect I will - as I always have. He is just my dog." - Gene Hill

www.caitlyns-k9.com

Someone finally understands my worth!

from the L.A. Times....

Chihuahuas top the list of most lavished dog breeds
1:18 PM, May 13, 2008

The size of a dog is apparently no indication of how much owners are willing to spend on it. Chihuahuas, the pint-size dog favored by celebutantes like Paris Hilton, topped the list of breeds that people spend the most money on, according to a study by a British insurance company. The Baltimore Sun's blog Mutts breaks it down:

Chihuahuas -- the breed favored by Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (who reportedly once treated her dog Bitbit to a $180 steak at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas) -- cost their owners about $197,000 each, much of that presumably in clothing, jewelry and other luxuries. The labrador, by comparison, has about $60,000 spent on it in the course of its life.

The study surveyed 3,000 dog owners in Great Britain and looked at the amount spent for vets, food, grooming, kennels and insurance, spread over the breed's average life expectancy. On average, the study said, a dog owner spends about $62,000 during its lifetime.

"Today's household pets are treated more like members of the family, and this attitude is reflected in the amount owners spend on their pets' lifestyle," Mike Pickard, head of pet insurance at esure, which conducted the study, tells the UK Daily Record.

The biggest expense of owning a dog, according to the study? Vet bills, followed by food and kennels.

And now, the company's list of the top 20 costliest breeds:

1. Chihuahua
2. Greyhound
3. Mastiff
4. Boxer
5. English setter
6. Doberman pinscher
7. Golden retriever
8. Poodle
9. Dalmatian
10. Great Dane
11. Whippet
12. Border collie
13. Dachshund
14. Pug
15. Bulldog
16. Beagle
17. Rhodesian ridgeback
18. Labrador
19. Spaniel
20. Jack Russell

www.caitlyns-k9.com

Pet Obession at an all Time High According to Yahoo

from www.yahoo.com
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Andrea ThompsonLiveScience Staff WriterLiveScience.com Mon Oct 22, 8:25 AM ET

Whether they bark, meow, squeak, chirp or hiss, pets are treasured household members for most Americans at some point, and recent surveys show more and more people are welcoming animals into their homes and treating them as family.

Two-thirds of American households (about 71.1 million) have at least one pet, according to a survey of pet owners conducted last year by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. That number was an increase from the 56 percent of households that owned a pet in 1988, the first year the survey was conducted.

And 45 percent of pet owners have more than one pet, according to American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals science advisor Stephen Zawistowski.

There is now a "huge rise in the number of pets" in the United States, said Humane Society spokesperson Stephanie Shain.

These pets, especially cats and dogs, are also increasingly considered to be an essential part of a family, with U.S. pet owners spending more time and money (estimated at nearly $41 billion in 2007) on the health and happiness of their pets in recent years. Things that would once have seemed extravagant—doggy daycares, pet cemeteries, and an expanding array of pet surgeries and treatments—are now as common as, well, the family dog.

Family members

While owning a pet is almost the norm today, in eras past, it was a luxury, says Alan Beck, a veterinary professor with Purdue University's Center for the Human-Animal Bond. While farmers may have kept cats to rid their barns of mice and dogs to herd or help with hunting, keeping an animal solely as a companion was something for which only the wealthy had the free time and disposable income.

But as the American middle class emerged and grew in the 20th century, all of that changed and pets, like cars and TV sets, became something that anyone could have.

"More people have discretionary time, discretionary income," Beck said. "So you don't have to be one of the upper echelon to have a pet."

Pet ownership in America really began to take off after World War II, Zawistowski said, as families not only earned more income, but began to move to the suburbs, where they had more room to keep pets.

Adding to this was the changing notion of what constituted the typical American family, which was shaped by how families were portrayed on TV and in the movies. In addition to a mom, dad and kids, these fictional families had a dog and cat, sending the message that pets were an essential part of home life.

"These all started to create the image of what the American household, or the American home, was supposed to look like" Zawistowski said.

Pets aren’t just a part of the household like the TV or computer is—they are more and more thought of as full-fledged family members. Beck said that 40 percent of people who keep pictures of their spouse and children in their wallet also keep pictures of their pets, "because it is a member of the family."

There's also the strong sense of grief many owners feel when a pet dies, plus the consoling response of family and friends.

"It's very much accepted that it's a real loss," Shain said.

Pet owners can now to keep their pet's ashes in an urn or purchase a headstone or marker in a pet cemetery, and friends and co-workers can send a condolences card from Hallmark.

"In some ways, an event is culturally relevant when Hallmark makes a card," Zawistowski said.
Societal acceptance

Pets are increasingly recognized by society as an important part of their owners' lives. This is particularly the case with dogs, as more opportunities have cropped up to make it easier to keep a canine companion.

The problem of what to do with a dog while the owner is at work now has several solutions: More businesses are allowing people to bring their dogs to work (the Humane Society just instituted such a policy), doggy daycares are springing up and people are increasingly allowed to telecommute or work from home.

Some stores and bars even allow dogs to accompany their owners inside.

"We're allowing dogs more and more into our lives in places where they absolutely didn't used to be allowed," Shain said.

Television shows on networks such as Animal Planet that focus on pets also serve to reinforce the norm of having a pet, Beck added.

Veterinary care

Additional key factors in the proliferation of pet owners are improvements in veterinary care and the development of products that make caring for all types of pets easier, particularly fish, birds and reptiles, which formerly required highly specialized knowledge for their care and feeding.

"We understand now more than ever how pets work," Shain said.

Veterinary medicine has expanded, with specialties devoted to particular animals and disease types (such as cancers). Vets have also developed a better understanding of many of the common diseases that plague pets.

"Our knowledge has grown, we know more about what it takes to do a good job of keeping our pets happy and healthy, and that has in turn led to them living longer, which has resulted in them having other needs," Zawistowski said.

Now there are options to treat diseases and ailments that 20 years ago would have necessitated putting the animal to sleep, Zawistowski said. Vets can perform more complicated surgeries, pets with broken limbs can have them mended and chemotherapy can be performed on cats with cancer or dialysis on those with kidney problems (two common feline ailments).

Because these options are available, people are now willing to spend thousands of dollars to treat their pets and keep them alive, whereas in the past they would have simply put them to sleep.
With pets living longer, owners are paying more attention to what they feed pets and issues such as dental care. For instance, dogs used to die earlier, so it didn't matter as much that their teeth started falling out around the age of 7 or 8, but now, with some dogs living upwards of 15 years, those teeth become important to a dog's long-term health.

These needs also have led to a proliferation of pet foods and treats aimed at keeping pets
healthy, though most owners tend not to go for the really fancy stuff, Zawistowski said.

Pet economy

Pet stores and products tailored to pets are certainly more of a modern invention, with the first true pet stores emerging after World War II. The availability of pet food and other basic care items made owning a pet much easier.

Before the 1950s and the advent of cat litter, for example, keeping a cat in the house was something of a stinky proposition. Litter boxes were literally just that, wooden boxes filled with sand that the cats could do their business in, but it did little to keep the smell at bay.
"It used to be more of a do-it-yourself thing. There wasn't really a store that you went to and bought cages and food and things," Zawistowski said

Some of the recent increase in pet products beyond the basic necessities comes from a recognition that pets need things besides food, water and some affection. For instance, it's good for dogs to go to the groomer and for cats to have toys to play with.

"It's no longer considered a luxury for dogs to go the groomer," Shain said.

Though the pet industry has led to more high-end products, such as designer doggy clothes and carriers and cat spas, the majority of pet owners don't go in for those luxuries. Most of the money spent on pets, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association survey, goes to food, veterinary care and basic supplies.

But even with all the advances that have made owning a pet easier, there's still one main reason why people get a pet.

"The most fundamental thing … when people have done studies of 'Why do you want to have a pet?', it's for companionship," Zawistowski said.
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