Blog Archives
What a Lovely Blue Velvet Coat
Meet Tessa
This pretty little pittie girl used to live in unsavory circumstances in a house full of dogs. Then, she ended up on death row.
Lucky for her, Midwest Adopt-a-Bull recently saved her.
However, her foster home didn’t work out, and now blue Tessa is back to living in a cage.
Until we can find her a new foster or forever home, Tessa is in boarding at A Dog’s Fun Playce, a rescue center and doggy daycare in my neighborhood.
Her accommodations aren’t bad, but she sure was happy to get out over the weekend when I stopped by.
Although we had never met before, Tessa greeted me with a kiss before dragging me out of the shelter.
She’s a pocket pittie at just about 45 pounds, but Tessa is pure muscle, and she’s not yet used to walking on a leash. For the first half an hour, she pulled like a sled dog, but as she got tired, she walked more politely.
I know with more practice, she will be a great walking or jogging companion.
My most important discovery about Tessa is that she’s not afraid of people. In fact, she likes them a lot and even gave kisses to two of my neighbors.
People like Tessa, too. Her silvery blue velvet coat garnered many compliments during my outing with her.
I plan on seeing Tessa again this week.
In the meantime, I am hoping to do some things to improve her current situation, such as bringing her Kongs and bones.
You can help Tessa, too.
Please consider making a donation in her name to Midwest Adopt-a-Bull, whose tiny budget is being stretched to the limit by the cost of her boarding.
If you would like to get something tangible in exchange for your giving, you can also buy a Beer Paws bottle opener from my Storenvy shop.
The front.
The back.
These button style bottle openers look great on your dog’s collar, at the end of a leash or on your own bag or keys. They’re even silver, like Tessa.
Until further notice, at least $1 from each Beer Paws sale will go directly toward Tessa’s care.
Order online today, and I will personally send you a Beer Paw!
Contact me with any questions.
A Tale of Two Cincos
The best part about having a very tiny dog is how easy it is to take him everywhere.
Scooby the elderpin and I met for the first time at a party, and he has continued to be a social fellow through our six+ years together, zipping underfoot at events I hosted and making the rounds from the crook of my arm during gatherings outside of our home.
Cinco de Mayo, 2009:
Cinco de Mayo, 2009
The occasion: a vegetarian potluck, at my then-friend Zach’s house.
Zach had not yet encountered a certain golden retriever wandering the streets of Kansas City but welcomed my miniature pinscher into his dogless home for the party.
As soon as we arrived, a tiny sombrero was produced, furnished by a neighbor especially for Scooby.
In addition to the dog, I also brought a bowl full of guacamole made from overripe avocados. It wasn’t very good, but the guests pretended not to notice. Meanwhile, I pretended not to hang on my handsome host’s every word.
And Scooby didn’t have a single accident on the floor.
Cinco de Mayo, 2013:
Cinco de Mayo 2013
The occasion: Kansas City’s Cinco de Mayo Chihuahua Parade.
This year, I found myself in good company as a person with a novelty-sized canine.
Although this local attempt to break a world record for number of dogs in costume was open to all breeds, its advertisement as a Chihuahua-centric gathering attracted a preponderance of people with very small dogs of presumably Mexican heritage.
His sombrero long since gone, Scooby (who is often mistaken for a Chihuahua) sported his official KC Pittie Pack hoodie – and for most of the day, a blanket.
It was so unseasonably chilly, that Scooby’s new friend Piper, a teacup Chihuahua of just 2.5 pounds, never even fully emerged from Kennel Creek trainer Diana’s lunchbag pet carrier.
Is that a pup or a peanut?
Despite the cold weather and a turnout not nearly high enough to break the current record of over 1,300 costumed dogs, Scooby and I had a lovely day with friends old and new. For me, it was especially nice to just have fun after our recent slew of sad life happenings.
Instead of thinking about all that, today we walked in the parade. We visited the Good Dog 2 Go food truck for dogs. We helped hand out Kennel Creek leashes.
And we sold the first of a new official Wayward Dogs product that happens to be perfect for people who love dogs and parties!
If you haven’t already seen the teaser photo of this product on the Wayward Dogs Facebook page, you can guess what it might be from this old blog post.
More details to come very soon!
Did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo with your dog?
Big thanks to everyone for your support over the past couple of weeks. It is good to receive kind and empathetic words when the days get dark.
Benefit of a Buzz Cut
Luke said c’est la vie to his golden locks.
Luke’s imitation of a goldendoodle.
In the hopes that the weather will soon get warm and stay that way, Luke recently got the shortest haircut he has ever had.
My goals with this ‘do were:
- To reduce summer shedding
- To lengthen the typical time between grooms
- To limit his opportunities to accumulate debris (especially the thorny kind)
But getting Luke shorn extra short also came with another benefit.
The groomer found a stray staple in one of the scars from his recent lump removals.
Apparently, the vet missed this staple on the follow-up visit. It may be why the swelling around that particular incision site never completely subsided.
All is well now, though. The vet removed the staple, and Luke is now living proof that regular grooming is good for more than aesthetics and comfort. Regular grooming can help uncover health issues before they become a problem.
Big thanks to the groomer at Kennel Creek Pet Resort for being thorough with our Luke!
Has your groomer ever discovered something strange on your pet?
Happy Ending: Dusty Rhodes
“I’ve wined and dined with kings and queens and slept in alleys eating pork and beans.”- Dusty Rhodes
Remember that sad, little shepherd mix my friends found recently on the hard streets of Kansas City?
Well, he’s doing much better now.
In fact, you might say little Dusty Rhodes, named for a pro wrestler, is living “The American Dream.”
Because my friends were able to get around a dog weight restriction at their apartment, Dusty Rhodes came home with them.
He now has a mom, a dad and a tiny beagle sister named Daphne.
No more sleeping at the park for this guy!
Congratulations, Dusty!
Unfortunately, the list of dogs in need is neverending.
Another friend found an equally adorable shepherd mix with no collar, tags or microchip around 73rd and Harrison streets in the Waldo neighborhood of Kansas City yesterday.
Please share her photo if you have Kansas City contacts so that we may track down an owner before the dog is turned over to animal control.
Do you recognize me?
From the Streets to the Shelter
What would you do if you found this at your neighborhood park?
Fortunately for this little shepherd mix, when my friends stumbled across him a few days ago they did more than hurry past and try to forget about the sad sight.
They contacted animal control.
That’s not always an easy call to make. The shelter in Kansas City, Missouri, is not in good condition, and although euthanasia rates are down, not every animal makes it out of there alive.
For these reasons, my friends weren’t thrilled to send the pup to the city pound, but they weren’t in a position to tend to his immediate needs.
They did the right thing.
And again, they did not simply turn their backs when the truck drove off with the stray animal.
They recognized that to survive the shelter, this dog would need allies on the outside.
So, they shared his picture and story on social networks and lost pet forums.
They called up the shelter to see how he was doing.
They even went to visit him.
My friends would really like to adopt this dog, but at 45 pounds he is slightly too large for the rules set by their apartment complex.
They say he seems to be friendly and sweet, and the shelter estimates he is between 6 months and 1 year old.
Today, he is officially available for adoption from KC Pet Project. His identification number is 19425723.
Please share this dog’s story with anyone you know who may be interested in adopting him.
What do you do when you find a wayward dog?
Read more about the experience of finding this dog at ginchy!
Dog Food Scandal: What If They Were What They Ate?
When the recent horse meat scandal erupted, I knew it was not the last we would hear about deceptive meat substitution on a large scale.
Then, a relative forwarded to me this story from an agricultural industry trade journal:
Source: AllAboutFeed.net
Pretty disgusting, huh?
According to the full version of the story by the Daily Mail, it is suspected that stray dogs were picked up off the streets in Spain and stolen from animal sanctuaries. Then, their bodies were processed into animal feed.
Everything about this story is disturbing.
And that should be true for you whether or not you are a dog person.
It’s amazing how little we really know about any of the food we buy.
Whether we are getting kibble for our pets or enjoying a fancy meal out, we make our decisions based on what the label or menu says.
We trust stores, manufacturers and restaurants to tell us the truth. We have to.
For while we might know what a hamburger tastes like, our senses cannot tell us if the meat is composed of something more than beef.
Who’s to say about that filet of fish, either?
According to The Atlantic, 59% of the “tuna” eaten by Americans is not tuna at all.
As with the horse meat and tainted pet food, the fish findings are based on genetic testing. Without whistle blowers and a scientific investigation, no one would know the truth.
Considering the precarious economic state of the world right now, I fear there may be more disgusting new like this to come.
So, what do we do – as humans and pet caretakers?
- Whenever possible, consume food that is grown and distributed locally.
- If that isn’t practical, pay attention to the labels. Buy the highest-quality pet food you can for your pets, preferably with ingredients sourced in the United States or Canada.
What advice would you add to this list? Do you worry about where your food – and your pet’s food comes from? What are you currently feeding your pets?
The Wayward Dogs currently eat Petcurean grain-free kibble that we get from the Boutique at Kennel Creek Pet Resort.
Is That Charlie Machete on a Baseball Cap?
I try to downplay the fact that I’m a crazy dog lady when I’m at work.
For example, I tried not to talk too much about the pack yesterday, while I was at an all-day conference and trade show for my job.
But then, in the product showcase area, I saw these hats.
I’m pretty sure Charlie Machete could have been the model on this one:
The company behind these hats is called DRI DUCK, and it is based in Overland Park, Kansas.
In addition to the labradors, walleyes and deer, they offer a wide variety of other neat animal and nature designs.
What do you think? Would you wear one of these hats?
Return of the Blizzard
On Tuesday, the world outside our Kansas City windows looked like this. 
In a follow-up to last week’s snowstorm, Snowpocalypse II dumped another 10-12 inches across the metro, and pretty much shut down the city.
The dogs and I didn’t mind too much, since it was perfectly possible to snuggle get work done on the couch in the home office.
Can’t you see I’m working here?
And then, suddenly, it was no longer possible to be so productive. Right after I snapped that Instagram of Charlie Machete playing office, we heard a loud pop across the street.
A transformer had exploded, and the power would be out for the next 20 hours or so.
Reportedly, some 100,000 people lost power at some point during the storm.
As one of them, I feel incredibly lucky that friends and family offered us a respite from the cold overnight.
Bonus: The sleeping accommodations included a fireplace and Charlie Machete’s spastic girlfriend Roxy.
Wherever you are today, I send you warm wishes!
Have you ever been stuck with your dogs and no electricity? Share your story in the comments!
Buck Lives on Forever
When I saw this tattoo, I had to know the story behind it.
The arm belongs to my friend Eric Fain, a Kansas City musician. Here’s the tale of his family dog Buck:
I was ten years old.
I had just arrived home after a week long Boy Scout Camp and my parents surprised me with a fluffy gold and white English Shepherd.
We decided to name him Buck, possibly because he was absolutely buck-wild and it just seemed to fit.
Until he was about a year and some change, he was just a ball of fur with a big head.
We moved to the Netherlands a year or so after and he made the trek with us overseas. Buck thrived in Holland. Every day my sisters and I would take him and our old Boxer, Cocoa, to the dog park, where he could run around free and play with other dogs and chase us while we tried to escape him on our Razor Scooters. His herding instinct was strong; he loved hovering around your feet. He also loved to sit on people, even if they were in a chair and he had to boost his butt onto your lap.
We returned to Kansas in 2003, and he was a great house dog for a while.
In 2008, he finally got to be the farm dog he always wanted to be when my folks bought seven acres in the countryside.
Buck’s final years were the best any dog could ask for. He adored my mother more than anyone else. When he started getting frail, my mom started to feed him hard boiled eggs in his food every night before she went to sleep. If she forgot, he barked until she brought it to him. She went so far as to have two separate cartons of eggs in the fridge; Buck’s Eggs and Human Eggs.
Every time I visited them, I always went down stairs to his room and gave him a big hug, except the night before he had to be put to sleep.
I’ll never forget hearing his bark from the basement. I left without even saying hello, not thinking it would be the last time I would hear him. I got a call from my sister as I was getting off work, and I could tell something was wrong.
She said he fell when he was outside and that Mom had to pick him up and bring him inside. ‘He’s bleeding internally and there isn’t much we can do’ the vet told my mom. She loved him so much and couldn’t bear to see him in any more pain. I told her to give him a kiss for me and tell him that I was sorry for not being there to say goodbye.
Buck was my best pal, and I decided to get a tattoo for his memory because I never want to forget the happiness he brought into my life.
Big thanks to Eric for sharing this story.
To catch a glimpse of Eric’s tattoo of Buck in person, go see him play with his band Clairaudients.
Does anyone else out there have a tattoo memorial of a beloved pet? Tell your story in the comments.
Scooby Has a Question
Seven days from now is Valentine’s Day…
How would you respond?
Find something good for your valentine in my gift guide for dog lovers.
And don’t miss your chance to win some Rupert’s spray that will make your pooch more smoochable!
