My Tail Hurts From Wagging So Much

Twitter, Twitter, Tweet!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Fri, 08 May 2015 20:33:00 +0000

Hey all!

Just a quick update.

For those of you who follow us on Twitter, you might be wondering what's going on -- no more @Toby_Pup?!

Yes, and no.

Let me explain.

When we started out on Twitter it was just for fun, and I didn't even have a blog, never mind work in the industry. So, I used Toby's name.

But, as I got more involved in the pet industry, and started tweeting about overall pet industry issues, including marketing and business items, it became clear we needed a change.

You might have noticed that we still have the same photo, but now our Twitter handle is @PetBizMichelle. It just more accurately reflects what our feed is about.

I hope you will still join us!

And, don't forget to join us on Facebook and Instagram! Oh, and stay tuned, there are a lot more changes/projects coming up. Can't wait to share. :)

Dog Training: Tricks Training

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 00:19:00 +0000

We spent the majority of yesterday -- five hours to be exact -- at the local kennel club at a tricks class.

What a ball! But, also a lot of work. I know my brain hurt by the end, and I am pretty sure Maddux felt the same way.

He is used to being around a lot of people, but he has a new habit of wanting to bark at everyone, and every dog, he meets, because he wants to play and get their attention.

It is habit, we really need to break. And, quickly.

The class itself was great, even for a beginner like me. There were a lot of experienced dog trainers and hobbiests in the class, and Maddux was by-far the youngest and I was by-far the least experienced.

We started with simple things like touch, targeting and praising them, and then moved on to harder things. She also made us use clickers, which while I know about, I have never used.

The good part? The trainers all said Maddux will be wonderful for teaching tricks, because he is smart, is a dog that always needs something to do and is super smart.

The bad part? I was getting just as confused as he was with what to do. So, I need to work on my training. It is something I never did with Toby, or our dog growing up.

So, this sure is going to be an adventure.

I didn't get to take a lot of photos, but I did get pictures of this....

Done laughing yet? Go ahead and take a few minutes to get it out of your system.

Yes, I know it is pretty funny, so let me explain. The goal of the trick was to have them sit and then throw rings around their neck. Well, once Maddux got comfortable with the rings, he wanted to put this whole body through the ring, and wear it like a dog tutu.

It was very funny.

Do you work with your dogs on tricks? Any tips or advice?

Ear Infection

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 11:08:00 +0000

Maddux hasn't been acting right the past couple of days, but I wasn't sure exactly what was wrong, until two days ago.

He kept scratching his ear, which I thought was odd, but then I smelled it. Whoa. Not a good smell, and this was after his bath.

Luckily, I was going to New Jersey for work, so it worked out well. A quick trip to the vet and we learned he has a bad bacterial yeast infection.

It's nothing a little ear watch and daily medicine can't take care of in 7-10 days. With floppy ears, this pretty much comes with the territory.

He must be the only dog that likes going to the vet. He is calm, runs in the door and get right in the vets face and sniffs. But, more on that in another post.

After the vet, I made a quick stop to let him pick out a toy since he did so well at the vet.

Doggie Daycare Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 04:30:00 +0000

We visited our first doggie day care in the area today.

In a nutshell, Toby couldn't wait to leave and Maddux had a ball. Toby couldn't jump into my car fast enough and Maddux refused to get in. As my aunt said today when I told her about it, "it pretty much sums up their personalities."

Both of them however, were exhausted.

They haven't really barked, or moved, since we came back. I did notice they are both moving a lot slower and Toby's legs are bothering him a lot tonight. He had a very hard time going outside.

You might be asking why does someone who works remotely and can stay at home with their dogs all day need doggie daycare.

I thought it would be a great socialization and separation anxiety exercise for them. Today was just a trial, where we introduced them to the facility as well as the other dogs and people there. They were there for about two hours.

We are going to check out a few others, too so they have a little variety. It won't be a daily thing, but it will be something we do maybe every week or two weeks.

Do you put your dog in doggie daycare?

Puppy's First Beach Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 18:37:00 +0000

One of the benefits of where I live is that I am pretty much walking distance to the the lake's public beaches, including a dog beach.

Maddux got to experience that benefit today for the first time, as me, Toby and our friends Jen and Jenks spent a few hours at the beach on this absolutely beautiful Spring day!

He wasn't exactly sure what to make of it, but that could have been because he was super tired from not sleeping well the night before and a long walk earlier this morning.

Getting him to listen, was, well, a total nightmare. It was like he had never been to a training class in his life and didn't know what he word sit was.

Toward the end I finally got him to listen a little and snapped this cute photo to mark his first beach trip.

As cute as that one is, the ones of Jenks photobombing might be even better.

Jenks had such a fun time playing in the lake, despite there still being some ice on it.

It's so refreshing to be outside again! How was your day?

Toby's First National Siblings Day

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 21:39:00 +0000

Yay! It's the first time Toby gets to celebrate National Siblings Day!

I guess that's actually not completely true. He has had bird, tortoise and fish siblings, but this is the first time he has a dog sibling!

Does your pet have siblings?

My Stomach Bug Nurses

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 21:35:00 +0000

What a week!

Things started out excellent. A fun Easter on Sunday and then took the day off Monday to attend Yankees Opening Day.

That afternoon things started to go downhill. At first I really didn't think anything of the slight headache and slightly upset tummy I had on Monday afternoon, but that evening chills and more started.

Yup, I had the dreaded stomach bug that was going around. My Dad had it for four days, and stayed in NJ to take care of him, and we learned later that he likely caught it from my mom at the nursing home. Both of whom, I was around for the past week.

The timing with work was horrible. Like really, really horrible. So on top of feeling crappy from the stomach bug, I was feeling terrible for having to miss two days of important meetings.

I finally started to feel somewhat better Thursday evening, and just started to eat a little again yesterday. Yes, the good side effect was losing about 8 pounds, but still, it wasn't exactly the way I would want to do it.

Through it all, these two bugs were by my side the whole time.

When they weren't snuggled with me under the covers, they would take turns sitting with me while I worked.

This is pretty normal for Toby. I get the least bit upset about anything and he immediately clings to me, but this was the first time I have been really sick, sick since getting Maddux.

They were both so cute and comforting, and given how miserable I was feeling and upset I was about work, the comforting was much needed.

How do your dogs act when you are sick?

Opening Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 13:39:00 +0000

It's here! It's here! Opening Day of baseball!

Being a baseball fan, this is a super big deal. It's something I have wanted to go to forever, but either I couldn't take the day off, or I couldn't get reasonable tickets.

Not this year.

I got reasonable tickets, and I took the day off. So excited.

Although the dogs can't come with me, I did put them in their Yankees jersey this morning and took photos!

As you can tell, I am a Yankees fan, but really, I just like the sport overall. Do you follow baseball? What's your favorite team?

Easter Antics

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 16:50:00 +0000

Happy Easter!

Boy did we have fun today. First of all, it is also Toby's gotcha day. Not Easter, but April 5. Seven years ago today I brought home this little bug and life was never the same.

Yeah, I made him wear this yesterday in the store and almost bought it for him, but in reality, it really didn't fit him well.

I made the boys an Easter basket with a cute bag of plastic egg dog toys and stuffed toys that look like chocolate Easter bunnies.

Then, came the fun!

My Dad held the boys while I arranged the eggs and then we let them loose! It was hilarious! Here are some photos, and there is video on our Facebook page.

How was your Easter?

Saturday Morning Sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 21:50:00 +0000

There was a bright thing in the sky this morning. It was something I haven't seen in a while.

THE SUN!!!!!!

It was absolutely beautiful. The only problem? Super windy. But, I'll take it.

Now that the warm weather is here we have been going for morning walks, and even sometimes an after-work walk too. The benefit of working from home -- your commute time turns into dog-walk/exercise time, and you get to start your day super refreshed without the stress of sitting in an hour, or more, of traffic.

As you can see, they have been walking pretty darn well together on the leash. I like to kerep them close to me, so the double leash has worked better, even though I did buy a dual leash.

Sometimes Toby gets tired, or I have to correct one of them, so right now this is just easier.

After our walk, I did some training with Maddux, which I slacked off on while traveling, but we have to get back into it.

We were pracitcing "leave it" in the photro below. And, even Toby got in on the action. OK, yes, he really just wanted some treats.

After that, the two boys laid on the front porch in the sun, and then retreated to the couch when there were no more rays beaming through those windows.

I am so in love with them. Toby and I went shopping this afternoon, but you will have to wait till tomorrow to find out what we bought -- and what I made Toby wear.

How was your Saturday?

Early Gotcha Day Shopping Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 05:23:00 +0000

Toby's Gotcha Day is April 5, which this year happens to be Easter. So, to celebrate, and because I had a coupon, and we needed to pick up food, I took him on a little shopping trip to Petco last night.

Because I had to pick up so much stuff, it was the first time he rode in the cart and it was so adorable!

I told him he could pick out anything he wanted as an early Gotcha Day present.

He looked at some toys that were on sale.

Then he took a spin around the aquatics department.

And, then went back to look at more toys .

But, in the end he decided on two cute little goldfish!

They are now living very happily on the kitchen counter.

Spring Walk Time

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 16:37:00 +0000

So excited! Last night was the first time it was both warm enough, and light enough, out to take the dogs for a walk after work.

I don't know about where you are, but I sure am sick of the winter. I mean, it snowed earlier this week when I was in New Jersey for work. Crazy!

The other exciting thing? Toby and Maddux did pretty well walking on a leash together. It only took 5 months, but, hey, at least it's happening.

What's the weather like where you are?

A Progressively Sleepy Puppy

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 18:07:00 +0000

Maddux just cannot keep his eyes open!

Maddux's First Sleepover and Hockey Game

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 04:21:00 +0000

Last night we went to visit my friend Jen and her dog, Jenks. Toby has been to her place before, but not Maddux.

We took Maddux and Jenks to the Albany Deviil's Pucks N' Paws event, where the dogs can attend the hockey game, and proceeds go to support a local rescue group. It was so much fun!

Not only was it fun, but it was also a good experience for Maddux. The more experiences he has as a puppy, the better. He was so good --sitting on my lap for the whole game, and going great in Jen's car with Jenks.

Speaking of Jenks, Maddux loves him. It was so cute to watch him want to play with him. At night, he even wanted to snuggle with him.

It was also Maddux's first sleep over. I really did not realize this fact until after him, Toby and I were driving to Jen's. While he has been doing pretty well at home and my Dad's, he is still 6-month-old puppy.

He did fabulous! Going to Jen's was like second nature to him. He quickly adjusted to her place and made himself totally comfortable.

Although I did crate him when we went out to dinner and breakfast, he was out with us the rest of the time, and had no accidents and did grerat.

It likely helped that Toby was with him at Jen's and that e had previously met both of them, but I was still prretty impressed at how chill he was.

Maddux aka Bubba Is Playing in the Puppy Bowl

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Tue, 06 Jan 2015 03:43:00 +0000

We have some super exciting news to share! Maddux is in the starting lineup for Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl. And, if you play their fantasy game, he is also draftable!

That is his starting line up photo.

And, here he is on the fantasy page.

And, if you go to create a teram, you can draft him!

You might notice he has a different name. His original name was Bubba, but we changed it to Maddux.

I will hopefully be able to share more detail, soon, but for now head on over to Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl page, and draft your team, as well as check out all the puppies in the starting line up!

Maddux's First Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 04:46:00 +0000

Christmas time wirth Toby is so much fun. He absolutely loves to open presents. So, this year, having two little dogs able to open presents made me super excited.

It was also Maddux's first Christmas, literally, not just with us. While Toby was born in December, we did not get him until April. Maddux, however, was born in June, so he got to celebrate his first Christmas with us.

That is a lot of pressure!

As you can see from the photos, I think he has lots of fun. I know his brother Toby did!

There is really cute video of them opening their first presents on our Facebook page, too. At first Maddux had no clue what to do. Then, Toby would open the present and Maddux would take it and move it out of the way to go play with it.

It was super cute.

How was your Christmas?

Bedtime

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Sun, 21 Dec 2014 20:27:00 +0000

Growing up, my Mom's dog Zookie was never allowed on the bed. Technically, she wasn't allowed on the furniture either, but as she was well into her teens that changed, because my mom would let her sit with one of us.

When I got Toby, I was still living full-time at my Dad's and I'm not sure when it was allowed, but I'd say after a erg short amount of time Toby was allowed up on the couch -- whether we were sitting on it or not. He was always slept in his crate until after he was neutered. It was about the same time he could sleep through the night, and that was when my bed became his.

With Maddux, he was pretty well crate-trained when I got him, and after two months with me, he is pretty well housebroken, too. Some accidents, but not many. The test for me was a week withou accidents while he was out and then we would try letting him sleep in bed with me and Toby.

Well, that time was a few days ago. I was ridiculously nervous (is anyone surprised at that, really...lol) but everything seems to be going super well!

They are still trying to figure out exactly how to sleep, but that's fine. Toby usually sleeps curled in between my stomach and my chest, or leghnth wise wth his leg on my leg and his paws around it.

The first night Maddux slept at my feet. It worked well. But then the second night, he had to touching me and Toby so he layed between my face and Toby's butt. Last night, he curled in on the other side of Toby between him and my leg/stomach.

I'm sure they will figure it out, but it's going a lot better than I thought it would. I tried to document the milestone, but try photographing a black dog in a dark toon and on brown sheets. So, here's my best shot....

For his part, Maddux has slept through the night and, it seems like, loves snuggling and sleeping in the bed.

If you let your pets sleep with you, when did you start letting them?

Wordless Wednesday: Holiday Puppy

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 05:12:00 +0000

Snuggly Maddux

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 17:16:00 +0000

I always say that Maddux is not very snuggly.

This happened last night, and of course proves me wrong.

He fell asleep in the top position for about an hour, and then moved into the other two positions half asleep in the duration of about 10 minutes. I was trying not to laugh and wake him up, but he was pretty funny.

It's Starting to Look A Lot Like Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 00:46:00 +0000

As many of you know, I am not a big fan of dog clothing, but on a Black Friday trip to a pet store, I found some wearable items at a deep discount that I thought would make hilarious photos, which I am a big fan of.

Getting them to stay still for these photos required my dad's help in some cases. But, the ridiculous amount I spent on these items were well worth it.

Hope you enjoy these as much I did!

I also bought them these collars, which try will be wearing throughout the holiday season. (More accurately likely, St. Patrick's Day when I remember to take them off)

Maddux has on the red and Toby is wearing the green right now. But, I can't get them to stay still for a photo! :)

Kurgo's Surf n Turf Dog Coat

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 14:50:00 +0000

We recently had the opportunity to select a Kurgo item to review. We chose their Surf n Turf life vest and coat in one.

Living in the mountains and enjoying both winter and summer activities, one jacket that can satusfy both was very appealing to me.

First, lets start with the quality of the product. It is good, and I usually find a lot of faults with many pet products. Thier size is spot-on. In most cases I have to get Toby a medium becuase he is long, and no matter what the size chart says, a small never fits him, even thiught that is really what he should be wearing.m

So when I ordered a medium and it arrived, and was way too big for him, I was really surprised. Their sizes are actually "normal." They were super nice and sent me the small, and It fit Toby perfectly.

It covered his back and fit nicely around him.

I really like the adjustable neck strap and the adjustable straps around the belly. It makes making sure it fits him properly a breeze.

Another design element I really like is that it doesnt come too far up his neck when he sits. Sometimes, lifevests come right up to his chin and he looks totally uncomfortable.

The vest, and coat, combo seems very sturdy. Since its winter, we clearly didn't get to use it in the kayak, but there are times, like when Toby decides he wants to take a random dip in the water and then feeaks out, that I need to pull him out using the handle on the top of the vest. When I tried it, it didn't feel like Toby was unsteady, or going to fall out of it at all. It held him nicely.

What I really likeis that I can easily remove the the flotation layer and it can be used as a wateproof coat. This, we did try, in all the recent rain, and it worked well. An added benfit, which I have not tried yet, but it is available is that the Kurgo Wander Coat can be inserted into the shell for extra warm during cold months.

In addition to practical use, could see this being very beneficial on a long road trip, that included various climates. It is one coast that solves multitude of problems.

Pooping Tinsel

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Sun, 07 Dec 2014 15:22:00 +0000

Toby has never had interest in a Christmas tree. Maybe it was because it was fake and never had a smell, but he could care less. From what I remember even as a puppy he was uninterested.

Maddux, however is a different story.

Maybe he just doesnt like the way I have it decorated, but he has successfully removed all the bottom garland pieces. Its a little hard to blame anyone else but him, when it comes to tree desruction.well, and, because I have caught him in the act several times.

And, yes, he did poop tinsel, it was not just a creative blog post title.m

They Really Do Love Each Other

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 18:13:00 +0000

Clearly, I was a little nervous when I brought Maddux home. Ok, a lot nervous.

What if Toby didn't like him? Yes, we were just doing a weekend trial, but I would have felt terrible if we had to give him back at the end of the weekend, having given him false home that he had found a home.

There was a few moments of upset, but for the most part, their play and overall interactions were excellent, at least that's what everyone told me. I even made my aunt FaceTime with me so sencould watch them play, to get her opinion.

Maddux immediately fell in love with Toby and wanted to snuggle and be with him everywhere he went. Toby was not very interested in this, because, well, he was not used to it.

A few weeks ago that started to change, as now they burry into each other and even lie in the same bed sometimes.

I have been trying to document this the best I can, through the photos below. Of course, they usually move before I can snap the photo!

The first few weeks, Toby really wanted his space. Then, we slowly started to get closer.

And then, they became best buds!

Happy 7th Birthday, Toby!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 05:45:00 +0000

Oh my gosh, little dog! I can't believe you are 7 years old!

The time has gone by so fast, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. You have taught me so much about life, and have changed mine for the better. So many things have changed in the past 7 years.

You have been with me through at least four different jobs, came with me when I was looking at houses with my Relator. We have traveled to a bunch of states including Virginia, Ohio and Maine, walked across the bridge to Canada at Niagara Falls, took a random day drive to montreal ... the list could go on and on.

There have been many moment I have been proud to be your human, but the past two months have sent me over the moon. For the longest time I have said that you needed a dog companion. A friend.

Everyone told me I was wrong. They were worried you would not get along with another dog, and shun him, or her, away. I knew better.

Sure enough, you took to your new brother Maddux, after a very short amount of time. I have never seen you so active and lively. I am so proud of you. You are teaching him (mostly) all your good habits. You even deal with his sometimes annoying obession of wanting to be as close to you as possible.

Your sweet personality is contagious. You love to play and are the best snuggle dog. You just mush into people. Even as I am writing this, you are snuggled on my lap.

I would be lying if I didn't say that a big benefit of my most current job is that I get to work from home, which means I am with you more. You sit next to me while I work, and make the day stress-free. Sometimes you even sit on my lap, so I have learned to work that way, too.

You are a sweet little love. I am so happy I am your human and you are my dog. Although it would another four months until I met you, I am super happy you were born 7 years ago today.

Thanksgiving Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Maskaly) — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 00:51:00 +0000

Well, that was a nice long holiday weekend. It was likely one of the first times I didn't do too much work, and actually enjoyed myself.

And, by enjoyed myself, I mean, spent lots of time with the doggies! Ok, ok, I cleaned and cooked and did some other things, too.

Let's start with Maddux meeting my mom. You may remember that my Mom has been in a nursing home for a long time. For a long time, my Dad took Toby to go see her almost everyday. It was the first place we took Toby when he came home.

Well, Thanksgiving was the first time my Mom met Maddux. It was love at first site. He has never took to someone so fast and immediately started licking her face. He never does that.

It was super cute!

Despite bringing toys to the nursing home with me for them to play with, because I knew we were going to be there for an extended period of time, they were still a bit antsy. So we played with my phone taking selfies, which seemed to occupy them. It alsso amused my mom.

Neither one of them them, however, look amused in either of these photos.

But, overall, I think Maddux had a really good first Thanksgiving, at least by the looks of this photo, which was taken at about 11:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving night.

The next day, my aunt snapped this photo of us playing after breakfast.

Hope you had just as good of a holiday weekend as we did!