Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Wordless Wednesday: Who Says Dogs Don't Smile?

Olive smiling in delight on Wordless Wednesday

Will we see you at BlogPaws 2014?

by Tom Collins

Hey folks, a quick bit of shameless self-promotion ... well, really it's for your benefit, too, if you're interested in growing and developing your skills — or getting together with a few hundred of your best pet blogging buddies, including many of their pets! ;-D

Check out the new BlogPaws 2014 badge set I just posted today! Here's what they look like, but jump over to the page if you want to grab the embed code for the one(s) that apply to you:

And of course, Yvonne will be there, too.

You are registered for BlogPaws 2014, right?

Wordless Wednesday: Flying Squirrels

how do they jump through the trees like that?

Twiggy and Emily in the 'new' backyard... chasing (well, trying to chase) squirrels. Pesky devils just run around in the trees chattering away. 

Why Pets Are Important To Me

Ah, how to write the "how do I love thee, let me count the ways" for pets. It's been done. But not by me. So here goes...

How do I love thee, oh creatures who share my life? 

1. I love the head butts every morning - the eagerness you greet the day with and the enthusiasm you bring to my wake up. "Hey, Mom, look, it's another day! Can you believe it? The sun came up again today. Let's go do something fun!"

2. I love the way you watch out the back door for squirrels - well, the Emily watches for squirrels. Olive watches Emily and doesn't get the 'squirrel' thing. And Chester is just a good follower to Emily's lead so... he chases her, when she chases squirrels. It's priceless.

3. I love the nighttime cuddles from all three of my fur-kids. The way they either leap up on the bed (Emily) or tentatively watch my face to see if it's okay. Yes, it's occasionally not okay...but Emily is the only one who never asks permission. She's just sure her wonderfulness is always welcome. 

4. I love the way my dogs are accepting our kitty and said kitty, Molly, is becoming more comfortable around them. In this new house, she seems ready to join us in the main parts of the house more often, rather than staying down in the basement, near Tom's office. Understand, she loves the basement... it's primarily all hers... but I think she's curious about what might be going on upstairs, these days. Maybe it's the fireplace. At any rate, it proves that dogs and cats can get along.

5. Oh, speaking of the fireplace... I love the way all three of the dogs curl up on one dog bed, to be closer to the warm, orang fire... as it glows in the soft evening light and warms the room. They look so content.

6. I love the way you always forgive me. It's sad to say I lose my temper with you now and then (you're impatient to go out, and I'm not; you're anxious for dinner but it's a tad bit early; you just jumped on the bed and landed on my foot!)...and you take my angry words to heart, but you bound right back when I say I'm sorry! 

7. I love the way you wiggle your butt as you prance down the street, Emily. As if you are Queen of the world and you're sure the world knows it. 

8. I love the way you spend long minutes exploring the grass, Chester, because there is wondrous information in each blade and you are not in a hurry to go anywhere, so why should I be?

9. I love the way you scamper after Emily, Olive... because you're sure Emily knows things you don't and if you just stick close to her, you'll be rewarded with something pawsome. Oh yes, you will. Even if it's just a squirrel scampering away in the trees.

10. I love the way you meow hello each morning, and come up some evenings to talk to us, Molly. We so delight in your conversations.

And there you have it, just 10 of the reasons I love my pets. They are important to me for all of those reasons and because... they remind me that unconditional love is a powerful thing.

Emily and Olive: Wordless Wednesday

We have some work to do... for Giving Month.

Blogging Makes Me Tired

Chester and Olive, below, helping me do a bit of blogging, at bedtime. I think we were actually participating in a Twitter Chat with BlogPaws and team, before we blogged. I usually call walking the dogs "blogging" because... it seems like that's what they're doing. (Olive and Emily, on the left, insisting the chair is theirs and trying to get ME to make one of them get down... just like the kids they are!)

They mosey along okay and then suddenly stop...sniff, sniff, sniff...and pee. The sniffing part is reading whatever some other dog left there, and the peeing part...well that's their comment! If we're having a bad day (little time for a walk so it's hurry, hurry, hurry)... I will tell Chester, "Come back to that page tomorrow!"

Wordless Wednesday: Olive Dreaming

Wordless Wednesday: Toilet Paper

Can Your Pet Power Your Home?

So, the guy who sent me the info on cat walks, which I wrote about last week, shared another post with me. That realty firm has some good stuff in it - they seem to get us pet people. Don't you wish all realtors did? I mean, really... we need pet friendly apartments and condos and we need realty companies that understand how important our pets are to us, don't we?

Yes, we do.

Well, check out this fun tool - Power Your Home With Pets

I triedit, and learned that one dog could power my house. Now, I'm not really sure what that means. I am doubtful, at best. Emily - maybe. If she was chasing a squirrel. Not if she was chasing a rabbit. Rabbits lay there and she stalks them and when they bound away, she sometimes follows, and sometimes not. I definitely wouldn't trust Emily to power my house.

Wordless Wednesday: Emily's "Feed Us ... NOW" Look