Tea with Odie

Beco Scoop

2012-08-12T17:34:00.002-07:00

I know you guys have been on the edge of your seats waiting to find out what a BecoScoop is. The wait is over! A BecoScoop is just a regular litter scoop. Sorry.

"the eco-friendly litter scoop"

BUT! It's an environmentally friendly scoop and is made of the same material as the BecoTray, and I now own one. It's matchy matchy with our BecoTray, which makes scooping the litter box more fun, right? Right. That's what I keep telling myself. It's like when Mike bought me a tennis racquet and I was REALLY into tennis for about a day. It's starting to wear off.

Out With The Old, In With The New

2012-08-06T18:59:00.001-07:00

I could probably just start another blog all about litter boxes. Good grief. If you've been following my blog since the beginning, you know that I HATE litter boxes. In the last few years, we've been through more than a few boxes. We've also tried our fair share of types of litter: clay, s'wheat scoop, newspaper pellets, pine pellets, you name it.

Our most recent acquisition was a litter mate automatic self-cleaning box. When we first brought it home, life was good. That little robot really knew it's stuff, and did its job well. Well, for the past month it's been slowly neglecting its duties. For the past week, it's been going back and forth with the idea of retiring altogether. I usually don't like to touch the littler box at all, but it seemed like every day I was scooping a box that was supposed to scoop itself. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DRIVE AND LOYALTY OF OUR ROBOT?!

This time technology doesn't win. Buh-bye, robot. Your time with us is finito. In all honesty, even though it's labelled as suitable for multi-cat households, I think it would do better with a single cat, which is why it will get a second chance at my mom's house.

So, out with the old, and in with the new. Seeing how we were scopping the box everyday anyway, we decided to kick it old school and revert back to the good ol' days of a regular box with no robot required. In the past, we've usually had a covered box, but this time around we decided to be crazy and go with a regular pan, since we plan on scooping daily.

Introducing our new litter box (isn't this blog exciting?), the BecoTray.

It's "the eco-friendly litter tray". From the label:

"becotrays are made from the natural plant fibres found in bamboo and rice husks. this makes them both sustainable to produce and biodegradable when finished with. so while they will last for years in the home, they are also completely eco-friendly. combine your becotray with a becoscoop, and keep your floor clean as well as the environment."

Anywho, the litter box has been setup and has been christened by Loki. While taking photos of it, he came to check it out. I put down the camera and filled it up when I realized that he actually needed to use it. It's a hit! Now I just need to find out what a becoscoop is.

High Fashion on the High Seas

2012-08-04T08:32:00.001-07:00

Odie is becoming quite the dock dog. We just returned from another ocean adventure, and she gets more comfortable being on a boat with each visit. She was hopping between docks like a pro this time. Go Odie! Of course to suit this new love of the ocean (okay, she doesn't love it), her wardrobe needed to become a bit more nautical, and what addition would be better than some couture? Yes, I'm insane. We wouldn't want all the other yacht chihuahuas to laugh at her though.

The Hampton Dress by Ruff Ruff Couture is perfect
for hanging out with your Grandpa on the water.

She really is the perfect dog for a boat. When we went to visit the Museum & Archives, or out for dinner, she stayed on the boat and just had a snooze. The great thing about this little coastal community is that it's extremely dog friendly. Most restaurants have tie ups for your dog on their patios, and almost all businesses have bowls of water outside. Odie scared a girl at breakfast on one restaurant's patio when we were entering, by putting a paw on her leg. The girl freaked out thinking it was a mouse. Oh, tiny dogs, you little pranksters.

Keeping an eye on things for us

There was a festival going on, and there were people and dogs EVERYWHERE! I had to pick Ode up a few times, because people just honestly couldn't see her.

Taking in a parade

Odie's not the only animal on the docks though. A boat a couple down from ours has a live aboard cat! It owns that place.

Coming over for a visit

Our whole family has matching t-shirts (yeah, we're those people) that have our title on the front and a quote and the boat's name on the back. Odie's title is "Salty Dog".

Custom shirt from cafepress.ca

We were all trying to stay awake until dark for the fireworks, and we made it! Well, we didn't all make it.

All tuckered out!

The next morning, it was time to take off. We went to set a crab trap, and then went for a kayak in a nearby bay. Odie tolerates kayaking, but she certainly isn't the biggest fan. It's necessary when you're anchored or tied though, so she can have a little jaunt around on the shore and do her business. She reluctantly had a little swim between Mike and I, and she's not the biggest fan of that either. At one point she just bobbed in the water. Good thing she has a life jacket!

Outward Hound Life Jacket

It's always nice to have a few days of rest, relaxation and exploring. When you're boating, it always feels like you're so far away from the place you started, when really you've probably only travelled a 10 minutes drive. It's so nice being on the ocean and seeing all the local wildlife.

Mike plays Captain for awhile

Cruising around the bay

That's not a crab

Right after we lost her leash and
resorted to using a string

What a natural

Sad to see the coast in our rearview mirror

Rain or Shine

2012-06-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

The past week has been pretty rainy, but I'm not complaining. I love the rain. Odie does not. I had been eyeing up this RC Pet Products raincoat in the pet store every time I went in, and yesterday I finally tried it on Ode. It was too cute and too nice to take off. Probably one of the most frivolous purchases I've made, as she doesn't often go out in the rain. However, it will come in handy in the winter, as it's waterproof, and lined with a lightweight fleece.

My review is two big thumbs up! I love this jacket. It's great quality, and was made with small dogs in mind (although the company has rainwear and many other jackets made for large dogs specifically). It was pricey, but I'm sure we'll never have to buy another.

Some of the features of the 'Robson Rainwear' are reflective piping, a leash access pocket, and detachable hood. The hood will be permanently detached in our case, because Odie just stands still when it's on. With it off, she seems super comfortable in it.

Of course, today it's gorgeous outside. We spent the day getting some much needed sun, and of course we brought the little monkey along. We probably won't actually need the rainwear until the fall. C'est la vie. Viva la summer!

My Little Taco

2012-06-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

A friend of ours had a Cinco de Mayo/May the Fourth Be With You themed birthday party, and Odie was cordially invited to boost the Mexican atmosphere. Everyone was encouraged to wear a costume, and Odie was no exception. A black dog sweater, felt fabric and some ribbon lead to a pretty cute little taco. Unfortunately she was feeling a little under the weather the night of, but that didn't stop us from making a card.

Busy Time of Year

2012-06-01T09:47:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in awhile, and it's not because I haven't been doing anything note worthy. I feel like I'm getting busier by the minute! In addition to accepting a new (and more involved) position for the summer, I have an insane amount of projects on the go. One of these projects is a chihuahua meet up group! Yes, I'm a nerd. It's been incredibly successful and I'm so glad I started it. We've already had one meet up and the turn out was great.

It's a rainy day today, but the weather is constantly improving as summer approaches. We jumped the gun and made a trip to the ocean, hoping to get some kayaking in, and got rained on almost the whole weekend. Oh well. A road trip with my husband and dog is welcome any day. Hopefully this summer will be filled with road trips, hikes, visits with chihuahuas, and sun.

Here's what Odie has been up to the past month:

Running...

jumping...

hiking...

enjoying ocean air...

meeting new friends...

loving the sun...

getting all tuckered out....

and having a good rest.

Vanilla Coconut Sugar Scrub

2012-05-15T11:25:00.002-07:00

We spent Sunday sun tanning in the backyard at my parent's house. That's what Mother's Day is all about, right?

I bought my mom a super cute pocket mirror with a little tea bag on it (it runs in the family) from Scientific Culture, and some fleurs.

I always find it so easy to shop for my Mom, but this year I wanted to add something a little creative to the mix. I found a recipe for Vanilla Coconut Scrub over at Gorgeously Green (a great book, by the way!). I tweaked the recipe a tiny bit, and I'll include my version here. I tried some on my hands, and it's super moisturizing. I found all of the ingredients at a local health food store.

What You Need:
- A jar to put the finished product in
- 1 1/4 cups coconut palm sugar
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 3 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:
Heat the coconut oil to liquify, and combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let the coconut oil cool and solidify. Your scrub will be fairly dry at this point. I added between 1/8 and 1/4 cup coconut oil to make the scrub less thick. If you add too much oil, just add some more coconut palm sugar and shredded coconut. When everything cools, add it to your jar. Voila! You're done.

Happy Mother's Day!

Spring Has Sprung

2012-05-07T15:12:00.001-07:00

Spring is here!

Green pepper

I know this because I've planted my patio garden outside, and it hasn't died. I went to a local flowershop, Art Knapps, with Odie and my mom. We stocked up. I only plant in containers, and I love it!

Ode not so graciously sitting in a cart so I could be hands free

Our space is really limited, so I had to brainstorm new planter ideas. I was considering building some nifty holders for pots that I could drill into the wall, but instead I found these coco lined wire planters that just seemed easier.

From top to bottom, left to right: catnip, white garlic,
peppermint, dill, basil, stevia, and chives

It took about 10 minutes to install them, and the best part is that they're fairly narrow and don't take up much room. I LOVE growing food!

Green leaf lettuce and romaine

Strawberries in a hanging coco lined planter

Last year, I decided to plant a few things in a pot beside our front door. The plants didn't survive very long, because the space only gets first morning sun. This year, I'm trying again, but with new planters, and some plants that are full shade to part sun. Hopefully i'll have better luck this year.

Purple lobelia and white impatiens

I usually choose two colours of flowers and one colour of foliage to fill my planters, but this year I decided to go wild and choose more than one colour of foliage, and three colours of flowers. This year I got crazy.

Purple Persian shield, silver spike, white petnuia, tukana scarlet star,
lemon licorice, and white asylum

I planted two planters with the above, and I can't wait for everything to fill out. I am not a very patient gardener. GROW ALREADY! That sphere you see is just a clear globe solar lantern. I may add some more lighting in the future. The patio still needs a couple finishing touches. We're going to attach mesh to the entire patio railing, so the cats can enjoy the sun and fresh air, without sneaking through the rails and jumping one storey to the cement below (it's happened twice now). Thank goodness cats land on their feet... most of the time. Once the mesh is up, Odie can fit some much needed sunbathing into her busy schedule. I am also on the lookout for a cute gardening tool box.

Loki sniffing some sugar snap peas

Mickey looks 100% again after having his arm glued back on after
a horrific moving accident

Happy Spring, and Happy Gardening!

That's where you want to go, to get away from it all.

2012-04-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

At the end of last month, we packed our things and flew to Fort Lauderdale to hop on a ship and cruise the Caribbean for our second honeymoon. Odie was on vacation too, at her grandparents house. We missed her so much, but she has a blast there, and loves to run in their yard. I'd love to say the whole trip was all slushy drinks and beaches, but the truth is that I was extremely sick for a couple of days. However, the rest of the trip was amazing! Mike has been on his fair share of cruises, but before this cruise, I had only been on one. I'm still pretty up in the air on whether or not it's a good way to travel. If I hadn't been infected with norovirus, my thoughts on the matter might be more favourable.

Anyway, the cruise we had been on before was with Royal Caribbean (to Mexico), so this time we decided to switch it up and try Princess. I had never been to anywhere in the Caribbean before, and was super excited. The thing that's great about cruises is that you get to see so many places in such a short period of time. I've never been to an all-inclusive resort, and it's mainly because when I travel, I like to get around.

Our ship was the Emerald Princess, and we stayed in an inside cabin. We tried to get an upgrade, but the ship was totally full (darn!). Had I known that I would spend a considerable amount of time in the room being violently ill, I might have chosen a room with a balcony, or at least a window. My favourite feature of the ship was their "Movies Under the Stars" events. They have a large screen outside above one of the pools, and they setup the chairs with covers every night. There are flannel blankets to use, and even popcorn! The staff come around periodically during the movie with desserts, and cookies & milk. It's so nice to relax after an active day, under the stars, with the salt breeze cooling you off. It's just generally really cute! My least favourite part was the guests who weren't washing their hands after going to the washroom, touching everything, and causing an infectious outbreak. Thanks a lot, jerks.

Anyway! Let me take you on a short photo tour of our travels.
Our first stop was at Princess Cays, in the Bahamas. The ship anchors, which means having to wait to get on shore, but who cares... you're in the Bahamas. Not great if you like to get off the beaten path, as it's obviously owned by Princess and is pretty secluded. Great if you want to do some easy snorkeling, and relax on the beach and get an intense sunburn (because you think that SPF 15 will cut it in the Caribbean sun, even though you're from Canada and your pale skin hasn't seen the sun for months).

It looks like it's crowded, but there's actually quite a bit of space. There are a ton of outdoor bars, and of course there's bar service right to where you're tanning if you just don't want to move. The cays wouldn't scream CRUISE unless there was food, and we didn't take advantage of the "BBQ", but it looked pretty delish. The snorkeling was pretty decent, but I would probably say that it wasn't worth renting snorkel equipment. We brought our own, excluding fins, but everything is so close to the shore that fins really aren't necessary. Personally, I don't like wearing fins while snorkeling anyway. I prefer just my bare feet, so I know where they are when I'm around coral (for the coral's sake, not mine).

When we got to the point where it felt like our skin was on fire, we took a walk around, and found the super cute bungalows that you can rent. They're air conditioned, but I don't know why anyone would want to go to the Bahamas and sit inside... or outside the door in the tiny fenced yard.

Next up was St. Thomas, which is part of the US Virgin Islands. This is shopper's paradise, if you're after jewellery. The cruise port was infested with iguanas, which was naturally my favourite part of the whole day. Who doesn't love an iguana?!

With Odie always on our mind, we had to take a snapshot of this store's little guardian.

Odie hasn't never been to St. Thomas, but I'm sure she'd like it.

After St. Thomas was supposed to be Dominica, but this is the part of the cruise that I was super sick and not loving life. We missed out on our excursion we had scheduled, which was a river to ocean kayaking adventure. Mike stayed on the ship with me, and I slept on and off for 27 hours, trying to recover, anticipating our next destination. Unfortunately I couldn't drink water and was becoming dehydrated, and we decided it would be best for me to get some medical attention, so we phoned medical services. We were told that a nurse would be with us "shortly". We never heard from them again, which made me question their reliability in a serious emergency. Thankfully the next day I could drink a bit of water, so I wasn't worried. At this point of the cruise, it was well known that there was a norovirus outbreak on board (every state room received a letter saying so), and some preventative measures were being taken. The most noticeable difference was the changes in the buffet. No touching ANYTHING, except for your own plate and silverware, which was handed to you by a crew member wearing latex gloves. Oh well. I lived to see another day! And that day was an insanely hot one in Grenada.

Grenada is known as the "spice" of the Caribbean, because they export a crazy amount of spices. They were hit hard by hurricane Ivan in 2004, devastating their spice and tourism industry, and are still having trouble recovering.

The next day we were in Bonaire, and I was feeling a LOT better. I love Bonaire. We were already planning our next trip to the island while we were still there. The snorkeling was amazing, the food was great, and the people were lovely.

We went on the Siamese Junk Cruise excursion, which we booked through Princess, which took us to snorkel off the shore of Klein Bonaire (or Little Bonaire). The snorkeling was so good, that I could have spent the entire day there. It didn't hurt that at one point I looked over my shoulder to see a sea turtle!

The waters around Bonaire have been protected for a long time, so the sea life is pretty spectacular. I can only imagine what you would see during a dive trip. Bonaire has been coined as a "divers paradise", and I believe it. Just standing on the dock at the cruise port, and looking into maybe 10 feet of water, we saw huge parrot and puffer fish, among others.
I would have been happy just staying there for the rest of the trip. But alas, we had to move on to Aruba (poor us).

If we hadn't been to Bonaire, Aruba would have been my favourite island we visited. However, we liked the less busy feel of Bonaire. One of my favourite memories was listening to a large group of guys in a waterfront pub getting a little rowdy and singing whatever song they could come up with that everyone could sing along to (including the happy birthday song). Okay! Enough of my Bonaire love affair. Aruba honestly seems like a great vacation destination, especially if you want to party. We're too laid back to appreciate it. It's like a little Las Vegas, except in the Caribbean. We went on a "pirate schooner" snorkeling cruise for a few hours, and then did some shopping. They have some pretty serious shopping in a mall right by the cruise port, and it's not limited to jewellery. Dangerous.

The trip would have been better if I hadn't been sick, and I'm pretty disappointed in the way Princess handled the situation. Since norovirus really seems to be making its rounds on cruise ships, it might be a good idea to just run the ship according to the red level standards they put into place in case of an outbreak. Regardless of being sick, it was a great vacation. After all, it's the Caribbean. We had two days at sea on our way back to Fort Lauderdale, and enjoyed laying in the sun, being super lazy, and eating a lot of food (as you do).

We also really enjoyed our short excursion in Fort Lauderdale. We booked this last minute, when we realized our flight didn't leave until the late afternoon. We went on a paddle wheel boat, around the canals of Fort Lauderdale to Port Everglades, to gawk at all the million dollar properties.

We brought back a few souvenirs, and we didn't forget about our little Ode. We picked out a sea turtle, and a donkey stuffed animal for her. Did you know that Bonaire has wild donkeys?! They also have flamingoes, but we didn't see either when we were there. Next time.

Pet Shopping

2012-03-17T19:22:00.001-07:00

I'm back home after a long day of shopping around town with my Mom. Most of the shopping was pet related (as usual), although some was also for myself. It's ridiculous how excited I get when I find something new and improved for my pets. Remember how excited I was when I bought the automatic self-cleaning litter box? Today was almost as exciting. What I bought today:

Photo: Walmart

1. Bamboo Eco Potty Pads, with adhesive strips! When Odie is at my parent's house, where they have an easily accessible yard, she is 100% housetrained, no doubt about it. She whines at the door to be let out, and does her business quickly. At home, it's a bit of a different story. We don't have an easily accessible yard. In fact, we have no yard. A trip outside means getting a harness and leash on, and wearing "real" clothes so the neighbours don't think we're weirdos. We are weirdos, but they don't need to know that. We have a covered patio, and we've started to put a house training pad out there. It's still technically outside, and she has to go through a door to use it, so we're hoping it will catch on. We're almost there. We've tried the fake grass system, which Odie loved, but we hated. I would love to grow real grass in a garden box for her, but unfortunately the patio is so well covered that it doesn't get any sun. Because it's outside, and sometimes it gets windy, the adhesive strips are going to come in handy. I also like that the pads are made out of bamboo.

2. Puppy Love small elk antler chew. I can't wait to give this to Odie! There's some debate on whether or not antler chews are safe for dogs. After some research, i've decided that it sounds safe enough to try. Obviously, I will be supervising her chewing, and I won't leave her alone with it. We recently bought her a bully stick that she LOVES. What exactly is a bully stick? Literally, it's bull penis. Not joking. Apparently they are amazing for a dog's teeth. Even if they weren't, they're incredible enrichment, and keep her busy for hours.

Photo: HeartyPet

3. Zuke's Clean Apple Crisp Z-Bones. They're pricey, but Ode loves them. One of the things I like about this company, is that a percentage of their sales is donated to The Dog and Cat Cancer Fund yearly. These bones are grain free, and are supposed to "freshen doggy breath". We had a miniature schnauzer, Fritz, that had arthritis. To give him a dose of glucosamine and chondroitin (as well as a treat), we would give him their hip action treats daily. I really feel that they made a difference. Which leads me to my next purchase...

Photo: Zuke's

4. Don't think that I left the cats out! I bought them a new kong toy, and some Zuke's Cat Hip Action soft treats. These are basically the same as their hip action treats for dogs, except for cats. Our cats are definitely not old, but they're approaching what could be considered middle age. We don't give them a lot of treats, but I hope that this one will become a daily ritual to ease them into their retirement.

And there you have it. I also bought a million (not literally) cans of cat food that I've found that the cats love! In case anyone is wondering, they're now eating B.F.F. and Go! canned cat food, with some Grasslands Acana kibble thrown in to beef it up a little. I chose the Acana kibble, and canned food because of the low ash content, which I'm told is related to bladder crystals, which we would like Lance to NEVER HAVE AGAIN! So far, so good.

Arts & Crafts

2012-03-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

This week I made a pillowcase for a cat. I'll tell you why. Our cat Lance is a bit of a weirdo--a recluse, if you will. He spends most of his time in our bathroom shelf.

Please excuse our ugly shelves

When we moved in, we kept towels in there. When it was down to one towel, Lance made himself at home. Since he wouldn't stop going in there, and no one enjoys cat hair on their towel, we decided that shelf would be his. We had a regular pillow that I was going to just throw out, but instead, I decided to make him a pillow case so he could sleep on something a little more comfy than an old Harry Potter towel. I had some paw print fabric that I never used, and after some quick measuring and what seemed like an entire day of sewing by hand, I turned it into a pillow case.

Hand sewn

The finished product!

After vacuuming a serious amount of cat hair out of the shelf, I put the pillow in. It fits pretty good, and I'm glad it's a little plump, since it will have a 10 lb. cat on it for approximately 18-20 hours a day.

The final step was to see if Lance likes it. He was pretty mad at me for having the vacuum out, so don't judge by the look on his face. I put the pillow in about an hour ago, and he's still in there.

Lance's bedroom

Complete with curtain

Full Bookshelf

2012-03-03T18:23:00.001-08:00

I love reading. I always have. I like organizing books on my bookshelf, and I like treating them well. I won't bring a book somewhere if I think it's going to get damaged. If it's a soft cover, I won't open it entirely while reading, for fear of creasing the spine. When I was in elementary school, the library called my mom to say that I damaged a book I returned, and she actually went to the school to fight with the librarian, because it just wasn't possible. I'm a freak. A couple of nights ago, I was a tiny bit mad when I left Odie and my book alone in my bedroom for just a minute and returned to find a couple of chunks missing from my book cover. I should have known better. My dog loves paper as much as I love reading, although she prefers a kleenex over a book any day.

Wasn't me!

I can't remember very many times in my life when I haven't had a book on the go. I've worked in two bookstores, and the employee discounts made paydays dangerous. I'm mostly into fiction (girly novels and sci-fi), but I can't resist a good biography or true story. We have two bookshelves in our living room that are taller than me, and almost totally filled. For awhile now, I've been absolutely refusing to buy an e-reader. Why would I? There's nothing better than having a real book in your hands, is there?

Yeah. There is. I caved and bought a kobo last night, and it's pretty fantastic. Please don't tell my bookshelf I'm cheating on it!

Ooooh Ahhhh

I borrowed my mom's kobo "just to try it out", and I got hooked. I took it with me to a restaurant on my lunch break, and I READ WHILE I ATE! Amazing. I have well over 30 books in my actual bookshelf that I still haven't read (give me a break! some of them are classics and are huge), but now that I own a kobo, my interest is in ebooks. I got the kobo touch instead of the vox because I'm not into the backlit screen thing. I'm the proud owner of the white one with a silver back, by the way. Oh, and I bought some cute accessories too.

For night reading!

Maybe the accessories are part of the appeal. I remember my friend Meghan and I once had the idea that we were going to start playing tennis (we didn't), and were super excited about having to buy tennis outfits. I also convinced myself that I would love going to school, if only I had an english style leather satchel for my books. As I told Mike today, I wouldn't do well in a commune, or a post apocalyptic world (yes, these are subjects that come up a lot). It's not that I'm totally lost without stuff, but I enjoy shopping and having new things around. Before I bought my kobo, I was reading Robin Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Now that I have a kobo, I'm reading a book for teenagers called Divergent, by who knows. I'm not going to take that as a sign of anything. Happy reading!

My case. Only $5!

Bison Bison

2012-03-01T12:05:00.003-08:00

We made a trip to our favourite pet shop a few days ago, after deciding that a diet change was in order for all of our animals. After chatting to the lovely people over at my favourite chihuahua forum (yeah, I'm one of those people), we've decided to switch to a mostly wet food diet for both Odie and the cats. After being educated on the lack of moisture (which is needed for healthy organs) in kibble, I'm becoming more confident that we're making the right choice. That information was confirmed by our vet, who suggests that cats be switched to an entirely wet food diet as they get older, to support their kidneys. One of our cats has an issue with urinary crystals, and apparently a lack of moisture in a diet can lead to this.

A lot of dog and cat owners are switching to a raw only diet. Some people swear by it, and some against it. Anyway, we're not at the point where we're confident we could balance a raw only diet, which is essential. However, I like the idea of a dog's teeth being cleaned naturally by chewing on a bone. Cooked bones are a definite no, as they can splinter and cause serious health issues or even death.

I'm not familiar with the meat department (I can find the turkey leg stand at Disneyland though), so I thought it might be a good idea to buy something for her from the pet store so it was a sure thing. These were the smallest that we could find, and they're fairly local...

Yummy!

This is probably going to be a weekly thing, and once I learn a bit more about what's safe and what-not, i'll switch it up a bit. The bison was a definite hit! She LOVED it. At first, we put it on a towel in her kennel, but after she realized it was something worth protecting, she grabbed it and took it onto our rug. Gross! Next, I tried a towel on the ground, but the second a cat came to investigate she took off with it again. Once again, our makeshift gates saved the day.

It kept her contained, and also kept the cats safe. Both of them wanted to check out to see what was going on, and Odie was in full protection mode. We heard her make a sound we've never heard before. She didn't seem to mind when we came by, but look out cats. Yikes.

She seemed to be more interested in what was attached and in the bone, rather than the bone itself. I'm hoping next time she'll get more into it. It might help if we got something a bit smaller. She wasn't a big fan of having to put her paws on it, and was trying to avoid it until there was no other way around it. When she had enough, she started wiping her face on the towel. We have a really clean dog. I was a little worried about the affect of this on her tummy, but there were no issues what-so-ever. It kept her busy for a good 45 minutes--great enrichment! Definitely something we'll do again.

Thanks, Mom!

Litter Box Blues

2012-03-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

A new month, and new projects? Nope, still on the litter box. My hunt continues for the perfect piece of furniture to modify. If we had more space for it, it wouldn't be as tricky. I've checked thrift stores, and have been doing some window shopping online, but have come up with nothing so far. I'm thinking that doing some measuring and taking a road trip to Ikea might be in order. Until that happens, this project is moving to the back burner.

The good news is that this project idea has worked for someone else! My friend Michelle, of Anderson Labour of Love, saw my original post and had a litter box concealer whipped up in no time. Instead of listening to me whinge about not being able to find furniture, go and read her success story here. Mady is a lucky cat.

The Litter Saga Continues...

2012-02-21T21:44:00.003-08:00

As I relax with a cup of tea, and an Odie burrowed in a blanket beside me, I'm googling cat litter boxes. Ahhhhh, my favourite pastime.

I'm very happy to report that the automatic cat litter box I previously posted about actually works! I followed other's advice and used a cooking spray (canola oil to be exact) on the bottom, and didn't put too much litter in. The trouble with this otherwise amazing machine is that it doesn't have a lid. This means that litter goes everywhere. Also, we made the mistake of buying scented litter, which we normally don't do. Now the litter box is always clean, but we can smell the litter. I found a LitterMaid "Kitty Kabana Cover" for it, but I can still see litter escaping with it.

Photo: Petco

Now I'm on the hunt for something that I can turn into litter box furniture. Didn't know that litter box furniture existed? Well let me enlighten you. Litter box furniture is basically just furniture that you can fit a litter box in, with a hole somewhere so your cat can get inside.

Some are cute, and practical:

Photo: catsplay.com

Some are crazy insane:

Photo: catsplay.com

I'm planning on going the more practical route. I really love the white one from catsplay, but our space will only work with one that opens from the top for cleaning. I'm a seasoned thrift store shopper, so I'm hoping i'll come across something that will work perfectly. Can't wait!

Drinking: Tetley Decaffeinated Earl Grey Tea. Classic.

H2O

2012-02-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that I'm addicted to buying my pets things. Usually they are things that are necessary, sometimes they're not. Recently, we decided to buy a communal water dish for all the pets. We have a small ottoman that we put the cat's food and water on so Odie can't get it, and Odie's dishes are on the floor. The ottoman also doubles as an unfortunate scratching post, and we'll likely have to find a solution to that in the future, because it's a hideous clawed mess. When we first brought Odie home, we bought her porcelin food and water dishes and thought it would be funny to have them engraved with "food" and "water" in spanish (so she could read it).

Water

The problem is that the dish isn't very deep, and the cats don't just stick to their own water dish. Odie lets us know by whining when it's empty, but if no one is home, then she's out of luck. The food dish is perfect, because chihuahuas don't eat that much. Since the new water dish would be for all three animals, I thought it would be nice to get one with a fountain and filter. I picked up a Petmate Fresh Flow fountain, and I was really impressed with it at first. After about an hour, it sucked. It started making crazy sounds, and Odie was extremely cautious when approaching it. For awhile, she sat a meter away from it and whined. When I would unplug it and plug it back in and wiggle everything inside, it would return to normal. After a couple more hours, it was the crazy sounds again. I followed all the troubleshooting instructions, but it continued. Back it went. I've read some really great reviews of it online, but I didn't feel like getting another one and possibly have to return it too.

Instead of the fancy fountain, I bought a plain jane waterer, and it's great. No, the water isn't flowing, but it does the job. I found it at walmart, in the cat section (all of the ones in the dog section were huge). It's not very pretty, and isn't engraved, but we don't have to worry about anyone going without water. We might upgrade to something different and non-plastic in the future, but this'll do for now.

Movin' On Up!

2012-02-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

Litter boxes are a touchy subject in our household. I love our cats, but I hate litter boxes. Why? Because they're disgusting. Not only do they smell (unless you scoop a lot), but they're also hazardous to your health. Okay, it's not the box that's bad for you, but what's deposited into the box. Yes, I know that the risk is minimal, but if you're immune system is compromised in any way, you have no business being around a cat's business.

Did you know that up to 90% of cats are exposed to toxoplasma in their lives? That's how they get toxoplasmosis, and most mammals and birds can get it from them. If you get toxoplasmosis when you're pregnant, you baby has a very high chance of developing birth defects. I was just reading that information on the CDC's website, when I saw a link a page about "cat scratch disease". My God, these are vile creatures. Soooo, my immune system is just fine and I'm not pregnant. I just dislike cleaning the litter box.

When we had rats, the deal was that I would be the cage cleaner, and Mike would take care of the litter box. We share the bathroom responsibilities of Odie. Well, now our rats have sadly lived out their short rat lives, and are no more. Enter our new LitterMaid automatic self-cleaning litter box! I'm very excited. It has sensors that detect your cat doing its thing, and then 10 minutes after it does a sweep and puts the waste into a container. I decided to read some reviews before we went to purchase it today, and there's a huge mix of positives and negatives out there. After finding some "tricks" to help it do its job, we decided it would be worth it to try it out. We bought ours at Walmart for $99.

Odie and Loki "helping" me put it together

So we've only had it filled with litter for about an hour, so I'm in no position to be writing a review. However, before even using it, I can tell you one of the disadvantages. You have to use clumping litter, which makes sense considering how the mechanism works. So if you like using newspaper/wood pellets, or anything else earth-friendly, this litter box isn't for you. I'm not sure if swheat scoop (a natural wheat clumping litter) would work or not. Also, the receptacle that collects all the waste is plastic, and you're meant to throw this out and replace it when it's full. The box comes with 8 of these, and 8 carbon filters you stick to the inside of the receptacle lid. I'm considering just emptying the container out, and reusing it. They're obviously a health hazard and not recyclable once they're used. This doesn't bug me as much as litter boxes do in general though, so we're okay.

The LitterMaid all set up, next to the conveniently placed outlet.

So when I first turned it on, it was exciting! Haha. Seriously! It turned on and did a sweep, and my mind was blown. I really really really hope that it works! If I do just empty the receptacle and reuse it, I will empty it into our handy LitterLocker. You open the top and scoop the litter in, and then close the top and pull the grey handle out, and it deposits it into a plastic bag in the bottom. Voila!

I thought this was cool until I found a self-cleaning litter box.

Toffee Cookies!

2012-02-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe that I found on food.com, and decided to try the other night. I've been skor-ing it up recently. Skor ice cream, Dairy Queen skor blizzards, skor chocolate bars, skor blondie squares, you name it. Although these cookies pale in comparison to a skor blizzard, they're something you can make in your house and they don't contain a week's worth of calories.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened (I used unsalted, country churned butter)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (I used golden)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 package skor english toffee bits (you can find these next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until well blended.
4. Add eggs and blend thoroughly.
5. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. (Now is a good time for your significant other to taste the batter, before you "ruin" it with the toffee bits.)
6. Stir in toffee bits.
7. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. (I just discovered that parchment paper existed, and I used that instead)
8. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. (You know... I don't know if my oven is a rebel, but nothing I bake ever cooks in the time listed. If your oven is also a rebel, set a timer for 14 minutes, and then watch for the top to slightly brown.)
9. Cool slightly, remove from the cookie sheet. (I removed them right away, because this recipe supposedly makes 48 cookies, and I have one cookie sheet.)
10. Cool completely. (Always avoid putting a burning hot cookie straight from the oven into your mouth.)

Skor-licious!

Life Savers!

2012-02-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

People have died trying to save their dogs from drowning. Wow, what a depressing way to begin a post. But seriously. It's surprising how many articles there are online of dog owners not even thinking before they jump in to save their buddies. It happens a lot. I know without a doubt that if that situation presented itself, I would jump right in too. Instead of killing yourself, why not buy your dog (probably not a bad idea for yourself either) a life jacket? It's true that some dogs just "know" what to do when you put them in the water, and some breeds are considered natural swimmers. However, depending on the situation, your dogs swimming ability might be irrelevant.

I thought you loved me?!

As you can see, Odie is modeling her Outward Hound life jacket. I love how the belly band is thick, and it has a handle on the top, but the reason I chose this one over some other brands is that it has an extra floating pad under her chin. I think it's safe to say that chihuahuas aren't on the top 10 list of natural swimmers. Odie would rather lay on the beach and sun tan while she watches you swim, thank you very much.

Trying to escape from a bath in the sink.

Ahhhhh... this is better.

I read a story about a man and his dog walking on a pier and the dog just jumped into the water and was swept out to sea really quickly. I don't think I need to worry about Odie voluntarily jumping into any body of water anytime soon. That isn't to say that she hasn't had any swimming experience...

That was Odie's first experience in the ocean, narrated by my dad. I'm really glad we bought her that life jacket. There was another little girl chihuahua on that beach when we were there, and she was also sporting a life jacket. She was liking the water more than Odie was though. Oh well. Anyway, we got a lot of use out of the jacket this summer during a boating trip.

Going to the shore for a dog break

During our travels, I talked to a lot of people about dog life vests and am glad to report that even people with big, water loving dogs have bought them just because you never know what's going to happen.

Identification

2012-02-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest worries of any dog owner is the possibility that your best friend could slip out the door or wander too far from you and never be seen again. Unfortuantely, we've experienced this with Odie when she was a puppy. The door was left open just a little bit while hockey equipment was being brought inside, and no one noticed her trying to slip out. I wasn't home at the time, and Mike ran around our neighbourhood in a panic, asking anyone he saw if they had seen our tiny girl. He was starting to fear the worst when he turned a corner and saw one of our neighbours holding her. The neighbour had seen Odie on walks and knew she belonged to someone that lived close so she grabbed her. Thank you neighbour! Typically, she's not a "bolter", but that day she decided to give it a shot. Ever since then, the door has been deemed a dangerous area of our home. We've since taken some precautions.

1. Dog Gates
These have been super helpful in house training her as well, but the best part is that we don't have to worry about someone accidently leaving the door open a second too long.

No, she doesn't jump over that.

We wanted something that we could easily step over. An added bonus is that it barely phases the cats to jump over, and it gives them an area of refuge from the little monster. I couldn't find anything like these anywhere, so I just decided to make them myself, which was incredibly easy. All it took was three of the grid storage panels from one of those storage cubes you can buy, like this one, and attached them together with zip -ties. I found the panels at a thrift store, and I think it cost me about $5.

2. ID Tag
When at home, she doesn't wear a collar. We're too worried about it getting snagged on something when we're not around. However, when she's out and about with us in public or on vacation, she wears an ID tag. We bought our cats those tags that you customize and have made by a machine in the store (pointless since they don't wear collars either), and they're not super lightweight. We decided to go with the Lola tag, by Dawgtown.

Odie's Lola Tag

This tag is perfect for little dogs. It's super light, and doesn't make a lot of noise. Name on the front, number on the back. It's perfect.

3. Microchip
When she was spayed, we opted to also have a microchip implanted. They're totally safe, and are supposed to be painless when inserted. If your pet is lost, the only permanent ID it can have is a microchip. When found, the person can take it to a vet clinic, animal control centre, or the SPCA to have the chip scanned. They also can tattoo their ear, to identify that they have a chip (something we chose not to do).

Odie Post-Op: Spayed and Microchipped

We don't plan on ever losing her again.

Drinking: Lipton Orange Blossom Hibiscus Infusion Tea
I bought this tea because it sounds like it would be good. It smells like a mix of flowers and an old boating goods store. It tastes like perfume.

The Animal Post

2012-02-18T22:22:00.000-08:00

My love of animals started when I was a little girl. I think my first ever pet was probably a black gerbil named Teddy. When someone's pet passes away, they might not want to get another pet for awhile because they feel they could never replace the one they lost. Not me. I probably had about 20 gerbils after that little guy... and they were all named Teddy, and I'm pretty sure they were all black too. Whenever they died, I would bury them under my huge playground in the backyard--Teddy Cemetery.

The other day, me and Mike were having a debate about whether Playmobil or Lego is a better toy for kids. Okay, maybe the "for kids" part isn't entirely honest. While this conversation was taking place at my parent's house, I was googling like mad and sorting my Playmobil into their proper sets. They are now all safe and sound in zip lock bags, and labelled with their set numbers. NERD. Anyway, growing up, my mom had a preschool and I had way more Lego than Playmobil. The only thing I did with the Lego was make mazes for my gerbils. As far as I'm concerned, that settles the debate.

Playmobil!

Besides gerbils, in my pet career, I've "owned": hamsters, rats, turtles, hermit crabs, 4 dogs, 4 cats, freshwater and saltwater creatures, a rabbit, and a cockatiel. The craziest animal I've welcomed into my home is probably "Snappy", the pistol shrimp. For those who aren't familiar with this little firecracker of a crustacean, it's insane. Bad ass shrimp. I also had an orange spotted goby, which was Snappy's symbiotic buddy. Ocean creatures blow my mind.

As of right now, we share our home with two cats (Lance & Loki), and our dog (Odessa).

The two trouble-makers.

I LOVE MY DOG! Don't get me wrong, the cats are great. I'm just more of a dog person. I'm incredibly allergic to most animals (birds and reptiles being the pet exceptions). That's one of the reasons we chose a chihuahua--I'm even more allergic to dogs. Before we got Odie, when I would visit with other people's dogs, I would give them the allergy test. My friend Lauren loves telling this story. If the dog was a breed that I would consider owning (pretty much all of them), I would rub my face on them and try to get them to lick me. HAHA! Just typing that is making me see how incredibly weird that is. It usually didn't go very well. I think the worst was a rottweiler/pit bull cross I was petsitting. Long story short: my friend Heather had a cheewa at the time, and he passed the allergy test. I'm not sure if they're actually considered a hypoallergenic breed, or if it's just because there's less dog. Doesn't matter. Odie sleeps on my bed, and I don't break out in hives and want to rip my eyes out.

My girl Odie.

Why do I even have pets if I'm so allergic? I can't help myself. I can't imagine a pet-less life, even if it would mean I wouldn't have asthma. I remember when I was interviewing for a position at the wildlife park in town, and they asked me if I had any allergies. I lied and told them I was allergic to dust. I worked there for over three years, and I just used an inhaler and prescription nose spray.

Loving a goat baby!

I don't eat animals, and I haven't for quite a few years. Partly because of a health issue, partly because I don't need to. Some people really don't do well on a meat free diet, but i've never felt better. Confession: I recently went to Disneyland and for the first time in who knows how long (I'm guessing more than five years), I went crazy and willingly ate meat. Crab cakes and a smoked turkey leg to be exact. That turkey leg was AMAZING. I felt like I couldn't do it when I grabbed it and felt the bone, but once I dug in, the smoky goodness immediately erased my trepidation. There's a reason this shirt exists. Is there a name for people who eat no meat, except for turkey legs when visiting Disneyland only? No?

This is for every thanksgiving that I ate tofurkey.

One of my favourite photos i've ever taken. Wise turkey.