Rusty's New Friend Penny

Oh, Rusty. He's always dealing with some new friend. Ok, so we were sort of on hiatus for awhile trying to get stuff done but what happens to come along but:

A PUPPY!!! Meet Penny from Pet Project Rescue. She's with us for two weeks minimum and she's so stinkin' adorable. She's a puppy of course, so she's learning not to nip and how to run and climb stairs and follow Rusty.

She learns quickly following Rusty everywhere... Yep, and even tries to imitate him! It's pretty cute!

And this is the worst picture I've taken of her... she runs and runs and runs and runs... And then like a puppy, totally crashes into a deep puppy nap. SO STINKIN' CUTE.

How To Clean Dog Vomit

1. Pick it up with a bar towel or dish towel.

2. Throw it in laundry basin. Worry about that later.

3. Scream an expletive as dog vomits again. ON CARPET. LESS THAN TWO INCHES FROM A CEMENT FLOOR.

4. Throw dog outside.

5. Remember that dog vomited outside which is why you brought it inside so it wouldn't eat puke.

6. Turn on faucet outside.

7. Hose puke into driveway and under fence.

8. Go inside.

9. Open beer.

10. Scrub carpet with brush and Nature's Miracle.

11. Take a deep breath.

12. Finish beer.

13. Return to laundry tub, shake out vomit and throw into washing machine.

14. Get another beer.

15. Get out bar towels/dish towels for next time.

16. Let dog inside if you dare.

P.S. Foster dog is sick. Not Rusty. Well, actually Rusty does have a hot spot, but that doesn't need instructions to take care of. Yet.

Worms. Gross.

Only two months after we adopted Rusty he somehow obtained hookworm (and he had mange, we referred to him after that as "our mangey mutt").

Gross. AND he was such a good dog, that's the ONLY time he's ever relieved himself inside of our house.

Hookworm is disgusting. It gave him diarrhea for a week. And it was seriously exploding diarrhea. He had to eat cottage cheese and rice for a week and a half. Oh, and we had to give him doggy kaopectate so his stomach would calm down. GROSS. I'm telling you, that was practice for having kids.

However, when we chose a Heartworm product, we decided to go with Interceptor that covered 4 different types of worms. Why? Well, because we didn't want to have to deal with Hookworm again. Interceptor covers the following worms:

Heartworm (100% effective)
Hookworm (97% effective)
Roundworm (97% effective)
Whipworm (97% effective)

It's about $9 per month, but if you buy a year's supply, the pharmaceutical company generally offers some sort of rebate.

But there's different types of solutions for different families. We also looked at Revolution. It can control the following in canines:

Heartworms, fleas, some ticks, ear mites and scabies mites.

But there's also some drawbacks to Revolution as well. There's side effects:

• vomiting
• diarrhea
• lack of appetite
• lethargy
• drooling
• muscle tremors
• rapid breathing
• itchiness
• swelling
• incoordination
• fever

But Revolution doesn't cover Hookworm or Roundworm. Instead, you'd have to do de-worming treatments (they're not that bad, we've been through de-worming treatments with foster dogs). Revolutions also doesn't protect against all ticks (but what medication really does anyway?).

So we also use Frontline to help prevent fleas/ticks. It's worked. And how do I know? Because I picked off about 50 fleas from Rusty the night that he came home. That very night I put on Frontline and the little buggers started jumping off his nose.

How do you kill a flea? Well, you get a flea comb, pick them out one by one (with the help of a few beers) and then drown them in a bowl of water. And then vacuum. And vacuum and vacuum.

So that's the story of flea and tick and heartworm preventative in our house. Two medicines to help prevent the worst and most annoying bugs and parasites. Yuck. 

But ask your vet what's right for you and do your research. Find out the good and the bad about it all.

Oh, and there's also more natural ways of prevention too. Neem oil is one of those if you're interested in googling!

Interesting Dog Food Grading Linky

Click here to do it for your dog food.

I'm at work though, so I don't have the bag in front of me. I'll have to do it this afternoon.

Also, if you're interested Natura Pet Foods was bought out by P&G. These brands include Innova, California Naturals, EVO, Karma and Mother Nature. Here's some news and updates. Also, since they've been bought out, keep checking your food labels to see if they've made any changes to their formula, they say it's staying the same, though you never know what happens.

The Dog Likes His Socks

So randomly you'll find socks all around the house. Near a door.

Ok, you might find two socks... like they're supposed to be together (but really they're not...)

He'd take them outside with him if he could. He's a strange dog that way. Never actually chews on them, but enjoys socks.

What a goonie...

Frito Feet

Do you ever smell your dog's feet?

Embarrassingly, I do. And Rusty's smell like Fritos.

I've never really thought much about it - but here's a possible explanation.

Interesting, right?

The Goon in The Garden

He loves to lay and sleep in the cool dirt.

And listen for chipmunks.

And sunbathe.

And seriously look for squirrels in the neighbor's trees and in the vines.

P.S. Do you see the silver car in the back? It's Bimmer Man's loaner. It's like a 1983 BMW 5 series. It's pretty much as old as me. It's retro and I think it's awesome.

Ahhh... Rusty... He's starting to get some gray hair and I feel sorta bad because he's only about 2 1/2.

When are dogs supposed to go gray? When do they normally start going gray?

Do they make hair club for dogs???

Rusty's Favorite Toys

Premier Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug, Medium/Large

Premier Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Dog Toy

Premier Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble Dog Toy

KONG Extreme Dog Toy, Large, Black

KONG Wet Wubba Dog Toy, Large, Colors Vary

Nylabone Durable Chicken Souper

Big Butt Rusty

Ah... my dog's rear end is bigger than mine.

The MONSTER Sleeps

We have dog beds all over the house and with fosters I generally have to drag two dog beds all over the house with me wherever I end up so that each dog has a dog bed.

Now Rusty can have a dog bed in every room and I don't have to drag them around with me anymore. Ahh... Rusty sleeps when there's no foster to play with... Don't you just want to curl up on the dog bed with him and take a nap? He looks so comfy!

Fun Friday Foto

Cora and Rusty. Sleeping on the couch. Cora's favorite thing was to sleep on Rusty.
In the car, on the couch downstairs, on a random dog bed, in the backyard. If Rusty was laying down, Cora would lay right on him.

And This Is What Rusty Has Been Up To

Well, it's supposed to be a video of Rusty with his favorite toy, however, I cannot find the linky thingy to put a video up. So I have to figure this out!

Mario is going to be on TV!!

He's almost as famous as the Rusty MONSTER from last year's Grand Old Day (the ONLY day of the year that you can have dogs at Billy's on Grand, so we HAD to bring him with us for a beer!).

So, make sure you watch Twin Cities Live on Channel 5which I'm pretty sure it's at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. The video of it will probably be up after, so I'll make a link to that too.

Mario did well, though me, well, I'm not so sure about that one! You'll be able to pick me out pretty easily - the foster mom in a black shirt with blond hair. At least I put some make up on! HAHA!

Mario & Rusty In The Yard

Floppy Ears

I'm a sucker for the floppy ears.

Mario has got those sweet eyes and ears down to a science for getting a carrot.

Mario

Isn't this black lab adorable? He's Rusty's new foster brother from Pet Project Rescue. He's just fantastic (though about to be MUCH better after his neuter tomorrow!). He knows how to sit and is in the process of being crate trained. I can tell that he was an outdoor dog and probably a hunting dog (because he barks when he sees birds and rabbits... plus he sits automatically and waits for the command to go, which I haven't figured out yet). He's wonderful with Rusty and loves to play fetch.

So if you're looking for a retriever that actually retrieves who's probably about 2 1/2 or 3, you can apply for Mario with Pet Project Rescue!

Need Some Kong Stuffing Ideas?

Then click here!

Rusty LOVES peanut butter but it's high in fat so I don't want to give him too much. The link goes to LOTS and LOTS of ideas besides peanut butter that you can stuff and then freeze to keep your dog entertained for hours.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Just Hangin' Out